"American" Gift Basket & Classic American Food - Hosting Foreign Visitors

Popcorn, is considered a very American invented food. Maybe show them how to pop it.

Candy made by American companies.
Certain cookies, made by American Companies

For food, depending on where they are from, try not to make it too spicy.
We had a student from Ireland, black pepper was as spicy as she could handle.

Try to have the fruits and vegetables that are mostly grown in the states for them to try. Google them.

A cookout would be fun.
American made ice cream.

Find out if they eat meat. some countries do not eat any animal products.

Sounds like a lot of fun for all of you!

Living in Asia ... We hosted 'Anerican' meals for friends all the time (once a week for whatever we were having, once a month in 'theme'. The 'wow' meals were:

- Steak & Mushrooms & Garlic bread

- BBQ ribs* & "classic"' BBQ SIDES (Devilled eggs, watermelon, Mac n cheese, corn on the cob, etc.)

* about 1/3 of the world doesn't eat pork, remember.

- Honestly... BBQ anything (Ha. Even in England, my brother gets half the neighborhood staring at him and asking to try stuff when he's BBQing. It's really American/Aussie and almost nowhere else)

- Potroast (this is hit/miss with Asians ... It's like how most Americans feel when the whole goat -head and all- is brought to the table in Italy. Some think cool... Most think 'yuck!')

- Pancakes (most of the world eats crepes), with maple syrup (most of the world does lemon, cream, butter, jam, etc.)

- Milkshakes

- Rootbeer Floats

- Icecream (particularly sundaes)

- Apple Pie / Pecan Pie / Pumpkin Pie

- Burgers & fries / ANYTHING McDonalds (not joking)

- Mexican Food (Seriously. South America, Europe -including Spain-, Eastern Europe, India, middle east, Asia, Australia, pacific rim... Doesn't. Have. Mexican food. We eat it here constantly (chips and salsa, tacos, enchiladas, etc... You can't even find the ingredients for -no tortillas, for one, few places have cilantro, many no tomatoes- almost anywhere in the world except here and mesoamerica.

- Whole roast turkey (Thankgiving is a FIGHT for an invitation overseas... Many if not most don't even sell turkeys, nor sweet potatoes... Have a Mock Thanksgiving.. Along with picture books is a HUGE wow.)

- Cajun Food (jambalaya/gumbo, po'boys, etofeé, etc.)

- Jewish Food (do you have any idea how hard LOX is to get??? Oy. New York Bagles, cream cheese, and lox I go into withdrawal from as bad as most Americsn expats start jonsing for tortilla chips!!!)

- New York Thin, Chicago Deep, and West Coast Wacky pizzas

- Cereal & milk (not joking, the more brightly colored and sugar coated the better)

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If you have 24 hour stores / restaurants GO to them in the middle of the night. Most places in the world don't have 24 hour shopping, and many still open at 10, close for lunch, and close at 5pm until the next day

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For gift bags... Think brand names: Coke, Hershey's, Nike, Levi's, GAP, Malborough (John Wayne really IS how much of the world thinks of us), Smith&Wessen/ Colt/ Remington, Disney, Microsoft, Mac, xBox, Playstation, DreamWorks, etc.

If I were American gift basketing I'd do brand name stickers (multiples, so they can go out to friends at home), space shuttle mission patches/NASA patches (the sewn on kind... Can be ordered online), Starbucks Mug SLC, Hershey's Chocolate, Heinz Ketchup, Tabasco -all in tiny sizes-, Disney movie (make sure it will play in their machines), Old License Plate, something Hollywood, American Flag something, University tee or cap, Famous Stuff Postcards (statue of liberty, empire stare buildibg, niagra falls, white house, southern plantation, Florida beaches, capecanavril shuttle launch, French quarter, new Orleans, Texas , great plains, Yellowstone, Rushmore, Gradcanyon, Vegas, golden gate bridge, Chinatown, Hollywood sign, the Temple in SLC, etc. sometimes you can get a book of 53 postcards; for each state, DC, country map, flag ), etc.

per eating:
Fried chicken
BBQ anything
Corn on the cob
Apple Pie
Sundaes
Pizza
Starbucks
Hot Dogs
Chili and franks
Milk Shakes
McDonald's (really, take them there to eat or get take out from. That is what people from abroad, think of when they are in the USA and want to eat).

As for "gifts" well they typically go for American brands. ie: Gap, Starbucks, t-shirts, Nike things, Whole Foods, hair or toiletry things/products/soaps/spices. ALSO postcards, and recipe books, and calendars (the kind you can just get from a drugstore.)
Postcards, are GREAT gifts. Really. Tourists from my State buy those all the time just for themselves... it is cheap and a nice photo of where they have been, and they can put in their photo album or make a collage with it etc.

I had in-laws who came here from Europe for the 1st time ever. They wanted McDonalds ALL the time, and hot dogs and they loved Costco, and hamburgers, and Milk Shakes.

What country are they coming from?
Asia?
Europe?
Else where?

OH! My in-laws from Europe, also LOVED Rootbeer Floats! They had never had Rootbeer, nor floats for that matter.
It was a new "American" thing for them.

