It's the thought that counts...

     “Clock sounds like ‘end’ in Chinese, so don’t give a clock as a present,” I was told.
     “So what would make a good present for my Chinese acquaintances?” I ask my Chinese friends and family. A condensed version of the conversations goes something like this…

     “You should get I love New York souvenirs.”
     The next person says, “Those trinkets are not useful, you should get something that they would use.”
     Then one proposes, “Vitamins, Chinese people love American vitamins.”
     “Good idea,” says another, “but it might also indicate they’re in bad health. What about American ginseng, it’s the best ginseng out there.”
     I say, “I don’t know if they like that health stuff. I really need a generic gift for any age or gender.”
     “Chocolate,” says another friend. “Chocolate is universal”
     “Chocolate is a good idea” they agree, “but really I think vitamins are better.”
     “OK. Chocolate it is!” I decide. ”I know this great New York artisan chocolatier, Jacques Torres. They’re a bit pricey, so the smaller gifts are just plastic bags.”
     “Chinese like nice packaging. You should get See’s.”
     “They don’t sell See’s in New York.” I respond.
     “Get Lindt, it’s pretty and well known in China.”
     "But Lindt is Swiss, not American. And you can get Lindt in China.” says another friend. “Try Ghirardelli, you can package it nicely.”
     “No white or blue boxes, it means reminds them of death.” Another reminds me. “Also no denominations of four, because the word ‘four’ sounds like death.”

     So in the end, I purchased two boxes of Jacques Torres artisan chocolates, two boxes of Ghirardelli chocolates, and packaged sets of 12 Ghiradelli squares in auspicious red boxes with gold ribbons. I definitely feel like there's been a lot of thoughts put into these gifts, I hope they count.

-Andrea