What should my wife bring me from France?

[Lee]

My wife is working in France this week.  What unique gift should I ask her to get me?  I'm not a big wine drinker, and a 21 year old french maid is probably out of the question...what else can you get there that is hard to find here...that a guy like me, with interests in hunting, shooting, knives, and such, would like?

[The Rabbi]

Not a darn thing.  There isnt anything in Europe worthwhile that you can't get here for less.  Sad but true.

[Cromlech]

The Rabbi may just be right, as I am sure that a lot of stuff (cheese and wine et cetera) is already imported.

How about a tin of Normandy soil, like in Saving Private Ryan?

[Dannyboy]

Gauloises...if you smoke.

[Manedwolf]

There's a museum in Normandy, if they go there. They showed the museum on a travel show, a VERY nice presentation of the entire battle that makes you wonder why they don't have such museums in the US...it made the relevant bits of the Smithsonian look rather poor. Might have some nice stuff in a gift shop.

Other than that, there's nothing that you can't get at any place that imports. Most all commodities are global now, even from small vendors. Buy it there, and all you do is pay twice on the duties.

I'd say to get some absinthe, (GOOD STUFF!!!), but Customs will often confiscate it. It's safer to just order it from an unlabeled-box shipper.

[Furious Styles]

It's crazy, but the taxes are so high on things there that you might want that it's usually cheaper to buy them in the US. At least that was the case when I priced Mont Blanc pens and Vuarnet sunglasses in the 90s.

Depending upon where she is, you might ask her to bring you back some local beer. The northern part of France, especially near Belgium, Luxembourg, and the German border has a very, very strong tradition of brewing excellent beers, much like their neighbors'. Also, in some areas, there is limited production of local specialty liquor, such as an armagnac or a calvados. Otherwise, she might just do better going through duty-free.

[HankB]

Have her stop by the Louvre . . . if she says something in German, they'll probably just give her whatever she asks for.

As for bringing home a French maid . . . judging by Bridget Bardot, French women don't age very gracefully.

Seriously, about the only thing I can identify in my home which is of French origin is a Garcia Mitchell fishing reel that dates back to the late '60s. Other than wines, cookware/cookbooks, and Michelin tires, the French really don't produce any especially worthy products. And most of these can be obtained locally at competitive prices.

SOME countries allow for refund of their VAT (like a national sales tax) when travelers are leaving the country - you might look into that if she does find something.

[Ben]

French military rifle. Lots laying around. Condition new, only dropped once.   

[Declaration Day]

How about an authentic white flag?

[Laurent du Var]

How about some Chanel N°5 ?
I hear it's better than taking a shower
and you can use it as a repellent against the   
France bashing, stereotyping, inbred trolls.

[Declaration Day]

Chill out Laurent, my post and Ben W's were meant to be humorous.  I don't hate France, nor am I inbred. 

Perhaps you should have more than 18 posts under your belt before you start labeling people who have been here a long time as "trolls".

Oh, and lighten up!

[The Rabbi]

No, that's OK.  I'm happy to be stereotyping the cheese-eating surrender monkeys and their snotty superior attitude because they are taxed and regulated more than we are here.  That and their double-dealing hypocritical foreign policy.
I will say that of all the major cities I've been to, I have liked Paris the best.  And never experienced any of the legendary nastiness myself.

[Sergeant Bob]

How about some Chanel N°5 ?
I hear it's better than taking a shower
and you can use it as a repellent against the   
France bashing, stereotyping, inbred trolls.

That's funny as h***!!!!! ROFLMAO!!!
I think someone else besides him needs to lighten up!

[280plus]

Laurent's been around a while. IIRC he lives in Paris? No, I know he's in France,,, Cote Azur? Nailed it!  He's our resident anti France basher.  He pops up whenever anybody picks on France.

[Lee]

What about outdoor clothing...besides beres?  BTW -She will be in the countyside -a small town, hours from Paris.   

[Laurent du Var]

05-10° Celsius, a Beret , a sweater and a good waterproof jacket will do.

Maybe a Kevlar under the sweater ?
In France they only need to be bulletproof on the backside,
it keeps them cheaper this way and it fits our combat style and goes so well with Chanel.

Rabbi, you'd be enjoying cheese too, if you had two kitchens, two fridges, two plates, two knifes......

[The Rabbi]

05-10° Celsius, a Beret , a sweater and a good waterproof jacket will do.

Maybe a Kevlar under the sweater ?
In France they only need to be bulletproof on the backside,
it keeps them cheaper this way and it fits our combat style and goes so well with Chanel.

Rabbi, you'd be enjoying cheese too, if you had two kitchens, two fridges, two plates, two knifes......

I have 2 plates and 2 knives.  But I only need about 5 kinds of cheese.  And I dont need any that smell like my feet in a Tennessee summer.

[spooney]

My parents bring me back an Opinel every time the go to France.

[Lee]

Zoh...how du yu say in frances ..."do you have the cheese that smell like the Rabbi foot in zee Tennessee summair?  I'll email my wife and tell her to ask the local cheese vendor.

[Bogie]

VSOP

[Jamisjockey]

Maybe she can bring back some hatred for America, arrogance, and some of that oil for food money from Iraq...

[The Rabbi]

Zoh...how du yu say in frances ..."do you have the cheese that smell like the Rabbi foot in zee Tennessee summair?  I'll email my wife and tell her to ask the local cheese vendor.

"Avez vous une fromage comme fromage Limberger?"  That ought to do it nicely.

[lee n. field]

Snails or a Manhurin.

[Ron]

I bet she comes back and says how nice everyone was to her.

Back in the Reagan years I had a chance to go to Paris and had a real nice time.

[Perd Hapley]

Sometimes the stereotypes ring true.

My wife (we'd just started dating) was a chaperone for a group of high school seniors on a trip to Paris, Versailles, etc.  This was in May of 2003, so anti-Americanism was in full swing.  Mostly, though, she noticed that the men wore very tight jeans.

They were on a bus when a nutty Frog verbally abused their principal, accusing him of Judaism and other crimes.  He happened to be the principal of a conservative Baptist school, but the poor Frog didn't know this.

In another incident, my wife and some female students were harassed by drunkenly amorous Italians.  I suppose most American tourists would have taken them for Frenchmen, so that may be the sort of thing that perpetuates stereotypes.

Also, she ordered butter and got beer.  Poor girl.   

As for American stereotypes, I was at a 7-11 and asked the Pakistani behind the counter if he had a card I could use to call my girlfriend in France.  Some dude in line behind me inquired if my girlfriend was French.  I answered that she was not.  "Good," he said, "F*** the French." 

Good times.