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What item(s) represent America?

S

Shoopy

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
6,689
Every time a coworker from one of our other offices around the globe visits, they bring us candy and/or chocolate. We have a coworker from Germany visiting and he brought us some candy and chocolate that are delicious! :lickout: I love when people visit from other parts of the world and bring us food :Up_to_something:

Then I thought, when I visit someone what would I bring? What candy/chocolate/food item would I share with others that I feel really represents what is available here in the US but not in other parts of the world? So many companies are global now, there hardly seems to be any US-only based companies. Of course I could always bake an apple pie but don't think it would hold up too well in a plane for hours :tongue:

What would you share?
 
Very good question. I'm always at a loss as well. But as we're usually visiting because of a marriage, or birth, i give the same gifts I give here.

Hoping people will come up with good ideas.
 
Oh this is a very interesting question!


I grew up in N.Z. and Australia, moved here for highschool. My parents were both born and raised in India, and I lived and went to school there for almost a year - it's a very different world.


One of the things I love most about the US is, I think, admittedly something many immigrants dislike, but I really feel it's what makes this country so special: we take a few features from a given culture, swirl them around in a big pitcher, and pour out something that's a distinctly "Americanised" version of whatever it was that went in - and in that way, "American" culture itself is this aggregation of so many different aspects of so many different cultures.. Taco Bell is nothing like "true" Mexican cuisine, the local Indian restaurants have dishes that most of my Indian (and living in India) family would have no idea what to think of, but that those two types of eateries are commonplace and well-loved - that I went to FI's cousin's bat-mitzvah and they wrote a full programme so I and the few other "outsiders" would know what was going on, that at the local Hindu temple we often see a priest giving an obviously "outsider" family a tour of the place and telling them some of the many stories we have - is an incredible testament to our ability as a country to change, adapt, and accept :))


Though, I think my Indian relatives would be confused and more than a little disdainful if I brought them "Indian" food from the Indian restaurant down the street that FI and I frequent as a sample of something distinctly American, so I suppose that's not much help in your quest ::)
 
Tootsie rolls?
 
Hmm, I tried to post but did something wrong. My suggestion was maple syrup (Vermont), as well as other regional specialties like amish cheese, fruit and other produce from different parts of the country, and beer, wine.
 
there are so many regions with distinct cultural traits. When friends and relatives visit or I send gifts I try to represent the best of the NYC region where I grew up, a hot pastrami, corned beefed, only in NY deli platter, friends around the country love this. When relatives send gifts from Texas, its the hot sauce and chili... New England, lobster and crabs... Florida, key lime.... Maryland, crabcakes... Vermont, cheddar and maple syrup... what represents us all?, thats a hard one..
 
apple pie?
 
How very odd - I replied to this a bit ago, but my response disappeared (?!?!?): chalk it up to PS 2.0.

Anyway, the gist of my response was: America is big enough that you might want to go more by region than nation. My grad program in NH gave out maple syrup candy: the interviewer from my first job in CA gifted me with a gorgeous fresh-picked clementine from the tree in his yard; and, if I were going to visit someone within a day of me, I'd bring them some wonderful NY bagels. It all depends, right?
 
A big bag of dried blackeyed peas and a 5lb bag of yellow cornmeal to make the traditional southern New Year's dishes: Blackeyed peas and cornbread. Doesn't get more regional than that.

Recipes must be included of course, and are as varied as the south. I prefer the peas spiced up with chorizo and onion, and jalapenos and sharp cheddar on the cornbread. Mmmm! Love those blackeyed peas!!
 
So many different things but I think it really varies by region.

What I think of as "American" ("traditional" foods I see around here):

Potato salad (potatoes, hard boiled eggs, chives, mayonaise)
pasta salad like Grandma makes (macaroni, chunks of ham, chunks of cheddar, diced pickles, sliced olives, mayonaise)
hamburgers (yes, I know they started in Germany...)
strawberry shortcake
Jello salad (jello cubes tossed with whipped cream -- usually 2 flavors of Jello)
baked beans


ETA:

rice crispy treats
Chex party mix (skip the fancy sauces -- just a touch of oil and sprinkle of garlic powder tossed with the Chex and pretzle sticks)
m&m cookies
 
Food is great if you're staying local. But what about if you're flying overseas?
I got a great beer stein from Germany when a friend came to visit. Another brought a wonderful bottle of a rare Spanish wine.

So what says america other than food? Any good wine recommendations?
 
elle_chris said:
Food is great if you're staying local. But what about if you're flying overseas?
I got a great beer stein from Germany when a friend came to visit. Another brought a wonderful bottle of a rare Spanish wine.

So what says america other than food? Any good wine recommendations?
Click to expand...

Cave B winery has great wines.

Many of the Robert Mondavi are very good too. (we just had the Private Selection merlot and cab)
 
[quoteETA: And, dangit, it did not! What do you guys do to quote, aside from just hitting the button upon responding?][/quote]

Don't know if the quote will work, but ....

