Katie
I really need ideas!
Answer
Picture of all the grandkids with an engraved frame?
Or maybe just a picture of you and your siblings and/or parents with an engraved frame.
My grandma LOVES engraved frames, so we've done that for her a few times... engrave with "happy 80th, 2009" or whatever. Or put together a collage of photos you may have of you together or even just of the grandkids. Grandma's love their grandbabies :)
good luck
Picture of all the grandkids with an engraved frame?
Or maybe just a picture of you and your siblings and/or parents with an engraved frame.
My grandma LOVES engraved frames, so we've done that for her a few times... engrave with "happy 80th, 2009" or whatever. Or put together a collage of photos you may have of you together or even just of the grandkids. Grandma's love their grandbabies :)
good luck
Suitable birthday gift for an 80 year old Korean lady?
adamst.jam
She is my close friend's mother-in-law and I have been invited to her party. Also, what would be a good host gift - some good soju perhaps? Any customs I should be familiar with? The family has been in the U.S. for 30+ years but still follow many Korean customs. Thank you!
Answer
You have an interesting project, Adamst~!
Not knowing the lady, what she likes, whether she drinks or smokes, whether she's a devout Protestant Christian, whether she has a good set of teeth or likes to munch on stringy candies and cookies, this is a tough one. ^^
Nevertheless it would be safe to say that "soju" might just not cut it . Soju is a good wine, but there are way better stuff like paik-se-ju (literally 'live-to-be-a-centenary wine"). If she likes sweets, a box of dried persimons, appricots, or some nice, fresh ttok (the rice cake) might be good.
There are also many kinds of old-fashioned cookies (like senbei or jonbyoung) and godzillion kinds of ttok in all shape, taste, and color that some elderly people might crave for. Perhaps you might ask what she normally enjoys having, or would that be too obvious? Well, asking never hurts, so I've heard.
For the elderly, I have also heard that some quality beef might also be a great gift, for it replenishes their stamina (I'm not quite 80 myself, but meat helps even at my youthful age, he...)
Since you mention this lady is an in-law of you friend's, meat and wine are high on the gift list - it has been that way for at least several decades, so I would assume that is the tradition.
Yep, premium beef and paikseju would be my choice. Chunjong wine is also good; buy the most expensive chungjong - you can't go wrong with this either.
Avoid USDA beef if possible and get Australian-imported, as she or her family might be sensitive to beef safety - many Koreans talk about the vCJD in Korea, the cow madness, so if their relatives are concerned, they might be too.
If all this is getting too elaborate, get some nice flowers (barring that she has hay fever of course); I think she would also appreciate it especially for the thought.
Please don't forget to call her /Uh-muh-ni/ (literally "Mother") as that is the custom. "All friends of one's child and those of the spouse are my children at least when they are eating at my table~!" Now that is unless she prefers to treat you as an outsider or dislikes you. I'm sure that wouldn't be the case since you were invited. ^^
Happy guessing, shopping, and partying, yay~!
----
Edit: I think I should strike out my words about the sweets and the rice cake as they are way too casual.for a birthday party. Besides, the host family would have had most of these prepared anyway. I would rather recommend the beef and the jungjong/ or baikseju wine for the gift at her grand birthday party.
You have an interesting project, Adamst~!
Not knowing the lady, what she likes, whether she drinks or smokes, whether she's a devout Protestant Christian, whether she has a good set of teeth or likes to munch on stringy candies and cookies, this is a tough one. ^^
Nevertheless it would be safe to say that "soju" might just not cut it . Soju is a good wine, but there are way better stuff like paik-se-ju (literally 'live-to-be-a-centenary wine"). If she likes sweets, a box of dried persimons, appricots, or some nice, fresh ttok (the rice cake) might be good.
There are also many kinds of old-fashioned cookies (like senbei or jonbyoung) and godzillion kinds of ttok in all shape, taste, and color that some elderly people might crave for. Perhaps you might ask what she normally enjoys having, or would that be too obvious? Well, asking never hurts, so I've heard.
For the elderly, I have also heard that some quality beef might also be a great gift, for it replenishes their stamina (I'm not quite 80 myself, but meat helps even at my youthful age, he...)
Since you mention this lady is an in-law of you friend's, meat and wine are high on the gift list - it has been that way for at least several decades, so I would assume that is the tradition.
Yep, premium beef and paikseju would be my choice. Chunjong wine is also good; buy the most expensive chungjong - you can't go wrong with this either.
Avoid USDA beef if possible and get Australian-imported, as she or her family might be sensitive to beef safety - many Koreans talk about the vCJD in Korea, the cow madness, so if their relatives are concerned, they might be too.
If all this is getting too elaborate, get some nice flowers (barring that she has hay fever of course); I think she would also appreciate it especially for the thought.
Please don't forget to call her /Uh-muh-ni/ (literally "Mother") as that is the custom. "All friends of one's child and those of the spouse are my children at least when they are eating at my table~!" Now that is unless she prefers to treat you as an outsider or dislikes you. I'm sure that wouldn't be the case since you were invited. ^^
Happy guessing, shopping, and partying, yay~!
----
Edit: I think I should strike out my words about the sweets and the rice cake as they are way too casual.for a birthday party. Besides, the host family would have had most of these prepared anyway. I would rather recommend the beef and the jungjong/ or baikseju wine for the gift at her grand birthday party.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment