From Achewood.Dear Ray
I'm dating this great woman right now and she is working in Quebec City for the summer on a short contract. While there, she is living with her parents, who from my point of view are extremely cultured (ie. European). I've met them once before and felt like it was a positive experience and I would like to continue to leave a good impression with them when I stay with them. I'm considering bringing a gift, but I'm rather at a loss as to what I should bring. Is there some sort of protocol for this? I've thought of bringing a bottle of good wine, but am not confident that my tastes are discerning enough.
Obviously I'd like to impress them, and obviously you could just say something like “give something from the heart and they'll respect the real you” or something, but these people are French and the rules of try your best might not necessarily apply in this situation. However, any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
T., Toronto
Whoo hoo! My last letter! Let’s see what he needs.
Hm. It sounds like he is all biased about the French, due to the bad press they always get. Dude, don’t do the wine thing. Wine is totally a French thing, you will just look like a rookie. Give them something you actually know anything about, whether it’s a picture of hockey, a six pack of Molson, or something else appropriate to your own culture. The first mistake a lot of people make when trying to impress foreigners is to give them something from the foreigner’s own homeland. Would it impress you if a Frenchman came to your house and brought you a Krispy Kreme donut? What would be the point of that? Who is learning anything there? Have dignity.
posted July 10, 2003 07:11
