Country Girl Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 We live in China and my dh will be travelling back to the U.S. this summer for a short period and I want him to bring back some gifts to give to a few friends. However, I can't seem to think of any ideas for gifts that are typically "American". For instance, when we were still in the U.S. and he'd travel to China, he'd bring back things like silk, chopsticks, jade, etc. It was easy to think of typical "Chinese" gifts that were representative of the country that people would be appreciative of receiving. But I'm stumped trying to think of the equivelent for him to bring back from the U.S. to give to some of our Chinese friends. Any ideas? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kht2006 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When we lived in Taiwan we took nice American flag pens, tiny bottles of maple syrup from Cracker Barrell, and Cheese sticks (not string cheese). We also took angel food cake mixes and I baked angel food cake to give as gifts. I'm sure there are other things, though. Regional foods are a great choice, tiny tiny jars of jam (they're heavy, though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When we went to Vietnam the guys LOVED baseball caps with team logos on them. We also took Bath & Body works sets for the ladies. Another big thing for the people we were seeing was T-Shirts from big cities (NY, LA, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When we went to Vietnam the guys LOVED baseball caps with team logos on them. We also took Bath & Body works sets for the ladies. Another big thing for the people we were seeing was T-Shirts from big cities (NY, LA, etc.). I agree. I don't think you can go wrong with things (t-shirts, hats, bags, etc.) that are imprinted with U.S. city, state, team, and univeristy logos. Those seem to be very big with the Chinese college students here. One of those mini Statue of Liberty figures would be cute, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 silk, chopsticks, jade... How about denim, a fork, and turquoise. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 LOL, our Korean student's friend asked me, "What should I take back to my family that's 'U.S. culture?' " I said, "I don't know. What is different?" She didn't know either. We host college students from other countries. So far, all of our students have been from Asian countries: China, Japan, Korea. It is customary for host families to send a small token gift back to the student's family when the student goes home. I would look for local delicacies from your U.S. hometown or from the city your dh is visiting. I often send huckleberry jam or hazelnuts because those grow locally. Small jars of gourmet peanut butter. Local chocolate: We can find chocolate bars with special wrappers that have the name of our town/state. Toys: We stocked up on inexpensive wooden toys from the pioneer museum, and those were big hits. We usually gave those to students with siblings or to teachers we hosted. Slinkies and yoyos made in the USA. (I know they have Slinkies and yoyos in China, but they're then only small toys we've found that say "Made in the USA" on the box. Urg.) Magnets or bookmarks with pictures of a famous building or landmark (think the Space Needle or the Sears Tower...something like that). This is the kind of thing that our students bring back for us when they travel to another city. Some of our Asian students like to take things home that have the Starbucks, Nike, or Levi's brand logo on them, like coffee mugs or baseball caps. That's all I got. Good luck! :) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When we hosted kids from Spain, they Loved homemade strawberry jam. Maybe any kind of jam. How about quilted pot holders? I do agree with the big city T-shirts and bball caps too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When I lived in Baltimore,I always gave a tin of Old Bay and a local cookbook. Now that I am in ATL, I do something peach or Vidalia onion and a local cookbook. (And something from the Braves) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgonczi Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 All of our overseas friends love to get peanut butter from America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Apple pie spices or kit, brownie mix, baseball hat, deck of cards with American flag on them... Also you might want to get specific to the region you are specifically from or visiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 For kids, various candy and gum, especially if it is unusual. We gave someone this gum that unrolled into a very long strip and the kids were thrilled. Bandanas are small and very 'american' and easy to pack. Big cities and well known colleges -Harvard, Yale t-shirts or with your state name/symbol. Also quarters with your state can be a fun gift for kids. In some counties wooden items like stirring spoons. I think William Sonoma has some nice ones - I don't know how cheap. You could support small business in Appalachia with things from http://www.appalachianhome.org/categories/Kitchen/Wooden-Utensils-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi's Mom Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If your friends have girls under age 11, maybe a Little House on the Prairie style bonnet. American Girl dolls (the mini ones) or the books. Arrowheads for boys. Old west type stuff. Cowboy hats, belt buckles. apples (not fresh but apple themed items, apple butter, dried apples) Pancake mix and maple syrup Maple candy Bald eagle themed items Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Another vote here for peanut butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 We live in China and my dh will be travelling back to the U.S. this summer for a short period and I want him to bring back some gifts to give to a few friends. However, I can't seem to think of any ideas for gifts that are typically "American". For instance, when we were still in the U.S. and he'd travel to China, he'd bring back things like silk, chopsticks, jade, etc. It was easy to think of typical "Chinese" gifts that were representative of the country that people would be appreciative of receiving. But I'm stumped trying to think of the equivelent for him to bring back from the U.S. to give to some of our Chinese friends. Any ideas? Thanks! I like the idea of specialty foods. Can you think any American foods that you can't find readily in China that you think your friends might like to try? Someone joked about forks, but seriously, some people collect spoons from different places. Okay, how's this for American: A spoon and a knife with jars of peanut butter and grape jelly? I assume you can get a loaf of bread in China, but if not, then include a box of bread mix too. :D Their children will love you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi's Mom Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 You could also get some of our famous snack cakes, like the Twinkie. I cannot stand those, but, they are famous here. (now if I found some Funny Bones, my friend would just get an empty box! They're the best, but oh so hard to find. Which is a good thing for me!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 How about denim, a fork, and turquoise. :lol: :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 When I studies in China our Chinese tutors loved getting current editions of popular US magazines like People and Entertainment. They are familiar with a lot of American TV and movies and enjoyed practicing their English reading with articles they could understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thank you everyone for your help! The idea of trying to narrow the ideas down to a more regional area of the States is helpful. Maybe some piece of clothing from one of my home state's collegiate sports team. Or, I also like the idea of some type of food that is a favorite of mine or from our regional area (the midwest). Surprisingly, peanut butter and jams are readily avialable in the supermarkets here so I'll have to try to come up with a different idea. Also, I love the idea of some type of American reading material to give to our Chinese teacher. If anyone else has some more ideas I'd love to hear them.... both for kids or adults. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 We usually go with something representative of our state -- that's easier than finding something that represents all of America. So for Minnesota, we might get bags of Minnesota wild rice, a calendar with photos of the Minnesota lakes, A Minnesota Twins baseball hat or T-shirt, a bag of "instant snow." :) Recently, we bought a kitchen towel with the map of Minnesota on it. For kids, my daughter's younger friends in Costa Rica always request "Nerds" candy! :) And in agreement with others, peanut butter is always a favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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