A "USA" thank you gift for a kick ass French Admin?

September 25, 2024 4:38 AM

A colleague's administrative assistant really went above and beyond to organize a global meeting schedule for me for an upcoming many days working in France. I'd like to bring her a gift.

What "American" thing/food/stuff might I bring? I'm in the DMV, so I was thinking some old bay? And if I do that, it needs something(s) else with it.
Y'all are creative in this area so I'm expecting awesome ideas. No pressure.

posted by atomicstone to Grab Bag (26 answers total)

Is it in October? Typical American halloween candy!
posted by Omnomnom at 5:00 AM on September 25 [4 favorites]

First of all, ask her if she cooks or has any food allergies.

How about hominy for grits, plus a recipe for grits translated into French?

If she cooks at all, she'll be able to take it from there... and she can always re-gift if it's not her thing.

I can't speak for France, but the makings for grits aren't that easy to come by in southern Spain.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 5:05 AM on September 25

Response by poster: It IS in October. But people hate American chocolate, no? Maybe Reeses mini cups. Bc peanut butter.
posted by atomicstone at 5:06 AM on September 25 [1 favorite]

Response by poster:It IS in October. But people hate American chocolate, no? Maybe Reeses mini cups. Bc peanut butter.

Well, it would be the fun novelty of it, rather than the taste. Europeans do halloween too, but not all out like Americans. Also, Reeses rock.
posted by Omnomnom at 5:13 AM on September 25 [2 favorites]

I would bring some interesting sweets in person, we have a local candy shop that does handmade toffee and pecan/caramel turtles that you don't really see in Europe.

But I would also send a lavish bouquet of flowers ahead of my arrival. There are smaller online florists like FloraPrima that can send really amazing arrangements with a gift attached like a small split of sparkling wine. I would not use FTD.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:14 AM on September 25 [3 favorites]

My (American) sister-in-law lived and worked in France for a time, and when we went to visit her one of the things she asked us to bring was chili powder, which is apparently very hard to come by over there. So piggybacking off of your Old Bay idea, I would maybe bring a few good spice mixes, including Old Bay and a good high quality chili powder, maybe some Cajun/creole seasoning, and maybe a seasoned salt of some kind. There's a place down in Asheville, NC called Spicewalla that makes some really beautiful little tins of very high quality spices, maybe they have gift boxes or similar.
posted by saladin at 5:40 AM on September 25 [2 favorites]

Something with Old Bay rather than Old Bay itself, maybe? These caramels are unusual and tasty.

Between allergies and knowing quite a few non-Americans who find peanut butter off-putting, I personally don't go strong on peanut butter candies for people I don't know. But maybe your colleague would know if she has some knowledge of or preferences in American candies?
posted by EvaDestruction at 5:42 AM on September 25

Seconding JoeZydeco's advice above, but I would add two thank-you notes, one to the staffer who helped you, and one to her boss, singing her praises. Because chocolates and flowers are lovely, but contributing to a file that might help her successfully advocate for a raise is worth its weight in gold.
posted by notquitejane at 5:42 AM on September 25 [14 favorites]

For the love of all that is holy, don't bring peanut butter to Europe! You might be accused of biological warfare!

Maple syrup? Cinnamon chewing gum? Fancy non-standard jams (the French are likely to find most American concoctions too sweet, so maybe "reduced sugar" ones?), surprisingly - the Crunch candy bars (the ones with crisped rice inside) and sour gummy candy (sourpatch kids, etc.) are very popular with my European friends. Peanut/cashew/almond brittle?
posted by Dotty at 6:30 AM on September 25 [3 favorites]

Just to head off the Reese's idea (sorry) - you can get Reese's peanut butter cups in France; I checked two supermarket websites (Carrefour and Intermarche) and they both listed them, so I'm guessing they're fairly easily come by. Maybe not the mini ones, but even so, it might not hit the right note. Also (on preview) it looks as if you can get Crunch bars in France too - nestle.fr says they were invented in the US in 1938 and arrived in France in 1960.

There might be some amusement value in seasonal editions of ordinary snacks; do you get pumpkin spice M&Ms or maple flavour KitKats or chocolate ghosts or...? I wouldn't bring anything made with Hershey's chocolate though (definitely an acquired taste, and probably most easily acquired in childhood).

I had a quick look for chocolatiers that might be local to you. Sweet Cascades sell, amongst other things (deep breath) bourbon truffles rolled in crushed graham crackers, buckeyes, caramel smores, chocolate-covered pretzels topped with Old Bay seasoning, chocolate crabs with Old Bay, chocolate-dipped caramels with Old Bay, chocolate-dipped sea salt caramel Oreos, cicada-shaped chocolates, fluffernutters, Old Bay truffles, peanut-butter-stuffed pretzels, tiny turtles, traditional smores, and turtle turtles. All of which strike me as very American and probably quite nice, assuming the chocolate's good. (Although some of them might be a bit sweet.)
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:07 AM on September 25 [2 favorites]

A variety of local sweets is almost certain to be appreciated. My Indian colleagues used to bring sweets back when they travelled home. Half of them tasted like chalk but I was very grateful for the chance to try them.

You might also see if you can get your hands on some Ghirardelli chocolates. They’ll likely be too sweet for Europeans, but they are uniquely American.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:27 AM on September 25

Shop Made in DC is perfect for this sort of thing! It’s all local and they have a ton of nice gift-y things and locally made snacks and such.
posted by donut_princess at 7:39 AM on September 25

Zingerman’s Desk Hoarder Gift Box.
posted by Mizu at 7:43 AM on September 25

I think anything chocolate is a no-go, I completely agree with you.

