When I gave Lily the candles I didn’t expect her to melt with them when she unwrapped the paper,
but I also didn’t expect it to be a poor choice of gift giving. It was my
first time meeting her and I really didn’t know what she liked, so I thought candles would be a safe pick. I wanted to
show my gratitude for her opening her arms and home to a strange American vagabond while staying in Trinidad. Though
she presently resides on the little far eastern Caribbean island, Lily is from Nigeria and in Nigeria candles are used
strictly for lighting the house. Not for decoration. Not for scent. She thanked me kindly and placed the
candles in her closet – I think. Safe to say it wasn’t the best gift and it probably wasn’t the worst, but I would have
liked to have gotten her something she would have really enjoyed.
All this brings me to Journeywoman’s
excellent list of culturally stabbing, tasteless, and insensitive gifts. Pulling touchy topics from
around the globe and explaining the meaning behind the poor tokens of appreciation really helps if you’re completely
lost at what to get. For starters, always remember booze is a no-no in Muslim cultures and giving a Swiss Army knife to
a man in China is symbolic of severing the friendship. In Taiwan you should never bring any type of food present to a
dinner as it may make the host feel they required help in feeding guests. These are just a few found on the
Journeywoman list, but if you know of any more please share.