In search of the gift that says "Fresno"

We are hosting a lot of folks from out of town this spring. We sent off a houseguest from Norway last week and we picked up my mother in law from Milwaukee, on Thursday.

I always find it interesting to know what people want to take home from Fresno after a visit. Live from Norway wanted two things: Fresno State's award-winning wine and that amazing cinnamon chip bread from Great Harvest Bakery. What do you give visitors that really says "Fresno"?

We' have a steady stream of folks coming for the next three months: two more from Norway, two teenage girls from Iceland. Then we take off for Slovakia and we'll need to take some hostess gifts.

These souvenir gifts going abroad are a little bit tricky because everything has to fit in the suitcase. Here are some of our usual gifts for visitors but most are way too obvious:

* Wine
* Local nonperishable foods like nuts, dried fruits, raisins, sunflower seeds etc.
* Jewelry or art by local artists and photographers (many are having their prints made into place mats and note cards now)
* California calendars -- Fresno calendars when they are available
* Books by local authors
* Sweatshirts and t-shirts
* Refrigerator magnets with their pictures (or our pictures) on them.

While I'm at it, here's what not to do. The last time we visited Europe, we took wine, pistachios and the makings for tacos. I thought bubble-wrapping everything would be just fine. Well, no. The wine and the salsa containers broke, making a nice tomatoey mess that went into half of our clothes. The bag with the pistachios also broke, mixing nuts into the brew. The corn tortillas even broke.

Nice, huh? So much for those international luggage handlers. We won't do that again. Make sure when you pack that stuff that you double or triple bag it, so even if it breaks, it won't stain your clothes.