What's something cool from the U.S. that's hard to get in Europe?

[Forest Cat]

I'm confused. Are you implying that foreigners are obsessed with our military regalia?

I did a quick search and US militaria is sought-after by collectors here. Knives, helmets, uniforms, emblems, all sorts of things.

 

[Lysholm]

It would be helpful to know which country your friend lives in as peanut butter and Oreos are really not difficult to buy in most places.

Specifically they live just outside Zagreb, Croatia.

And they aren't friends, but business collaborators. If they pull this off I wanted to send them something.


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what I see as quintessentially statesian is army worship, and culturally the US army is a big part of the US image.

I believe that a ton of international news about the US is centered around war/politics, etc. And it probably looks like every village has a militia or something. But all that Trumpian, survivor, prepper stuff is an incredibly small amount of the population that have almost no sway and little power (despite it being depicted as the opposite).

The people here who have the most guns and tons of MREs are wealthy people because this stuff is expensive. The kind of people who have too much to lose if they go against the grain. The a-shirt wearing skinhead types are all poor, relying on the image to compensate for their lack of influence. It's all an illusion.

The most popular and universally lauded military stuff over here is supporting returned troops with physical and mental injuries suffered in active campaigns. Pretty much everyone is behind this stuff...even if it's mostly lip-service.


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Something I’ve heard a lot from European immigrant friends is how disgusting and overly rich/saturated our pastries and cakes are compared to the ones they’re used to.

I am worried about this. American foods contain so much sugar and processed sugar substitutes - even milk has a ton of sugar in it. IDK if there is anything I have to eat they would even want.

Maybe Girlscout cookies, but those are supposed to be crap.

 

[Progster]

You could send a piece of scrap metal, preferably silver in colour, and tell them it came from Area 51

 

[Judge]

I did a quick search and US militaria is sought-after by collectors here. Knives, helmets, uniforms, emblems, all sorts of things.

It's just that in terms of formally collecting militaria, anything and everything of the Third Reich still commands astronomically higher prices compared to anything from the US.

But then high demand for something in plentiful supply that can be bought for a low price logically would be popular. It still sounds a bit silly to me. But then most everything out there that really is US equipment is likely to be real thing and not a counterfeit.

 

[Judge]

You could send a piece of scrap metal, preferably silver in colour, and tell them it came from Area 51

Exactly. That's what has messed up the market for much of anything of the Third Reich era. I recall a California company called "Delta International" who would manufacture all kinds of medals and equipment of the Third Reich. Mostly junk- pot metal cast with mold marks rather than anything industrially stamped with authentic RZM markings.

But those of us in the business, there are lots of ways of identifying forgeries and counterfeit items. Particularly German helmets, which many of were actually Spanish. Where there was a divot filled in where a Spanish cockade went. All you have to do is reach into the helmet with your middle finger to feel that divot, giving away that it was a fake. And so many cast medals, when all medals of the Nazi era were elegantly stamped.

Still, it would be hysterical to think of some outfit in China manufacturing American military items to sell as the real thing to European collectors. At least in the 21st century our uniforms and accouterments are significantly more stylish than in the last century. Of course some folks think our camouflaged uniforms and kevlar helmets look somewhat similar to another army with a rather colorful reputation back in the 20th century.

 

[Judge]

And it probably looks like every village has a militia or something.

Private militias not so much compared to one too many police departments outfitted with military grade equipment and weapons that they really can't justify. But then like our gun culture, that's a civilian issue. One that most foreigners admittedly take a dim view of.

Probably best not to present such gifts to most, but not all Europeans. Being mindful of how many people were involved in a terrible civil war in what used to be "Yugoslavia". As for the food factor, it depends entirely on the food item. Though I agree with others to skip most anything with an obnoxious sugar content.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

There are some items that are not found anywhere but the US. Porcupine quillwork from the Lakota or Chippewa, but that is generally over your budget. (Dyed quills were used before trade beads were available) A quilled Medicine wheel from Prairie Edge mounted in a small frame could make a handsom presentation. Then, there are fetishes from Zuni pueblo. Typical is a bear with heartline. I have seen crude knockoffs from India. Fetishes were very appreciated by my Japanese hosts who also enjoyed Netsuke.

 

[Human Avatar]

How about this ? Or something from this shop . It’s all hand made

 

[SusanLR]

Something genuinely Native American handmade is what came to my mind also.
Rocks from the Southwest such as Thunderbird eggs, petrified wood, Apache tears,
carved stones, jewelry. How about a Kachina doll?
Being from the desert landscapes of Arizona, I just grew up liking these types of things.
I've made Ojo de Dios, Dreamcatchers and oil paintings of the desert scapes.

 

[Au Naturel]

I was going to say natural gas.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

native american made crafts

white sage or sweetgrass bundles

beaded jewelry

pendleton style blankets and rugs

basketry

 

[Metalhead]

Yeah, I guess I should have said in America we can buy the most unhealthy sodas with the HFCS that is banned in most of the world as a food additive. We are a nation of Coke addicts.

 

[Mary Terry]

The only food item I'd consider sending to a European business contact is a genuine Virginia or Tennessee cured ham but I'd have to thoroughly research import/export laws and regulations and be sure my business associate is not Jewish before I did that. You'd have to carefully pack it to avoid spoilage in shipping. Those metal shipping containers on ships can really get hot and ruin food.

 

[Mary Terry]

You could send him a 100 dollar bill. What's more American than a crisp 100 dollar bill?

Double-digit inflation?

 

[Forest Cat]

Double-digit inflation?

Right now we have a lot of that here in Europe also.

 

[HLW]

I'm in northern Europe (Scandinavia) and we can get most American foods here, you don't even have to go to the American section in the store to find peanut butter. The one thing I can think of that I'd like to have but can't get here is American coffee, as I've heard it's much sweeter than the coffee we have here. Not sure I'd prefer it, but I'd like to try it

I like the idea of something native American handmade, preferably something useful like a blanket rather than something purely ornamental.

 

[Mary Terry]

I'm in northern Europe (Scandinavia) and we can get most American foods here, you don't even have to go to the American section in the store to find peanut butter. The one thing I can think of that I'd like to have but can't get here is American coffee, as I've heard it's much sweeter than the coffee we have here. Not sure I'd prefer it, but I'd like to try it

I like the idea of something native American handmade, preferably something useful like a blanket rather than something purely ornamental.

All coffee sold in the US except for Hawaiian (Kona) coffee is imported from somewhere else. Plain old coffee beans are bitter and not sweet in flavor. I've read that Scandinavians, and Norwegians in particular, drink a lot more coffee than typical Americans and that most of your coffee is imported from South America, just like ours. It may be cheaper here but that's the only advantage that I see.

The problem with suggestions about genuine handmade Native American crafts is that they are extremely expensive unless you buy tourist-grade junk. A true Navajo handwoven or loom-woven blanket would cost thousands of dollars. They are highly prized by American collectors who are willing to pay top dollar for the exquisite art that they are buying. The same is true for woven baskets, hand-thrown pottery and jewelry made with silver and semi-precious stones such as turquoise. Even the sweetgrass baskets handmade by the Gullah people of the low country of North and South Carolina (descendants of former slaves) are extremely expensive.

 

[Forest Cat]

All coffee sold in the US except for Hawaiian (Kona) coffee is imported from somewhere else. Plain old coffee beans are bitter and not sweet in flavor. I've read that Scandinavians, and Norwegians in particular, drink a lot more coffee than typical Americans and that most of your coffee is imported from South America, just like ours. It may be cheaper here but that's the only advantage that I see.

That is true but no one drinks more coffee than the Finns. They drink on average 26 pounds of coffee in one year! This is the top 6 list, the countries that drink the most coffee, pounds/kilos per person in one year. It probably has something to do with winter.

Finland	26.5 lbs	12 kilos
Norway	21.8	9.9
Iceland	19.8	9
Denmark	19.2	8.7
Netherlands	18.5	8.4
Sweden	18	8.1

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

That is true but no one drinks more coffee than the Finns. They drink on average 26 pounds of coffee in one year! This is the top 6 list, the countries that drink the most coffee, pounds/kilos per person in one year. It probably has something to do with winter.

Finland	26.5 lbs	12 kilos
Norway	21.8	9.9
Iceland	19.8	9
Denmark	19.2	8.7
Netherlands	18.5	8.4
Sweden	18	8.1

The Pacific Northwest is cold and rainy 9 months out of the year. It's sort of gray and dim out most days. We are famous for our coffee consumption. Most of the coffee companies are headquartered in Portland or Seattle.

Rain, although pretty, makes you achy and sleepy. Coffee gives you energy. I think that's the reason.

Pardon me while I put on my flannel and pour a cuppa.

 

[Mary Terry]

The Pacific Northwest is cold and rainy 9 months out of the year. It's sort of gray and dim out most days. We are famous for our coffee consumption. Most of the coffee companies are headquartered in Portland or Seattle.

Rain, although pretty, makes you achy and sleepy. Coffee gives you energy. I think that's the reason.

Pardon me while I put on my flannel and pour a cuppa.

Perhaps that explains why Starbucks originated in Seattle.