I don't think I'd go for something edible, actually. If I were in your shoes and were close enough to the amazing museum shops in Washington, I'd start there.

You probably also have time to order online from the Smithsonian shop. You'll be able to pick up something like a scarf (that America in Bloom scarf is on sale for $45, and the (even better) Afrofuturism one is a similar price, for example).
posted by yellowcandy at 7:50 AM on September 25 [3 favorites]

as a French person I bring these:

-cinnamon gum
-twizzlers
-candy corn doesn't exist in france, fun (if not tasty)
-fun size almond joy
-mini reese's PB cups (bonus points for a fun halloween shape if available). Yes, i know it's controversial, but I've successfully converted french people to peanut butter.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 7:56 AM on September 25 [5 favorites]

Oh, another suggestion, Seka Hills olive oil sampler. I’ve enjoyed a few of their oils and they’ve been very good, balanced but notable flavors that work with a lot of different cuisines. They do other stuff too, like wine, which I would be way too scared to gift a French person, but also fancy soaps and such. Way more American than my previous Zingerman’s suggestion.
posted by Mizu at 8:00 AM on September 25 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I was once an admin who did a bang-up job on visas for a couple of people and they brought me these cool presents:

1. Fancy Ukrainian chocolates - but what was fancy was that each wrapper had a picture of some Ukrainian beauty spot. It was nice chocolate, but I can get nice European chocolate in the US - the special presentation was what made it great.

2. A little box with an inlaid lid in what I assume is some traditional Korean style. I love this and have it on my shelf right now.

Obviously I am in the US, but these were great international presents because they were so specifically from the other person's home country. If you have access to something made of regional wood, for instance, that might be nice. Nothing huge - you don't want to land someone with something they will hate.
posted by Frowner at 8:03 AM on September 25 [1 favorite]

I would caution against supermarket candy/chocolate as a thank you gift, as I think it’s generally perceived as low-quality and too sweet, but seasonal candy could be fun as a novelty, just not the main gift.

Maple syrup from Quebec is easy to find in France.

Cinnamon-flavored things are less common and read as American.

I’m not sure what old bay is, but be careful of anything spicy, most French people have very little spice tolerance.

The best plan is to come up with your budget and try to find a colleague of hers for an idea of what she likes. For example, if they tell you a style of wine, you can go into a wine shop in France and tell them that and your budget and they will recommend you something. I don’t think the thank you gift needs to be particularly American, though you could bring a few small things with you to go with it.

If you do decide to bring American food with you, I think something locally produced and nice quality would go over better than supermarket candy.
posted by orchidee at 8:35 AM on September 25 [2 favorites]

How about saltwater taffy? that's American and artisanal and comes in a variety of delicious flavors.

(homer-drooling.gif)
posted by Sauce Trough at 9:10 AM on September 25

Standard American chocolate is a cruel joke compared to even standard supermarket European chocolate. Unless you know they have a specific fondness for some American chocolate, I wouldn't go with that, other than getting something from a specific shop that makes them. I think hitting up a DC museum gift shop for something unique is a good idea, if it's not too inconvenient for you!
posted by yasaman at 10:32 AM on September 25 [4 favorites]

Fun stuff: Red Hots, NECCO wafers, those conversation hearts, wasabi almonds, caramel-covered marshmallows, pecans.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:54 PM on September 25 [1 favorite]

Depends where you live, bring a local or regional specialty. Vermont maple syrup and the like. Something edible would be prefer or a product like soap or candles since a scent you like may not be one they would like. Perhaps a jar of locally made marmalade if you area has that would be a nice gift.
posted by smilefreely at 6:12 PM on September 25

My husband often has to bring local snack gifts for work since he does a lot of business travel in Japan. My advice is that if you can't find anything locally that you think quite fits the bill, airports are very much in the business of showcasing regional crafts and foodstuffs, and if you leave a little extra time you can almost certainly find something reasonable at the airport.

Might pay a hefty premium for the convenience, but keep it in mind as an option!
posted by potrzebie at 8:10 PM on September 25

This feels like a lot of the answers are from Americans rather than Europeans. Adults here aren't quite as excited by things from another country as we are more likely to have been to other countries, most supermarkets carry a base range of American candies, pop-tarts, etc.

Supermarket candy would feel trashy as a thank you gift, it's great as a fun casual thing you might bring for the whole office, but generally, it's not particularly enjoyed. That said most people have some.specific American candy they are feral for, Big Red gum is pretty popular, chocolate generally isn't.

Focus on nice thank you gift firstly, American less so.
posted by Iteki at 10:31 PM on September 25 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I would ask the admin directly if there is anything from the US she would like.

I once worked somewhere with many international colleagues, and someone I worked for who was based in Lebanon once wanted to do something for me and asked me directly if there was anything from Lebanon he could bring for me. I really appreciated the gesture - and I still use the Lebanese cookbook he brought me (and I'm still working through the enormous bag of sumac that came with it). By contrast - the colleague from Kenya who also wanted to treat me chose not to ask first, and the tablecloth she gave me sees little use (it's pretty, but I don't have a table big enough and I would have appreciated a different thing more).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:40 AM on September 26

Response by poster: Thanks for advice. You guys, in a kind way, I'm a professional and know how to ensure an admin's praises are made to their supervisor.
I also LOVE the people telling me reeses are bio weapons. And other French people telling me to definitely bring some. My experience is that French people LOVE choco/peanut butter when exposed to it. I
think I'll do a mix of old bay/penzey 's mexican/tex mex spices (if too spicy for her or she doesn't cook, she can easily regift to someone she can impress) and some of the other ideas here.
posted by atomicstone at 6:08 AM on September 26