Cultural exchange

[liv]

One of the things I love about my job is that when you're helping people to redesign their teaching they ask you for advice about all kinds of random things. This one I think I need to crowdsource:

My colleague is running an exchange trip where she's taking some of her students to Washington DC along with some students from a Southern US state. She wants to take some small gifts / prizes for the American students.

So my question to American or American-knowledgeable friends is, if you were an American college student, what small, inexpensive, transportable item would you be excited to receive from English visitors? Are there any (snack) foods you think of as excitingly and exotically British?

And to my compatriots, what should my colleague take that will seem like a nice souvenir of England or the UK? Particularly, can you think of anything that is typical of Cambridge the town but isn't about Cambridge Uni?

Comments

[wildeabandon]

The thing that stands out to me as quintessentially Cambridge but not University is punting, so maybe a print of punts on the river?

[liv]

Good thought! Punts are a great example of Cambridge but not University culture. (And I love your icon.)

[aldabra]

Marmite. People have strong opinions about it and it comes in distinctive reusable jars and keeps forever.

There used to be a lot of coprolite mining around here, but I think they may have exhausted the local supplies.

https://www.ukge.com/en-gb/Fossils-for-Sale/Coprolites-Fossil-Poo-__c-p-0-0-15-301.aspx

[ursula]

I would be very disappointed if you gave me Marmite. Then I would take it home and give it to my British spouse, who actually likes the stuff.

[liv]

I hate the stuff too. But it has the potential to be interestingly weird? I dunno, if you were a college student who had never previously met a British person, would you at least be curious to try it if only to be baffled by the strange foreign ways of your British guests?

[siderea]

1.)

"Dear Miss Manners,

I am an American college student who recently participated in a cultural exchange program with some British students. I was given a gift basket of British delicacies. I'm afraid that one of the jars of what I gather is a spread for toast went bad before it got to me. Should I say anything to the giver?"

2.)

"Dear Miss Manners,

I am an American college student who recently participated in a cultural exchange program with some British students. I was given a gift basket of British delicacies including a jar of Marmite. Should I consider this a personal slight and hunt down the individuals responsible and burn down their houses while they're asleep, or an act of terrorism offending against the entire USA and petition Congress to declare war on them?"

[liv]

Oooh! I did not know there were coprolite mines locally, and now I do. I think 20-ish students are too old to find fossilized poo hilarious. Marmite could work as a novelty thing, though.

[jack]

Chocolate?

[liv]

Yeah, several Americans below have confirmed my impression that British chocolate is different enough from the American kind to be exciting. That was my first suggestion to colleague, and she sensibly wanted something non-edible as well in case people have dietary restrictions.

[ambyr]

"Tea" is pretty much the only (easily transportable) food that I think of as quintessentially British.

If you need any questions answered about Washington, DC, let me know!

[liv]

I worried it might be politically insensitive for British people to bring presents of tea to Americans? Though perhaps everybody understands the war was about tax, not actually tea. Also these students are from the South and I understand that 'tea' in that part of the country means sweet iced tea; hopefully they'd be interested rather than insulted that we call a completely different drink by the same name?

Questions about Washington DC: not many, because my colleague and her American counterpart have pretty much decided on their programme and don't need my input into that. I was a bit dubious about the suggestion to ask the students to 'see what happens' if they chat to security guards and police officers; does that sound like a foolish idea to you, or is it likely to lead to friendly cultural exchange?

[rachelmanija]

Oh, man, I literally did not even realize you meant the war when you said tea might come across as colonialist, that's how far out of my consciousness it is. Again, I'm not southern but I'd be amazed if anyone found it offensive. For one thing, yes, in the south the usual tea is sweet and iced but people do also drink British-style hot tea there, so it's not something they wouldn't have heard of. For another thing, the American Revolution is not a touchy subject in the US the way some other wars are; if anyone even thought to comment on it, it would be to make a good-natured joke. I really think tea is a safe gift.

I would DEFINITELY not have students chat with police officers or security guards. Frankly I would advise them to avoid both if at all possible, especially if any of them aren't white. This is really not a good time for foreign visitors to the US to have any more contact with those sorts of people except what they absolutely can't avoid.

People who would be good to chat with if they seem open to it: random passersby in the same area (i.e., people also visiting a tourist attraction), or customer service-type people if they're not busy.

[siderea]

I worried it might be politically insensitive for British people to bring presents of tea to Americans?

Twinings sent the Fourth Doctor Who to apologize so it's all good now.

[slashmarks]

Tea was the only thing I could think of, too, and I agree that I would be shocked to hear anyone found it offensive. Southerners are aware that sweet tea and hot tea are different drinks and hot tea is also drank in the South; it's just that the unmarked default is sweet, so you have to specify to get something else.

I would probably be careful about going for something with some kind of novelty value, though, since tea *is* a thing drank in the US, like, make sure the brand isn't widely sold in grocery stores here. Candy might be better in terms of appealing to more people but is not likely to strike any of us as particularly British.

