Here's an idea for a great gift: if you have friends or family heading off for vacation soon, why not gift them with a few bottles of wine from the place they are going to visit? Have a cultural awareness afternoon of wine tasting and food. Many countries produce some cool white wines and it will be a great way to introduce them to what they will find. It will even give them a head start so they know what to order.
If the destination country is known for a particular type of food – Spain and many other countries have tapas, you could pare the wine with some prosciutto, grilled peppers, a selection of olives, some cheese, fresh bread, and some mussels. You will find lots of ideas for recipes on the Internet.
Make the event even more entertaining by downloading music typical of the country, and even printing up some nice translation cards with the names of the food to give to your friends.