- Beef jerky (gods help us)

- california wines

- Black Hills Gold

- turquoise

- anything Native American (this is a huge generalization, and not meant to be offensive - if anything, I'd say it's the most genuine thing on the list)

- in point of fact, anything referencing a specific period, from Colonial memorabilia onwards

- cowboy boots and hats

- Hollywood themed items

Making this list makes me feel like we are a kitschy sort of a nation - I feel like our biggest exports are Coca Cola and McDs!
 
Peanut butter! When I went to live with a family in Spain, I brought them two huge Costco-sized jars of peanut butter (don't worry--I knew they liked it and no one was allergic). They were fascinated by the size of the jars, and they were thrilled to have a huge supply of it. I also brought an American football for the boys, and they had a lot of fun playing with it.
 
elle_chris said:
Food is great if you're staying local. But what about if you're flying overseas?
I got a great beer stein from Germany when a friend came to visit. Another brought a wonderful bottle of a rare Spanish wine.

So what says america other than food? Any good wine recommendations?
Click to expand...

our Napa Valley California wines. Chateau Montelena, ( did I spell that right?)
 
Thanks for the wine recommendations. Will check both out.

Circe- I love the hollywood themed items idea. There's a few kids in our family who love certain films. I'm going to see what I can pick up. (we're going to Europe in August so this thread is perfect.)
 
A couple of things.
I second peanut butter. I could occasionally find it in Europe, but it was never the same.
Another is soda. Beyond coke, most are not avaliable elsewhere or are very expensive. I know my friend in Mexico will only let people visit her if they bring Dr. peper. Others like cream soda and root beer are also not common.
I will be honest, I wouldn't bring local wine. There is a reason pretty much no one drinks American wines except Americans, at least nothing affordable. Personally, if I were going to do alcohol I might bring good beers like fat tire that are immpossible to get elsewhere.

I remember kids really liking baseball caps when we traveled, especially with American teams.

Famous landmark stuff is usually a hit as well; not just Hollywood, but NY, San Fran, etc.
 
How about Starbucks Coffee? Hooters? McDonalds. Any novelty items from these Franchises screams Americana to me.

My husband started collecting Starbucks Coffee Mugs from different cities because his little sister started him on it, now we try to buy mugs so send to other collectors in his family when we travel....

I had a coworker who collected Hooter's shot glasses from different cities.
 
FDNY ( New York Fire Department) hats and Tee shirts go off the shelves to tourists and locals in NYC..

thats because we love them
 
This.

083_377_7_b.jpg
 
CA wines
Maple Syrup
BBQ Sauce [regional homemade type]
Salt Water Taffy
Smoked Salmon
Chocolate chip cookies
Few friends in Germany and Switzerland find peanut butter detestable :confused:
Family members crave Bisquick, Chocolate Dipped pretzels and Steaks from here :lol:
 
I used to bring Frango mints as a gift because they were so very Chicago. Now that we no longer have Marshall Field's I've lost my staple Chicago gift. ;( (I KNOW Macy's still sells them, but it's just not the same.)

I don't think Lou Malnati's deep dish or Garrett's popcorn would travel well overseas.

I'm not Southern (though I wish I were,) but everyone knows me for my sweet tea. Now I bring that to friends if we're traveling by car.

I agree that it's easier to come up with a regional gift than a national one.
 
I'm not sure what I'd share, but I know what I was asked to bring back from the US. I visited a couple of weeks ago, and my work colleagues gave me a list of things to bring back. It included: twinkies, jolly ranchers, hershey's bar (I brought them miniatures), and oreos. The oreos and krackle are the clear favourites.

I'm from Atlanta and live in London.
 
I have brought John Boy and Billy's Grillin Sauce and Cheerwine.

If I ever visit my friends in Japan I will make them an apple pie.
The only version they have tasted is from Mc Donalds.

They tell me the most popular hostess gift in their area (Osaka)
is Kentucky Fried Chicken !!
 
brazen_irish_hussy said:
A couple of things.
I second peanut butter. I could occasionally find it in Europe, but it was never the same.
Another is soda. Beyond coke, most are not avaliable elsewhere or are very expensive. I know my friend in Mexico will only let people visit her if they bring Dr. peper. Others like cream soda and root beer are also not common.
I will be honest, I wouldn't bring local wine. There is a reason pretty much no one drinks American wines except Americans, at least nothing affordable. Personally, if I were going to do alcohol I might bring good beers like fat tire that are immpossible to get elsewhere.

I remember kids really liking baseball caps when we traveled, especially with American teams.

Famous landmark stuff is usually a hit as well; not just Hollywood, but NY, San Fran, etc.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree on the wines. Don't bring local, as in (I'm in Oklahoma - gawdawful place for wine-growing) don't bring LOCAL, is good advice, but if the people you know in Europe aren't drinking American wines - ie, some of the Californian ones, it's either lack of education, availability, or snobbery, pure and simple. I honestly can't think of anything to pleasantly surprise and educate them more quickly, than an excellent bottle from CA. The number of truly stellar wines grown here in the US is pretty staggering actually. Of course choosing one requires YOU to either be well-versed in wines (and many Americans aren't, this being more of a beer/hard liquor culture after all) or having a really good wine vendor nearby to help you. In any case, wine exports from the US hit over 1 bil last year, so someone "over there" is drinking our wine. I read that the US now ties France as the number 2 wine import into the UK, behind Australia.