Non indigenous Americans rarely think about the Revolutionary War in relation to its political circumstances or the country it was fought against (as opposed to a vague sense that it was fought for Freedom and Democracy in abstract) at all.

[ambyr]

I worried it might be politically insensitive for British people to bring presents of tea to Americans?

As others have said, not only will Americans not find this politically insensitive, they will probably be completely confused about why you think it might be unless you explain. It's just . . . not a thing we think about. And yeah, people in the South drink plenty of hot tea as well as sweet iced tea, it's just that if you ask for "tea" the default is going to be the latter. (Besides, if you're bringing plain black tea, no reason they couldn't make sweet iced tea with it . . . in a restaurant setting, iced tea is likely to come out of a soda fountain, but at home, it's just, well, brewed tea that someone put ice and lots of sugar in.)

I was a bit dubious about the suggestion to ask the students to 'see what happens' if they chat to security guards and police officers; does that sound like a foolish idea to you, or is it likely to lead to friendly cultural exchange?

Others have addressed why this might be dangerous to the students; I'll add that it's also a bad idea because it's rude to the guards (who are working). Private security guards in particular tend to be both poorly paid and subject to a lot of behavioral rules; getting caught chatting on the job might well be a firing offense for them. If your colleague wants to promote friendly cultural exchange and an understanding of US law enforcement, I'd have her contact Community Affairs at DCPD and ask them if an officer would be willing to come talk to students in a structured setting.

[jenett]

Elderflower anything is not nearly as common here (here, it's very much a 'oh, that's a British import' sort of thing). I wouldn't make it the sole item, but a mix of tea or candy that included it would definitely be a thing.

British licorice is also definitely different than the US versions, and might be fun for a "Here, try this" to have out for an introductory welcome thing.

[liv]

Ooh, elderflower, that's a great idea. I would never have guessed it would be exotic to Americans, so thanks for the suggestion! And liquorice is always good for weird taste experiences.

[jenett]

Trader Joe's here is currently carrying lemon and elderflower soda, and I am all over that and then some! I'd forgotten how much I loved it until my trip to England in 2015, so it's a great treat.

Black currant is another one that people find surprising. (Ribena! Which I do in fizzy water, and which a couple of grocery stores actually carry near me, surprisingly, but which you couldn't get here for ages.)

[liv]

They won't be able to take elderflower or blackcurrant drinks onto the plane because of security theatre; might be ok in checked luggage though. And there are other things with those flavours, like sweets. It's really interesting that they're rare for you, that's exactly the sort of thing I wanted to know about when I posed the question.

[siderea]

Elderflower is a completely exotic flavor to Americans and a great idea.

ETA: And got quite a bit of news over here due to the royal wedding cake. Vast numbers of Americans scratching their heads going, "Elderwhat? What on earth does that taste like?"

[nanila]

Cadburys is what my American relatives and out-laws always want. Anything in Fortnum & Mason packaging is also likely to get people excitable, even if it's just a small box of tea. Honestly, I've never had anyone be less than thrilled with what amounts to a twenty-minute run through duty-free at Heathrow before I fly!

[liv]

Good thoughts, thank you. I was definitely leaning towards basic milk chocolate made with fresh milk, so I'm glad to have that idea confirmed by an expat. And Fortnum & Mason is a good idea, their branding is all about Britishness without being excessively tacky.

[watersword]

Cadbury's, anything clotted cream (fudge would get an extra A+ from me, because clotted cream fudge is amazing; Roskilly's and Rodda's are my personal favorite brands), Whittard's is a lot less common here, as is drinking chocolate in general (we have gross hot cocoa mix). DVDs of obscure BBC cult stuff?

[liv]

Thank you, these are great. I think cream fudge is going to be a lot easier to transport than actual clotted cream. (Is it even allowed to bring fresh dairy produce into the US? It's not something that crosses borders over here.) I didn't know nice drinking chocolate was rare, so that goes quite well with tea and nice eating chocolate.

Not sure about DVDs; almost everything is somewhere on the internet these days. Cult shows are also very generational, I wouldn't expect a bunch of 40yo academics to know what 20yo students are likely to be into.

[khronos_keeper]

Hmmm. I mean the obvious answer for a consumable is tea I guess? Jammie dodgers? But of course little mementos that are beloved by Brits but haven't hopped the pond would be nice. We have things like Keep Calm and Carry On signs, but I'm sure you have other little things that are everywhere but Americans just don't know about it because it's not well represented in media.

Maybe stickers? I don't know anyone of any age group that doesn't love stickers haha.

[liv]

I like the idea of jammie dodgers and Brit-tat related stickers. I'll pass those ideas on :-)

[rachelmanija]

This sort of thing: https://www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk/buy-sweets/boiled-sweets

Also tea, a cute teapot, and clotted cream.

