Food/gift ideas to bring to family in Denmark & Sweden?
July 25, 2016 6:19 AM Subscribe
We'll be visiting cousins and their kids (toddlers thru tweens & a teen) in Denmark and Sweden in August. We're coming from upstate NY. We've got books & comics plus some gross US candy for the kids, but are stumped on anything to bring to the adults. We're packing very light, so small is good. What's novel, or amusing, or tasty that comes from the US and is uncommon in Scandinavia? Extra or alternate kid gift suggestions are also still welcomed!
This is from a different angle, but as an adult in Sweden, the most useful things brought from the US are a bottle each of Advil (ibuprofen), DayQuil, NyQuil, and melatonin. I'd check with them first, though.
posted by meijusa at 6:56 AM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by meijusa at 6:56 AM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
Seconding Maple Syrup. Also noting that my Swedish friends are kind of crazy for everything cowboy. (They even market American wine as "Cowboy wine". Go figure.) So food with a Western theme or cowboy related novelty stuff might do well-- cowboy hats, fi.
Candy or sweets are a big hit, Swedes love candy. But then things they cannot get is best, either high quality or funny novelty (candy corn).
posted by frumiousb at 7:12 AM on July 25, 2016
Candy or sweets are a big hit, Swedes love candy. But then things they cannot get is best, either high quality or funny novelty (candy corn).
posted by frumiousb at 7:12 AM on July 25, 2016
Maple syrup, definitely. You might check with the adults to see if zip-loc bags are still practically a form of US currency in Europe.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:29 AM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 7:29 AM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Beef jerky!
An aside: meijusa, what's special about Advil compared e.g. to Ipren?
posted by Herr Zebrurka at 7:45 AM on July 25, 2016
An aside: meijusa, what's special about Advil compared e.g. to Ipren?
posted by Herr Zebrurka at 7:45 AM on July 25, 2016
Some Finger Lake wines. You can't get them here. (And Maple Syrup candy). Artisan local beer (not the explosive kind).
posted by Namlit at 7:59 AM on July 25, 2016
posted by Namlit at 7:59 AM on July 25, 2016
I buy zip lock bags of every size at my local Føtex in Cooenhagen and am totally confused as to how the idea got about that they are not available here. And I guess that organic Vermont 100% maple syrup from the same store is somehow not good enough?
You don't get reeces pieces or similar peanut butter chocolate here and it is a popular import from US visitors with the locals at least.
posted by shelleycat at 8:23 AM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
You don't get reeces pieces or similar peanut butter chocolate here and it is a popular import from US visitors with the locals at least.
posted by shelleycat at 8:23 AM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Suggestions of specific types of candy are great! I assume extremely sour candies are available everywhere now?
posted by chr1sb0y at 8:52 AM on July 25, 2016
posted by chr1sb0y at 8:52 AM on July 25, 2016
Am in Sweden. Possibly really good Maple syrup and candy, ideally big bags of fun size cos it's so sweet but like the big bag of mini Reese cups? Yiss plees. No to jerky, it's weird and sugary and available in the local ICA if they want it that bad. There's not many flavours of chips here, so some strange flavours could be fun (all formats of dairy+onionesque exist, plus cheese and nuts). Big yes to drugs, regular OTC drugs, some good throat lozenges with benzocaine and powder-cures for colds, NyQuil, and dear god some sorta polysporin cream, possibly this peroxide stuff people are always suggesting, codeine based painkillers like Solpadine etc. and maybe if they like to bake or cook there are ingredients that are difficult to get, like I have a terrible time buying caster sugar here. Some craft supplies are popular but hard to get here, not sure what now but I bought modgepodge before it was big here and glass etching stuff.
But really, the best gift you could give your friends is to offer to carry some shit they order from Amazon over. They know what they want. My last visitor brought me Amazon dash buttons and a pair of Palladiums that were twenty bucks on Amazon but about 80 here.
posted by Iteki at 9:04 AM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
But really, the best gift you could give your friends is to offer to carry some shit they order from Amazon over. They know what they want. My last visitor brought me Amazon dash buttons and a pair of Palladiums that were twenty bucks on Amazon but about 80 here.
posted by Iteki at 9:04 AM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like Big Red as a flavour uncommon to here or indeed limited editions of stuff that's available here, I mean we have regular skittles and the sour ones, but maybe the orchard ones or tropical? I probably mainly like unusual packaging so I always buy time of Altoids even if the candy isn't great. Also I forgot to mention, pop-tarts! Available here but super expensive and only boring breakfasty flavours like strawberry. Stockholm meetup time soon?
posted by Iteki at 9:17 AM on July 25, 2016
posted by Iteki at 9:17 AM on July 25, 2016
As someone who regularly visits family in Sweden, the things that sounded most appealing are maple syrup and fingerlakes. For anything else, just ask. For instance, I always bring lots of bags of almonds, because they are soooo much cheaper in the US.
(To Iteki: just blend some sugar in a blender. Easiest way to get caster sugar! In the UK, caster sugar is the default. In Sweden, its always granulated...)
posted by troytroy at 12:18 PM on July 25, 2016
(To Iteki: just blend some sugar in a blender. Easiest way to get caster sugar! In the UK, caster sugar is the default. In Sweden, its always granulated...)
posted by troytroy at 12:18 PM on July 25, 2016
The baking sugar (called what ever the Danish is for those words) that I buy in Føtex is identical to all white castor sugar I've used in NZ, Ireland and the UK.
posted by shelleycat at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2016
A sack of pecans. They cost a fortune here! Chunks of hickory. Bourbon. Bags of dried chiles.
posted by bluebird at 12:33 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by bluebird at 12:33 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Here's the other thing: real good roasted peanuts. The "Virginia" peanuts here are a joke.
posted by Namlit at 12:51 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by Namlit at 12:51 PM on July 25, 2016
Dr Bronner's peppermint soap - you can get it here, but only in a few places (and online of course), and it's absurdly expensive whichever way
I agree about the almonds and pecans - good idea
American candy is not a succes with anyone in my extended family, except for the laughs.
Election paraphernalia might be fun this year - a lot of people are going to hold or go to US-election parties come November and having stuff for dressing up and decoration will be very cool.
posted by mumimor at 7:12 AM on July 26, 2016
I agree about the almonds and pecans - good idea
American candy is not a succes with anyone in my extended family, except for the laughs.
Election paraphernalia might be fun this year - a lot of people are going to hold or go to US-election parties come November and having stuff for dressing up and decoration will be very cool.
posted by mumimor at 7:12 AM on July 26, 2016
An aside: meijusa, what's special about Advil compared e.g. to Ipren?
The price difference and packaging. A small blister pack in Sweden costs more than an enormous bottle in the U.S.
posted by meijusa at 12:36 PM on July 29, 2016
The price difference and packaging. A small blister pack in Sweden costs more than an enormous bottle in the U.S.
posted by meijusa at 12:36 PM on July 29, 2016
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posted by alchemist at 6:28 AM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]