Yes, just be sensitive to people's dietary needs. If 2/3 members are diabetic, don't bring a chocolate lave cake (something my parents' friends tend to forget), if they keep kosher, don't bring a lobster or pork chops.

Agreed. But Tau's BF's parents aren't religious, so she's covered! :)

Personally, just to be safe, I still wouldn't bring anything that is blatantly unkosher. I know plenty of Jewish people who aren't religious but still won't eat pork or shellfish. You don't want to strike out with the parents as soon as you walk into the door.

LOL. KLP, have you ever brought shrimp cocktail as a hostess gift??? :D

Nope. I keep kosher and hate the smell of seafood.

I guess maybe I missed this bit of etiquette since my parents never really visited anyone when I was growing up, and no one really ever visited us (my parents just don't entertain). I want to make sure I have this right, since apparently I have been committing gross social blunders for a while now ... you just bring a little present whenever you're visiting someone, and the gift should relate to the purpose of the visit?

I never heard that the gift should relate to the purpose of the visit, more that it should speak to the host/hostesses' taste. My mother loves wine, so her friends usually bring us wine when they come. My parents are going to visit their friends. They love art, so they got them an art album.

DSTRen-- If you're visiting a close friend or someone you see frequently socially or a close relative, don't worry about it. Frankly, if you start bringing your best friend gifts everytime she has you over starting from this point forward, she'll think you've lost it! But if you're meeting someone new, attending a housewarming/birthday/anniversary, having dinner at the boss's house or a work colleague, etc., then bring a dessert or a bottle of wine.

Either that or she'll invite you over every day!

Holy crap, just ask dude what they like and get it.

wine or a gift suited to their interests are best.

dessert usually is a great idea, but i wouldn't unless i knew whether or not they kept kosher. kosher is not just no pork/shellfish. its also no meat with dairy. some people are hardcore and won't even have dairy dessert if they had a meat meal. desserts are usually dairy in some fashion or may even have treif (non-kosher) gelatin.

i usually do nice guest soaps from l'ocitaine (sp?) or those bendel ones from B&BW, a gift suited to their interest or wine if i have no clue.

oh yeah, all wine is kosher. if you want "kosher" wine though, golan and herzog are decent. NO MANISCHEVITZ (sp?) it is awful.

Manischewitz isn't a wine, it's a Jewish joke. Please keep that in mind.

exactly! klp- have you tried the golan stuff? its actually really good.

Probably, but I just can't recall at the moment. When I was in Israel, we went to a wine factory right outside of Jerusalem and they had incredible wines there, and some of the strongest vodka that I have ever tasted.

lol clarify?