The Devil Is in Those Shopping Center Stands
Please stop giving my favorite gift category a bad name. Join the revolution of refusing to ship those disgusting collections of unidentifiable cylinders claimed to be sausage and the awkward containers of processed cheese spreads. Quit giving away those fruit baskets that are cushioned with tissue paper in an ugly box that takes up all that space in my recycle bin. I can find apples and pears that are just as good in my local super market.
You see, I love food gifts. I enjoy giving them, but I enjoy receiving them even more. But when I send a food gift, it is given with thought and is always high quality; please return the favor. There is a difference, you know, between true quality and the convenience of buying from one of those ugly mall kiosks. Food gifts deserve at least as much careful thought as that after-shave you bought your dad year after year in your childhood–oops, not a good example, perhaps.
Instead of the mostly chemical box from the mall stand, think about a assortment of genuine artisan cheese from my home state of Wisconsin or wherever your favorite cheeses originate. Let’s keep the goats and cows happily employed instead of just putting more chemicals in our food. I would love even a small gift such as that more than the biggest box of the fake stuff that your mall displays.
A wine gift basket makes a delightful gift for the right person. Do remember though that this gift is not suited for everyone. You see, I haven’t had a drink in years, because I’m an alcoholic. While my sister would be properly grateful for a wine basket, I would not. She knows how to sip and savor; I remember only how to gulp and refill.
In our mobile society, we all have a beloved relative or a dear friend who has moved to some distant location. Consider a gift of live lobsters or a couple complete lobster dinners. Granted, this is not a bargain basement priced gift, but sometimes we enjoy splurging on someone especially dear.
I made light of fruit gift baskets a while ago, but, if you take the time, you can find a basket of gourmet fruit–fruit that does not grown in my back yard. This can be a truly thoughtful gift for someone who is into fitness or who has started the sort of logical diet that allows the consumption of fruit.
I hope you understand… If you give a food gift the thought that it deserves, you can avoid the line at the mall kiosk and save the heavy fruitcakes and fake cheese boxes for other shoppers. Spend an evening with me, shopping from my home office, using the Internet for all my food gift shopping. I share my real cheese with you, but you’ll have to bring the wine for yourself.
