I am working in Paris and my wife has given me the "riddle of the gift" whereby...?

Question

... whereby I am to find the perfect present. She has always liked whatever I give her. I have to admit, given the pre-existing constraints combined with her artificially imposed ones, I'm at a loss.

~Small and travel-able. Not more than a few pounds, certainly not breakable, certainly nothing bulky. Needs to fit into a suitcase or small carry on.

~Something inexpensive (under $50, €30) but NOT cheap (of a higher quality)

~Nothing "knick-knacky"

~No clothes or shoes or accessories

~No jewelry

~'Nothing one would get for their mom' my guess is this means no books, CDs, etc.

So my going thought is/was to get something interesting or historical at one of the venders lining the Seine. But I run the risk as basically everything there (replicas, trinkets, books, maps, shirts) are either overtly "knick-knacky" or "clothing."

So far with a few weeks left before I return home, I'm thinking this "perfect gift" is going to leave me perfectly screwed.

Any thoughts are more than welcomed!

Answer 1

One of my friends saw the movie Betty Blue and found it so cool that the French drank their morning café au lait out of large bowls that he bought one when he visited Paris.

So you could get a French breakfast set, which is 2 bowls (for a couple) and a jar of nice, all natural French jam made from fruits not easily found in the US (like mirabelle). Then buy a baguette and croissants where you live (won't be as good as in France but what can you do?) and have a romantic French breakfast together.

They also drink coffee out of tiny cups, often sold as sets of 6 with the coaster. If you have an espresso machine, you can get that instead and drink coffee Parisian style. In that case, buy some fine French candy specialty to go with it instead of the jam.

With either present I think the idea is not to make a material gift so much as to do something so that she can share your Parisian experience, something that means "I wish you'd been there with me".

For the final touch, since table cloths are often made of paper in typical brasseries and cafés, ask a waiter if you can take one. Ask a few waiters to sign it with a message for your wife in French like "Bonjour de Paris" and YOU write "Je pense à toi, je t'aime" (= I think of you, I love you) or "Tu me manques, je t'aime" (I miss you, I love you) and sign. Take pictures of the waiters signing it, she'll find it fun and will show it to all her friends. But mostly she will know that you were thinking of her while in Paris!

If crockery is tightly packed it won't break. Tell the salesperson to secure it for air travel.

Those bowls or cups are pretty cheap (at least you can find some within your price range). La Vaissellerie is a cheap chain with several stores in Paris but if it looks too plain, try to spend a little more in a department store (like BHV at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli and Rue du Temple in the 4th arr., 3rd floor) or other specialized boutique where it won't say "made in Taiwan" under the bowl. Here are La Vaissellerie locations in Paris: http://www.lavaissellerie.net/767/index....

Avoid those with pictures of the Eiffel Tower or Oh la la Paris! written on them. It's tacky. If she is familar with Paris's intellectual life, famous café Les Deux Magots in St-Germain des Prés has a small souvenir boutique which sells chocolates and cups and stuff: http://www.lesdeuxmagots.fr/store/index....

.They are used to packing things tightly and safely for air travel and their line is very sober and classy-looking.

Answer 2

either perfume or underwear.....or both!!!  go overbudget if you want....

Answer 3

When my sister went to Paris a few years back, she brought us an oil painting of a Paris street with the Eiffel Tower in the background that she bought from a street vendor.   I loved it.  It hangs in our bedroom.  We are going in September and I am thinking of getting one for my daughter.

Answer 4

The person receiving a gift is not supposed to put conditions on it. That is in very bad taste and ungracious.

How about a framed picture of a Paris street scene or a historical map? If she wears perfume, Paris is the ideal place to buy it.

Next time give her cash and let her buy her own gift.

Answer 5

If she likes to cook and doesn't already have one, buy her a proper mandoline. In case you aren't familar with this cooking tool, it is a device for slicing fruits and vegatables. Good ones are made of stainless steel. While they are available in the USA most people buy cheap plastic ones. Good ones have deadly razor sharp blades and last forever. They are indispensible to the professional quality cook.

Answer 6

A few things they do very well in Paris that you might not think of:

Table linens. Sounds dull, but they're lovely, and really bring the feeling of France into your home. Here is a pretty famous boutique on the rue du Faubourg St. Honore:

http://www.valombreuse.fr/Francais/rubri...

Tea: Le palais de thes is a chain, true, but offers many exotic and rare teas in bulk, as well as beautiful and typically French tea accessories--you can see all of this info, as well as locations, on the website: http://www.palaisdesthes.com/fr/qui-somm...

Paper: Marie-Papier is probably the most famous, in the 6th arrondissement on rue Vavin. They do not only cards and letter paper (lovelier than you can imagine), but all sorts of books--cahiers, carnets, etc. http://www.mariepapier.fr/boutique.htm

And then, to be a good husband, you really should bring home some macarons from the indisputable master, Pierre Herme, whose patisserie is in the 6th arr. on rue Bonaparte:

http://www.pierreherme.com/content/FR/FR...