# Going to meet SO's parents, what should I take? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285 "2012-03-30T15:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/21 "2012-03-30T19:13:19Z")
What about a selection of high-quality teas? Or textiles? Or a finely crafted book? Something produced in your home region perhaps. It seems to me that this is the time to bring something that represents you and your background, IOW. which of your personal tastes and preferences are they likely to appreciate? If all else fails, find an itinerant artist and get a small oil painting of the street SO is living on or a favorite park. Something they can point to with their friends and say “This is where our child is living.” ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/22 "2012-03-30T19:27:54Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > If someone from London was visiting me I’d be hoping they’d bring John Courage, Pims, and several wedges of British cheddar. better yet - Pims, ale, and cider. Get the whole household good and pissed. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/23 "2012-03-30T19:53:41Z")
I would skip any ethnic food unless you are trying to make some point about your different backgrounds. Or maybe if you really love some particular indian food so much you want to share with others this might be an OK time. Flowers for the Mom. For the dad, some booze (rare Scotch?), wine or beer from London if you know what he likes. Or new iPads. Everybody wants the new iPad. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/24 "2012-04-01T10:34:15Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I lived in Berlin and used to work in Switzerland during the summers. > > There probably isn’t much you could schlep from London that would impress Swiss - it is not like they are a Third World country and can’t get whatever you have in London. Chances are also good they do not usually spoon Vegemite nor Curry on their granola. > > I would wait until I got to Switzerland, go to the best flower/chocolate shops and buy something you know mom will like and appreciate. For dad you can probably buy a good bottle of wine and that would be irrelevant from which country. > > Welcome to the problem of bringing gifts to another country. I started to run out of ideas for my parents when I went from Germany to the US, and now we have problems trying to think of things to send to family and friends in Germany. Gotta love world commerce - pretty much everything is available everywhere. I’m not really trying to impress them. I’m well aware that they can get anything they want in Switzerland, so this is more thanking them for their hospitality than trying to go all Me-Ug-Bring-Home-Bacon on them. I’m leaning towards flowers and wine, to be honest. Simple, easy to get rid of if required, no fuss. > [@Lukeinva](#): > > If someone from London was visiting me I’d be hoping they’d bring John Courage, Pims, and several wedges of British cheddar. Pimms is an interesting idea; I don’t know if they would drink it, but it’s very quintessentially British as a summer drink. I’ll keep it in mind! Gatwick Duty Free, here I come again. > [@TruCelt](#): > > What about a selection of high-quality teas? Or textiles? Or a finely crafted book? Something produced in your home region perhaps. > > It seems to me that this is the time to bring something that represents you and your background, IOW. which of your personal tastes and preferences are they likely to appreciate? Tea! I didn’t think of tea. Small, light, dry; easy to carry on a plane. Hmmmmmm… Maybe some really good Assam tea. It’s going on the list! > [@zoid](#): > > better yet - Pims, ale, and cider. Get the whole household good and pissed. Heh. Excellent plan! > [@shiftless](#): > > I would skip any ethnic food unless you are trying to make some point about your different backgrounds. Or maybe if you really love some particular indian food so much you want to share with others this might be an OK time. > > Flowers for the Mom. For the dad, some booze (rare Scotch?), wine or beer from London if you know what he likes. Or new iPads. Everybody wants the new iPad. Again… it’s not really trying to make a point. Just visiting them; being nice. They’re quite a technological family, so already have iPads, thankfully, otherwise this would get very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/25 "2012-04-01T13:43:44Z")
Dervorin, some good suggestions for you there but why not do a bit of everything? perhaps a[Fortnum and Mason’s hamper?](http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-9-hampers-fortnum-mason.aspx) very English,distinctive and classy. And don’t worry about leaving London empty during Easter, our family is popping up there next weekend for a wander around so we’ll keep it buzzing along for you. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/26 "2012-04-01T13:48:29Z")
A cuckoo clock and some Toblerone. The Swiss love that shit. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/27 "2012-04-01T15:56:08Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > A cuckoo clock and some Toblerone. The Swiss love that shit. Oooh, and a fancy watch? You laugh, but the SO in question was recently trying to explain to a well-meaning but clearly quite thick girl in duty-free that she didn’t want to buy any Toblerone because she was Swiss. She had to explain this repeatedly, I’m sorry to say, and even then, I don’t think the message quite sank in. The girl just gave up in bewilderment. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/28 "2012-04-01T16:04:13Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Dervorin, some good suggestions for you there but why not do a bit of everything? perhaps a[Fortnum and Mason’s hamper?](http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-9-hampers-fortnum-mason.aspx) very English,distinctive and classy. > > And don’t worry about leaving London empty during Easter, our family is popping up there next weekend for a wander around so we’ll keep it buzzing along for you. Ah, cheers. Don’t over-feed the walrus, though - he tends to get irritable and eat buildings. I don’t think my wallet is going to stretch to a Fortune & Mason hamper, to be honest (Fortune & Mason are a bit like Marks Expensive, but more so. it would seem), and it would be interesting trying to get on an Easyjet flight with that on board. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/29 "2012-04-01T16:32:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > A cuckoo clock… I was teaching English to a married couple in Berlin - they went to Switzerland for a vacation and bought a really nice, rather expensive cuckoo clock. They bring it home and just before they hang it on the wall, see a little sticker on the back; “Made In Berlin, Germany.” ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/30 "2012-04-02T10:58:01Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I was teaching English to a married couple in Berlin - they went to Switzerland for a vacation and bought a really nice, rather expensive cuckoo clock. They bring it home and just before they hang it on the wall, see a little sticker on the back; “Made In Berlin, Germany.” Brilliant! Thanks for your help, all. I had a chat with the SO last night and we decided that tea would be the best. I’m probably going to Yumchaa, which sells excellent loose-leaf tea blends, and snaffle a selection of their best. [http://www.yumchaa.com/](http://www.yumchaa.com/) Of course, this only means that I have solved the problem this time round. The next time, it’s going to be the same dilemma all over again! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/31 "2012-04-02T13:10:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If poppa likes whiskey, bring a nice bottle of a good American whiskey for him. Underline mine: from London? For the next time, the indian sweets may be a good idea but your gf will be the best person to figure out whether her parents will like them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285/32 "2012-04-02T15:35:25Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Underline mine: from London? Psst…Post #18. I already corrected myself lest the Amero-centrism police come out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-meet-sos-parents-what-should-i-take/617285.md?page=1)