wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> This group has been very helpful to me in the past I'm wondering if you
> have any ideas on this one. I'm going to visit a friend in France and
> would like to bring her some gifts (if I ask her what to bring she'll
> tell me nothing) she loves cooking and food. I'm from California and
> thought maybe I'd bring some local stuff like pistachio nuts, dates (if
> I'm allowed?) and maybe some macadamia nuts (even though they're
> Hawaiian they're inexpensive here) She likes Mexican food but I'm not a
> cook and have no clue what sort of Mexican products one couldn't get in
> France...She doesn't drink at all and anyway its a pain in the neck to
> drag bottles of wine around (in my limited experience) I haven't even
> been to France for 20 years so I'm even more clueless than usual.
> Any thoughts or ideas you have would be greatly greatly appreciated...

I don't think there are many incredients you cannot get in France. Since
she likes Mexican food, http://www.mexgrocer.com/ could be one place to
look for ideas. AFAIK there's no such wide a variety of hot sauces in
Europe as in the Americas, with the possible exception of some specialty
stores. In addition to food items, some cooking utensils to prepare and
present Mexican or other foods could be one option.