Birthday gifts for friends

Dear all,

I'm going to a birthday party of one German friend. He is his forties and have been living in Munich for a long time.

I'm wondering what I should get him for a birthday gift. I'm from Asia and have no idea what people in Munich get their friends for a birthday gift, normally. Please could you make some suggestions?

I thought of a book but I don't know German and couldn't find a good book. It'd be great if you'd mention some of currently best-selling German books also?

Thanks a lot for reading.

Br,
Thanh Vu

Depends on the person, is he really a friend, a social acquaintance or a colleague. Ive been to parties where people gave gifts, a lot of gift certificates actually. The latters not my thing but it does seem to be popular around these parts. Ive also been to parties where no gifts were exchanged.

Perhaps play it safe and go with a consumable...i.e. food or wine gift.

Since your Vietnamese...if he's adventuresome and likes to cook, Id get him a gift basket representative of your culture. A picture book on vietnam, 1-2 easy vietnamese recipe and matching key non-perishable ingredients (bottled sauces or herbs and such...not pho, to hard... and/or if you can get your hands on it some vietnamese beer or wine. Dont forget to include a note on how to say a few words in vietnamese---i recommend pick up lines if hes single -- then have a good laugh watching him get drunk and telling ladies he loves them in vietnamese all night.

If thats too much trouble a bottle of wine should be fine.

hth -- have fun

PS: if you make summer rolls, send some my way...my one and only batch turned out lumpy

PPS: If you have one, could you please post up your favorite Vietnamese restaraunt in Munich. Ive been to one or two but I know theres a few more in town.

Vouchers for breakfast/brunch are popular

A bottle of wine can never be wrong

how about a Hugendubel book voucher?
then he can choose his own book.
there are loads of them all over the city; one in Marienplatz and one at Karlsplatz. (I know these two both have a wall display of the top ten best sellers so you can choose a book from there too if you want to.)

Hugendubels

Thank you everyone!

I think I'll take a book voucher as Moonboot suggested. Thanks for the nice suggestion

@jml: There are several Vietnamese restaurants here but I don't know all of them neither. Here are three places I normally come with my friends:

1. "HANOI Imbiss": U-Bahn stop Joseplatz (U2), Augustenstrasse. Here you find popular Vietnamese dishes, around 5-7 euro for each.
2. "HALONG BAY": Direct from S-bahn stop Solln (S7). This newly opened restaurant has good prices but it's quite far from Munich center.
3. "CamYi": S-Bahn stop Rosenheimer Platz (between Hbf and Ostbhanhof), Rosenheimerstrasse. This is a chinese restaurant but offers a variety of Vietnamse dishes as well.

Hope you enjoy

Br,
Thanh Vu

enjoy the birthday party! hope your friend likes his gift.
thanks for the restaurant recommendations.
Jo.