Buzzabasket

Fighting my way through a crowded store with my arms full of packages is not my first choice of hobbies. My mother loves to shop, but I did not inherit those genes. The part that I despise the most, however, is trying to guess what presents everyone would actually appreciate. I used to have this haunting fear that all of my shopping efforts usually resulted in a rushed trip back to the store or, worse, out to the trash receptacle. I could never feel confident about what to get my Grandma or Uncle Arthur. Now, I can enjoy the stores, especially during the holidays, because I can walk through empty handed, unhurried, with all of my shopping already long finished. I do all my shopping online, now. Well practically all of it.

Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself. Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions. And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.

Of course, I actually discovered food when I was still an infant, but it didn’t occur to me as a great gift until I had suffered through many rounds of birthdays, baby showers, and countless other events that seem to always pop up. I received a gift basket of little sausages, spreadable cheeses and plain crackers. It was terrible! At the same time, though, I thought what a great gift this could have been. All they had to change in the gift was the quality of the contents!

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. (It’s a tough job, but I am up to the challenge as long as I carefully pace myself!) I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

The wide selection of quality gift foods available is truly remarkable. It ranges from live lobster dinners to a fresh fruit basket; from cookie bouquets to live lobsters; from wine gift baskets to imported caviar or fine Wisconsin cheeses.

I do keep gift foods around the house, beautifully or cleverly arranged, for my guests who come to my house or for those whom I visit in person during those gift giving times. The Internet provides assistance to me even in these cases, because it is packed full of great ideas for arranging and wrapping gift food.

If you see me walking down a store aisle with a huge smile on my face when everybody else seems frantic, you will now know my secret. But don’t tell my Uncle Arthur.

You know that guy in your life who never seems lucky in love or in life, in general.  Certainly you have such a friend; it seems that all of us do.

The gift recommendation that I’m about to offer for him is a tad expensive, so be prepared.  I promise you, though, that you will that it is a very sound investment on your part.  Perhaps that nameless guy is your roommate, your cousin or even your own son who you can seem to get to move out of your house, even after you paid for four years of college.

Give the present of a nice romantic dinner with the person of his own choice–right there in his own home.  When you get right down to it, nothing impresses an unsuspecting date more than an intimate dinner that the host has prepared himself (with your encouragementand supervision, of course.  I really do have a particular friend in mind as I write this, and he needs all the help I can give him, and I’m sure your similar friend does, too.  Give him specific directions for this.  You know candles, subdued music, the whole thing.

Start with a gift of a gourmet cheese for the beginning course  Suggest that he consider serving the cheese with ripe apple slices or pear slices, but only if you trust him to handle a knife.  This course can actually be a nice appetizer, before they are actually seated at the dining table.

For the main course, present him with a gift certificate for a delicious lobster dinner or perhaps a surf and turf meal, if he is a beef fanatic.  Since this man needs so much help, you will want to be certain that the lobster is as fresh as possible.

End the evening (at least the part of the evening you’re helping with) with a delicious, gourmet turtle cheesecake.  Or, if he does not like chocolate, then select the more traditional New York cheesecake, decorated with a sprig of fresh mint.

If he drinks alcoholic beverages, do not trust him to choose the wine for the dinner.  Lobster is very hearty fare, so don’t be afraid to suggest he pair it with a bold wine such as a Merlot or even a Burgundy.

Once you’ve done your part in the affair, relax until you receive the engagement announcement.  If it doesn’t arrive within six months, just find another friend.  That will be much easier.

We all have a friend who is totally worthless in the kitchen.  Actually, if you don’t have a friend like that, read on, because I have enough friends who meet that description to share at least one of mine with you.

The gift suggestion that I’m about to make for him is a tad expensive.  I promise you, though, that you will that it is a very good investment on your part.  Perhaps that nameless person is your roommate, your cousin or even your own son who you can seem to get to move out of your house.

Give the gift of a nice romantic dinner with the person of his own choice–right there in his home.  When you get right down to it, nothing impresses an unsuspecting date more than an intimate dinner that the host has prepared himself (with your encouragement and careful guidance, of course.  Now, the friend I’m thinking of needs all the help he can get in this regard.  Give him specific directions for this.  You know candles, subdued music, the whole thing.

He can begin the evening with the first part of your present, a selection of gourmet cheeses for the beginning course  Suggest that he consider serving the cheese with ripe apple slices or pear slices, but only if you trust him to handle a knife.  This course can actually be a nice appetizer, before they are actually seated at the dining table.

For the main course, present him with a certificate for a delicious gourmet dinner of lobster a different seafood dinner or perhaps a combination of steak and lobster, sometimes known as surf and turf.  As noted, this guy needs plenty of help, so the fresher the lobster the better.

Tell him to cap off the evening with a magnificent, New York cheesecake or a turtle cheesecake, if he is a chocolate enthusiast for dessert.  Whichever cheesecake option you choose, tell him to spruce up the serving with a few fresh berries or a sprig of fresh mint.

You might also recommend a fine wine, if he consumes alcoholic beverages.  Lobster is very hearty fare, so don’t be afraid to suggest he pair it with a bold wine such as a Merlot or even a Burgundy.

Once you’ve done your part in the affair, relax until you receive the engagement announcement.  If it doesn’t arrive within six months, just find another friend.  That will be much easier.

I have to admit, I am not a shopping enthusiast! Except around the holidays, I hate the parking problems, I don’t enjoy browsing aisle after aisle looking for something that would be honestly appreciated by Grandma or Uncle Arthur. I certainly do not like waiting on line with inpatient people killing time for the lone employee to handle a complicated exchange. During the holidays, I enjoy meandering through stores just people watching, without being weighted down with packages. The experience for some reason gets me into a holiday emotional state, but I do my actual shopping and buying almost entirely on the web. That’s a practice I developed in the very early years of the Web.

Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself. Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions. And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.

That wasn’t very honestly phrased, because I discovered food when I was still an infant. But I didn’t discover food as a gift idea until recently. You see, at that time I received a gift basket full of hardly edible sausages, processed cheese spreads (mostly chemicals I think) and crackers that were about as crunchy as a rock. However, the poor quality of what passed as food in that gift turned out to be my inspiration. “What,” I thought, “If I had received genuinely good food?” How different that would have been, and how much I would have enjoyed it.

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. (It’s a tough job, but I am up to the challenge as long as I carefully pace myself!) I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

These Internet shops offer everything from gourmet fruit baskets to live lobster dinners (well, they won’t be alive when they are actually eaten), from wine gift baskets to cookie bouquets. The array of gift foods is really quite amazing.

For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets. Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting. The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.

If you happen to see me walking down a store aisle with a smile on my face when everybody else seems frantic, you will now know my secret. But let’s keep it a secret from my Uncle Arthur.