OMIYAGE, Japanese custom - 美しき慣習「お土産」

折り紙ギャラリーコーナーには皆が買ってきたお土産も置かれるので、

何だかほんわか雰囲気。

われらのチーム一番トップは食にうるさいフランス人。

出張の度に、お菓子のお土産を買ってきてくれて

「美味しいですよ」と答えるとうれしそう。
忙し過ぎて買ってこれなかった時は、反省の弁が。

ここ日本では出張行ったらお土産買うのが義務、

では決してないことを誰か伝えてあげた方が良いような。。。

海外からビジターが来たときは、お土産のカルチャーについて

説明してるのが微笑ましかった。(フランス語だから詳細不明)

先日、お隣の本部のヘッド(フランス人？)にあの定番土産

「白い恋人」自慢→おすすめをしている模様だったので、

私も「とへぇ・ぼぉ～ん」と、ひとことだけ会話に参加。

(フランス語だから詳細不明。「札幌」「ラングドシャー」だけ解った。)

やはりグルメ大国おフランスのムッシュー達同士

食についての話題を自分の言葉で熱く語れるのですわね。

まあ、おかげで秘書は会食やランチボックスの手配が大変なワケです。

新入社員の時、上司のアメリカン人に「ハコネ～のぉオミヤゲー」

と内側のビニール袋の封が切ってある

(ビニールの穴から手が届く範囲は既に完食済み) 
おまんじゅうの箱を渡された。

米系銀行にいたとき、アメリカ人同僚にやっぱり
「ハコネ～のぉオミヤゲー」と

羊羹まるまる一本渡されたことをしみじみ思い出してしまった。

(オフィスに包丁ないってば。) 
まあ、箱根の素敵な思い出を分かち合ってくれようとしたのだね、きっと。

Authentic "白い恋人" from Hokkaido

 "面白い恋人"　from Osaka

At the "ORIGAMI" gallery corner in front of my desk, we also place “Omiyage" boxes of sweets which are souvenirs from our colleagues at the times of their business trip or vacation.

That’s why that corner attracts people with warm atmosphere.

Our leader is French, could be gastronome, we suppose.
He often asks me how I like his “Omiyage” and apologized when he could not buy anything as he was too busy during business trip.
... maybe someone should tell him we have no obligation at all in Japan to buy “Omiyage” every time…

It’s impressive to see him explaining to a visitor from the overseas about “Omiyage” culture in Japan
- though I could not understand French at all.

Also he explained about “Shiroi Koibito; Lovers in white”; the most famous cookies sold in Hokkaido to a leader of department next to our team in details.
I agreed and just said “Tres bon!” to them 
- though I could not catch French words at all except for “Sapporo” & “langue de chat”.

I was impressed to see messieurs from the gourmand country chose topics about the foods with enthusiasm and exchange their opinions with their own words.  - well, that's why their secretaries always have to take care of business lunch/dinner so much...

Now I remember an episode at a company where I started my career. 
An American boss gave me “Omiyage of Hakone” which was “O-manju; Japanese style small buns usually stuffed with a(d)zuki-bean paste” with the pouch package half-opened already and the several contents were missing & gone to his stomach…

Also when I worked for an American bank, an American colleague also gave me “Omiyage of Hakone” which was a whole big heavy “Yokan” - sweetened adzuki beans patty. NO kitchen knives at that office as you know.


FYI, Hakone is in mountainside, famous for many hot springs & rather convenient to visit from Tokyo - you should stay at least for 1 night to enjoy Hakone.

I guess they loved Hakone so much and tried to share something with us, anyway.