Scary that when we think of American food hot dogs and fried chicken come to mind. LOL So yummy, but so unhealthy.

Look to regional specialty foods in your area. What are some local, regional food traditions in your area. I see you list from Utah - I have no idea of regional favorites from your area.

found this at http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=17666
The SOUTHWESTERN/WESTERN STATES include Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. The people who settled this region were self-reliant and resourceful. The Indians and Mexicans of this region had a strong influence on the foods. Beef and barbecuing were important. Son-of-a-gun-stew was made from the left-overs of slaughtered beef on a drive. It would include tongue, liver, sweetbreads (stomach) and heart. Chili originated in Texas with beef, marjoram, and red peppers. It did not contain beans. Corn, squash, berries, chilies, pumpkins, and beans grew in the hot sunny climate.

For a gift basket, I would just make sure that everything in it is made in America. Let's face it, many "american" brands have their products made oversees. But, Ghiradelli chocolate is still made in America - hails from San Fransisco.

Because it is middle of the night and I have just woken up migraine free for the first time in over 24 hours I have this kind of time and found this web site

http://www.americansworking.com/index.html

Also, just ask them! I am sure they have some must try items on their minds.

Do some research on their country, traditions, cultural mores, etc.

It sounds like a wonderfully fun opportunity for all.

Enjoy!

Give them things they can take back home and not food that will spoil.

Here's a list of things made in America. We all should be supporting us anyway!

http://www.americansworking.com/

What fun!

Summer is a lovely time to serve quintessentially American foods that are not junk food. Here's an idea for one meal's menu - grilled buffalo burgers, corn on the cob (many places in the world have corn, but few eat it on the cob; fewer still eat it with butter and salt), sliced tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and Utah's contribution to world cuisine, fry sauce. Watermelon for dessert. Lemonade or iced tea for a beverage. Or milk, but be aware that in quite a few parts of the world, adults and older kids do not drink milk, and depending on your guests' genetic heritage, lactose intolerance can be an issue. Most of my Asian friends did not drink milk past their elementary years. Another possible lunch/dinner for this time of year - grilled salmon and a big garden salad. And here in Utah, you can't go wrong with something with chili verde. We're good at it here.

Hit the farmer's markets here in town or a Tagge's fruit stand for some good seasonal fruit. I think peaches are starting to come in. And depending on when your guests arrive, you could treat them to some Bear Lake raspberries (the best on planet Earth, in my rather biased opinion).

When I have lived abroad, American breakfast has been much in demand. My Japanese, Korean, and Philippino friends loved a big pancakes, eggs, and bacon breakfast, and when my hubby was on a NATO cruise, all the other navies' crews wanted to be invited to the American ships for breakfast.

Another thing to introduce them to would be the humble but unique PBJ. So far in my travels, we're the only culture I've come across who eat this.

One thing to consider about meals - too much new food, even if it's all wonderful, can be overwhelming. If your guests are from a rice-eating culture, fix plain white rice a few times. Not Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's - the real thing. Or find something else that is familiar to your guests that they can serve. If they are interested, get them to teach you some of their recipes or let them prepare a meal or two. Cultural exchange should go both ways. Some of the most delicious things I know how to make I learned in the kitchens of my Japanese and Philippino friends.

I saw a crayon commercial last night, and it mentioned that Crayola Crayons are made in the U.S.A. Also, Cross Pens are made in the U.S. You get one of those and even have it engraved. Parker Pens may also be made in the U.S and would be slightly less expensive.

Depending on where hey are from, they might like Taster's Choice Coffee (I had to take many, many canisters overseas when adopting my daughter...the stuff is like gold there). Other things...peanut butter, oreo cookies, and of course, Apple Pie.

If you are still looking for a gift basket, check out http://www.facebook.com/thebasketheory

You can custom order anything you'd like in the basket and have it shipped, just leave a message on the page or contact Sydney at ____@____.com

We've had exchange students and they had a strict weight limit on their suitcases when they fly home. Some things we sent back with them were: Oregon and other state quarters, souvenir keychains, caps and t shirts with local university logos, calendars with local scenery, small photo albums with the pictures we took of them sightseeing with us.

In addition to serving "American" food for a week, be sensitive to your visitors and consider having food on hand like they are used to eating at home. Travelling can be hard on the digestive system, and more so if they are eating food they are not used to. Some of the kids we fed were not used to eating as much protein as we do, and we were insttructed to provide plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and less meat for them.

Since you will have your guests for a week, you can ask them what they'd like to eat. One boy we had liked egg white omelettes. I'm guessing eggs were too expensive where he was from and they would never think of throwing out the yolks to make something with just the egg whites. So you never know what might be considered "special"!

Some things I'd consider "American Food" are hamburgers, bbq beans, potato salad. Apple pie. Ice cream is a real treat for even our European visitors because they often have tiny refrigerators at home and ice cream is expensive in the restaurant. Many other ethnic foods we take for granted are unusual in other countries, and fun for foreign visitors to try: pizza and tacos come to mind.