The gift of cough drops
If you were going to give a foreign visitor a gift that was representative of your country, what would that gift be?
I’m finding this question hard to answer. The only things I can come up with are food or sports related. For some countries, you think of a distinct craft, but it’s just not coming to me!
Don’t worry though – I don’t actually have the task of finding said gift in front of me right now. I was just thinking about it as I visited the store to buy cough drops this morning and saw the Ricola brand.
When I worked in Rome during the summer of 2006, my coworkers were from all over the world. It was such an amazing experience to share stories with these people every day, finding the differences and similarities between our lives, as well as discussing where we wanted to take our architecture careers. Luckily, I became friends with a few of them on Facebook so we sort of keep in touch!
Anyway, one coworker was from Switzerland. On my last day in the office, she told me she had a small gift for me, from her home country, and gave me a bag of Ricola cough drops! It was such a sweet gesture, and it also made me laugh… I had never received cough drops as a gift! But now, every time I have a cold, I think of her!
Themocracy
When I went to Europe, I took a roll of Iowa quarters and handed those out to people I met. I think it sort of depends on what you want people to remember about you or about their visit. I have given or received a local t-shirt, small flag, local cookbook, beach towel, lapel pin, sweet corn seeds, and alcohol.
Oh! That is a really cool idea! I wonder if you can still go in in request a roll of those specific quarters! I am still seeing ones that are years old but new to me! 🙂
Aw the cough drops are sweet! Odd but sweet! In the UK they wanted me to bring candy bars like Milky Way and Snickers. They have a Mars bar that’s similar but not the same. IMO the Mars Bar is better.
I concur – I liked the European candy bars better than what we have. And Cadbury is big over there, right?!
Love this! Weird things can be gifts. Jelly beans are really hard to find in Estonia and my favorite cousin loves them so I always bring them with me as a gift!
Aww! I love that! Of course, I have to ask… does she like the black ones? 🙂
No one likes the black ones!
I do! 😉 But I am a black licorice fan, too 🙂
Belgium is easy: chocolate, beer, chocolate, waffles, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate… Need I say more?
Um… I think you forgot something – BISCOFF!!! 😀
Oh, right! How could I forget? 😉
Food tends to be the easiest thing to give that is representative since it varies so much from place to place. Even within the United States!
I felt so sorry for my daughter when she went to Germany and brought me home all these German chocolate bars – I finally told her a couple months later that they were all available at World Market – she was so pissed!
Awww! It’s the thought that counts, right? I ended up bringing something back for someone from Spain that you could easily buy stateside. LOL.
Funny about the cough drops! I have a friend in Canada and we mail boxes back and forth sometimes. She is impressed by our variety of Pringles flavors. LOL
Ha! Do tell me how you mail Pringles so they don’t break?!
Um yeah. I never mastered that. LOL
I mean, President Obama got the Queen of England an iPod, so I think your Switzerland friend had the right idea!
I guess if I were to give something, it would be a Chicago flag! Our flag is so unique and it looks cool. I was running in New Orleans and saw someone with a Chicago flag, and people were asking him what it was and where he got it, which I thought was pretty neat.
Our flag is really neat! I was just talking about it with Gina, during her visit. She saw someone at the race who had a Chicago flag inspired tattoo.
That’s a great story about the cough drops 🙂 I’ve heard peanut butter can be hard to find abroad so maybe some type of nut butter could be a good gift. Or maybe something really local, like old bay seasoning from Maryland.
Oooo! That is a good idea. Isn’t it funny that PB is only such a big thing in the US? I wonder if other nations don’t have as big of a peanut allergy problem as us, then.
my favorite thing to share with my current locals is Chislic…it is delish an only known in my home state…
not sure how it would travel 😉
P.S. It is meat…I won’t invite you over 😉
i grew up in kansas city, so i lean towards BBQ sauce. although i’m not sure that would go over very well….
For all the times I have been to KC (my husband is from there) I have never been to or seen one of these BBQ places. Of course, that is probably because I don’t eat meat? LOL. Which part of KC are you from? My sister is getting married there in a few weeks 🙂
Love this! This reminds me of the Ricola commercial which cracks me up every single time.
haha. i was just thinking that when Mark went to England last summer he didn’t bring us back diddly!! LOL Wait he brought back a hot sauce that someone gave him. lol
We often buy gifts and receive gifts from people in foreign countries and it usually involves alcohol (haha) unless it’s from our friends in Australia. They have the AWESOME-EST cookies! They always bring me two big packages of them!!!
Ha, that’s such a sweet story! And man, what a nice thing–to be able to smile about Ricola cough drops when you have a cold.
When I went to Korea (maybe you remember this), I read to bring vitamins, especially omega-3 fish oil caplets, beef jerky, and polo shirts. I brought the fish oil, and my homestay family went NUTS for them, but mostly because (I think) they are expensive luxury items in Korea. Instead of actually taking them, they put them out on the counter as a status symbol so everyone would comment on them when they came over. Eventually, the pills melted together and went rancid, but they still kept the bottle out. I was full of judgment.
HA HA HA! Yes! I remember that story and think of it often! (including them leaving them out to brag about – so odd!)