[liv]

Wow, are boiled sweets rare over there? I suppose deliberately vintage ones are quite culturally specific, and have cuteness appeal. Thank you.

Is it sensitive to bring British-style tea to a Southern US state where they have very different tea traditions? I was worried about coming across as patronizing or even colonialist.

[rachelmanija]

The specifically British sweets are unheard-of here, yes. I think people would really get a kick out of them.

I'm not Southern but AFAIK everywhere in the US bringing local-to-you edibles, especially ones that are iconic to your area, is both polite and welcomed. I can't imagine anyone being offended. The only way it would come across as colonialist would be if you presented it with the comment that of course your tea traditions are superior.

[foxfirefey]

Real Kinder eggs with the toy in the candy itself aren't legal to sell in the States, so they can be quite the exciting item to some.

[steorra]

However, I think you can even get into trouble bringing them across the border, so maybe best not to take a risk in this context.

Here's an account of a Canadian crossing to the US and having one seized:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/kinder-surprise-egg-seized-at-u-s-border-1.1023347

[liv]

Ugh, yeah. Even if it's technically allowed I think it's best not to expose the students to the risk of antagonizing border guards. Thanks for the warning!

[foxfirefey]

Oh dang! I had a coworker bring us back some, so I didn't realize it was perilous.

[liv]

Hmm, if they're not legal to sell I'd be worried about importing them as gifts. Especially since this is a group of mostly not white students visiting Trump-Land anyway.

[zhelana]

Americans don't know how to make chocolate. Seriously, we believe hersheys is chocolate. Real chocolate is amazing, and you can only get it in Europe. :(

[liv]

Hee, I thought milk chocolate made with actual chocolate and fresh milk would be a good choice; my colleague was concerned that chocolate is too mundane, but it sounds like it might in fact go over well.

[zhelana]

I would definitely recommend chocolate.

Sent from my iPhone

[skibbley]

Tea towels with amusing cricket poems / pictures of old architecture?

[liv]

Tea-towels! They're light and cheap and novelty ones are always nice to have. Good thought.

[rachelmanija]

Or! Tinned pudding, like from Sainsbury. You don't get that here.

I second elderflower anything. I love it and you normally can't get it except in the form of St. Germain's in cocktails.

[rachelmanija]

And crisps of unusual flavors.

[hatam_soferet]

Prawn cocktail!!

[siderea]

1) I would be amused to receive a package of Jaffa Cakes because I know about the lawsuit, and also they sound reasonably delicious.

2) Bakewell Tarts. I am guessing this is completely impractical. But I had a slice of one once and it was heavenly, and then that biz went under and I've never found any remotely like it ever again. :(

[hatam_soferet]

Chocolate. Terry's chocolate oranges in particular. Dried mixed fruit and recipe for rock cakes. Keyrings of double-decker buses. Old shillings. Pictures of thatched cottages. Pictures of grotesques in Architecture. Cadbury's chocolate eclairs. Jaffa cakes.

Do not chat to anyone on duty in a uniform. Uniforms mean people are primed to be on edge for weirdness and chatting is weird.

[slashmarks]

Honestly, I would guess there's nothing people would be familiar with on sight as British. I know some things about British culinary and brand differences because of acquaintances online and marrying a Canadian, but typical Americans are probably going to able to summon up a Union Jack (uh, no) and "uh, tea and crumpets???" without a very speciic mental image of a crumpet. People will almost always be happy if you hand out chocolate, but I I suspect it isn't going to be received as a British thing.

That doesn't mean it's a bad idea. If you'd like them to receive it as cultural exchange, what *is* an established thing in most US places as a token friendly one is people bringing totally unfamiliar food items as gifts to a group and explaining them and their cultural context. (This can get awful and patronizing, but it's a Thing, it's often given/received as poite too, and it's what people will think of.)

I'd go more exotic than milk chocolate or tea, though, because both of those are widely available in the US (and that includes milk chocolate other than Hershey's, grumble). Americans aren't likely to recognize a brand as foreign imo, especially with a lot of regional brand differences. Expats and people who have spent long periods of time may be excited by them but I don't get the impression that's the expected audience?

For a sample, I know about Cadbury eggs because my ex-wife is extremely sad they aren't purchasable in the US; I have never heard of the brands listed in comments or elderflower despite having had close British friends online for years.

I admit I'm not sure what would work as an exoticism in this context, especially what would be easy to pack in luggage. When it's done here it's usually home cooking of some kind, which is probably not viable in this context?

ETA: And do not speak to anyone in uniform as a guard unless there is a crisis of some kind or they speak to you first. If the latter happens, say as little as possible without looking suspicious.

[ceb]

My American fandom-friend always wants maltesers, which apparently you can't easily get in the US.

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I, too, am looking for Cambridge specific things, so if you find something then I'd love to hear it! It's to send within the UK though.