Does Food As A Gift and Get Work

With all the allergies, dietary restrictions and food lifestyle choices, is food as a gift really appropriate anymore?  I never realized how much I gave and received food as a gift before I started keto.  Chocolate, baked goods, candy or wine was always a safe bet as a gift for any occasion.  If you don’t know someone very well, you get them a gift card to a restaurant. But can you give food as a gift.

Food As A Gift By Generation

My mother’s generation would bring food in when someone was sick or a loved one passed away.  The idea behind it was that family would not have to worry about cooking during a difficult time.  Several years ago, we lost 5 family members within three years.  It was a difficult time, and our friends and neighbours rallied with food – namely roast chicken you get at the grocery store.  To this day, we call it death chicken, because we ate so much of it during that time. 

We make fun of a dark time to help get us through it, but the generosity of others was certainly appreciated.  That being said, what if some of us were vegans or vegetarians?  What if they brought something in with nuts and we had a nut allergy?  What if we were keto then and couldn’t eat the breads and baked goods they brought us?  

In This Day and Age Food As A Gift is Tricky

There are so many different diets today than there was when my mother packed up a casserole to take to a friend.  Allergies are either more present today or better known.  Some of them are serious allergies that can lead to death, especially if something is eaten.  Nuts, eggs, milk, wheat are all known allergens. 

Some people are just made uncomfortable if they eat certain foods, such as dairy or gluten.  Mom’s casserole didn’t come with a list of ingredients and a label with nutritional information.  And then, there are more people who are just choosing a certain way of life – vegans, vegetarians and those of us on keto.

This past year, I was at a party and we did a Yankee swap – where you pass presents around until you end up with one and then you open it.  I ended up with a large, homemade chocolate that was based on Turtles.  Now, this was a little painful, because Turtles were my favourite chocolates. 

But so many of the gifts people opened were food related.  Gift certificates, wine, chocolate, candy…  It’s easy to judge, but putting together a gift for someone, you weren’t sure who, was difficult.  It made me realize how much we use food as a gift.

It Should Be Easier

People who you know well are easier to buy gifts for.  I know what my best friends like and what their interests are.  But when you have to buy a gift for someone who is an acquaintance, or worse, you aren’t sure who will end up with it, it’s a hard thing to do.  I’m certainly no expert in gift giving.  I once gave steak spice to a vegetarian.  I gave my daughter a beautiful, homemade bath bomb when she only had a shower at her apartment. 

I’ve given baked goods to someone who is sensitive to sugar.  Gift giving is no joke!  It’s easy to see why we fall back on food.  We all eat it, and most of us enjoy the sweet treats we get as gifts – unless we are choosing a different diet for our health or moral reasons.

I searched online for some small, thoughtful gift ideas and was bombarded with homemade baked goods, meals in a jar, and themed baskets based on hot chocolate or coffee.  I searched for some thank you gifts and found lots of ways to make cute “thank you’s” from different kinds of candy and chocolate bars.  Even ice breakers for meetings use candy as a way to break people into groups.  It’s everywhere!

There are Ideas Other Than Food As A Gift

I finally found a few ideas of gifts that can be thoughtful and not food-related.  Crafts are popular.  If you are talented with a glue gun or woodworking tools, you’re golden.  I am not.  So I kept looking and found homemade candles, homemade soaps made with natural ingredients (and scents) as well as a homemade potpourri mason jar.  There was one themed basket for relaxation that had soft face clothes and fluffy towels in it.  The hand written card is also a popular choice.

As someone who has chosen to be keto, I now recognize how tricky it can be to give a gift that people can take and appreciate.  Now, I’m not going to throw a chocolate bar back in someone’s face but I will politely say thank you and give it to a non-keto friend when the opportunity comes up.  But maybe we need to think about the fact that how we eat is not how everyone eats anymore.  Know your audience or steer clear of food as gifts.

Wendy