The beer idea is great, but I'd also consider a fine Kentucky bourbon, since that is absolutely American, like Scotch screams Scotland.
 
ksinger said:
brazen_irish_hussy said:
A couple of things.
I second peanut butter. I could occasionally find it in Europe, but it was never the same.
Another is soda. Beyond coke, most are not avaliable elsewhere or are very expensive. I know my friend in Mexico will only let people visit her if they bring Dr. peper. Others like cream soda and root beer are also not common.
I will be honest, I wouldn't bring local wine. There is a reason pretty much no one drinks American wines except Americans, at least nothing affordable. Personally, if I were going to do alcohol I might bring good beers like fat tire that are immpossible to get elsewhere.

I remember kids really liking baseball caps when we traveled, especially with American teams.

Famous landmark stuff is usually a hit as well; not just Hollywood, but NY, San Fran, etc.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree on the wines. Don't bring local, as in (I'm in Oklahoma - gawdawful place for wine-growing) don't bring LOCAL, is good advice, but if the people you know in Europe aren't drinking American wines - ie, some of the Californian ones, it's either lack of education, availability, or snobbery, pure and simple. I honestly can't think of anything to pleasantly surprise and educate them more quickly, than an excellent bottle from CA. The number of truly stellar wines grown here in the US is pretty staggering actually. Of course choosing one requires YOU to either be well-versed in wines (and many Americans aren't, this being more of a beer/hard liquor culture after all) or having a really good wine vendor nearby to help you. In any case, wine exports from the US hit over 1 bil last year, so someone "over there" is drinking our wine. I read that the US now ties France as the number 2 wine import into the UK, behind Australia.

The beer idea is great, but I'd also consider a fine Kentucky bourbon, since that is absolutely American, like Scotch screams Scotland.
Click to expand...

ksinger, are you able to name a couple of good wineries from the US, in particular for whites? I don't often see (not that i look either) wine from the US and would be interested to try some. I didn't realise that the US produced stellar wines, probably because we have so much to choose from locally here in Western Australia, so I don't tend to try anything other than what I know, but i would like to spread my wings! :lickout:
 
Circe said:
How very odd - I replied to this a bit ago, but my response disappeared (?!?!?): chalk it up to PS 2.0.

Anyway, the gist of my response was: America is big enough that you might want to go more by region than nation. My grad program in NH gave out maple syrup candy: the interviewer from my first job in CA gifted me with a gorgeous fresh-picked clementine from the tree in his yard; and, if I were going to visit someone within a day of me, I'd bring them some wonderful NY bagels. It all depends, right?
Click to expand...

Ditto. I would base it more on items from the state that I'm from, rather than an item that symbolizes the US.

My family is from Montana, and huckleberries are a big thing there (well so is bison meat but not bringing THAT somewhere.... :P). I'd probably bring something like huckleberry syrup or caramels or something.

When we used to live in Hawaii, it'd be leis or macadamia nuts, etc.

Now that I'm in Chicago... hmm I don't know. A lot of the things that are associated with Chicago aren't really non-perishable!
 
Ooh, let me think...when I was younger, it was so exciting when someone went to America because ye had the best toys!! I also remember people used to always bring back Christmas decorations, because Americans were way more into decorating for Christmas than we were here, and you could get the coolest decorations that we wouldn't have here. We used to get excited about Big Department Store stuff, and I thought the Sears catalogue was the coolest thing I'd ever seen :cheeky:

What would I want now...well it depends on who you're buying for. When my cousins visit from New York, they usually bring a nice bag or something by a designer or store that we don't have here. The last time, they brought me a really cute Le Sportsac toiletries bag that I loved. My younger cousins love getting things from Abercrombie and American Eagle etc. Or something from say Macy's or Nordstrom, that we don't have here. Not really approproate for work colleagues though I suppose!! What else...the thing that I think of when I think America is that everything is so big! The huge peanut butter jars is a perfect example. Everything here is much littler! Ooh, you could get something from an American sports team, for example we don't have American football or baseball, so that could be an idea for cultural momentos. I second the idea of Native American or colonial souvenirs, very interesting.

And...seeing how this is PS...maybe a nice piece of Oregon Sunstone?? ;)

If I think of anything else I'll come back and post.

BTW American wine is very common here, I have had some delicious Californian reds that definitely give the more local French or Spanish wines a run for their money!

ETA Hershey's is uniquely American! We don't have it here in Europe. Or Reeses. Chocolate is always a handy gift!
 
Smoked salmon? Canned Alaskan crab? This is what represents Western coast but I never saw it in other countries.
 
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