I’m not big on receiving presents. There is one type that I do like, however. My favorite gift to give and receive is food.
Warning: brutal honesty coming.
Receiving gifts can sometimes be a struggle. First, I’m not interested in many physical things. Second, I’m quite particular about the physical items I do keep. Frankly, there is little chance that the well-intentioned giver will execute on their desire to please me, leaving me in a position to bullshit and them in a position to receive said BS.
I suspect that I’m not alone. As we head towards the prime gift giving season, how many times are you obligated to accept gifts of things that you won’t use? There is a solution to this seemingly universal problem. Give whole foods as gifts. I don’t mean prepared foods like pie, which seem exceptionally personal (unless you know the person’s tastes intimately). I mean staples; the things that most stock in their refrigerators or pantries on a regular basis.
My neighbor has chickens that produce the most sensational eggs. She calls me occasionally and surprises me with a voicemail.
“Gabe, I left you a carton of eggs in my wagon in front of my house.”
What is the market value of this dozen? Probably only a few bucks. Still, I can’t wipe the smile off my face when I get that call.
She provided me with mornings of blissful runny yolks. This was a gift of health, particularly as an athlete in need of high quality protein. From whfoods.com:
Eggs have long been recognized as a source of high-quality protein. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health authorities actually use eggs as their reference standard for evaluating the protein quality in all other foods. Egg protein is usually referred to as “HBV” protein, meaning protein with High Biological Value. Since eggs are used as the reference standard for food protein, they score 100% on the HBV chart. The high quality of egg protein is based on the mixture of amino acids it contains. (Amino acids are the building blocks for making proteins.) Eggs provide a complete range of amino acids, including branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine, cysteine), lysine, tryptophan, and all other essential amino acids. Their protein is sometimes referred to as a “complete protein” for this reason.
I have a friend, Angelina, who brought me a bowl of fruit from her backyard trees on Monday. Tiny, crisp apples, perfectly ripe persimmons and fragrant lemons and limes blessed my soul all week. They decorate my kitchen table with a pop of color, and I think of her kindness and generosity every time I take a bite.
Angelina gave me the gift of flavor, vitamins and minerals. Persimmons, in particular, are high in vitamin A. From livestrong.com:
Vitamin A promotes good vision, according to MedlinePlus. Vitamin A is especially important for seeing in the dark or in poorly lit areas. Without vitamin A, you wouldn’t be able to establish a wide array of colors because it helps your eyes distinguish colors such as bright orange or dark purple.
I have stunning tomatoes growing in my garden and ½ of a cow in my freezer out back. My mom and dad are on their way over to the house to celebrate mom’s birthday. I plan on a gift of grass-fed bone-in ribeye steaks and a few just-picked tomatoes.
My folks will enjoy the benefits of grass-fed beef, like higher levels of Omega-3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. From chriskresser.com:
The two fatty acids you’re probably most familiar with are our old friends omega-3 and omega-6, both of which are PUFAs. This might come as a surprise, but the most current research indicates that beef contains consistent levels of omega-6 regardless of diet. (2) This is good news if you can’t afford grass-fed beef, because at least grain-fed beef won’t slam you with more omega-6 than you can compensate for. What you’ll be missing out on are the significantly higher levels of omega-3s found in grass-fed beef. (3) Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef, and the average ratio of n-6:n-3 in grass fed beef is 1.53:1. In grain fed beef, this ratio jumps all the way up to 7.65:1.
I started by telling you that I had to bullshit when I receive a gift that I’ll end up chucking. Is it silly to give gifts based on my preferences instead of guessing at the recipient’s? Probably. I figure I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. If I give a dude a tie, he may not dig it anyhow. Logically then, I lean on health. I’ve never met a human who doesn’t want to feel well.
That’s my deductive reasoning and I’m sticking to it,
Kap
Shaun says
Speaking of gift giving and giving health, the thought of giving kids candy on Halloween drives me nuts. My solution? I hand out clementines. They’re small, delicious and far better for you than all the gross candy.
Gabe Kapler says
Ha. Good stuff, Shaun.
Duane says
Damn!! Now that’s a post I can truly relate with. I try every year to convince my family and friends that I don’t need anything. I completely happy just hanging out and relaxing. When I get that damn yearly email asking for our gift I think I’ll just reply with this post. Thanks Kap for all you do sir. I really appreciate it.
Duane
Gabe Kapler says
My man.
Christian says
It is amazing the relationships that can be built and maintained with food as the catalyst. I have a grapefruit tree and twice a year I get at least 4 big garbage bags full of grapefruit. I can only consume so many greyhounds. I pass the extra bags to neighbors and co-workers and have made new friends because of this. Whether it’s giving food, or sitting down with old friends at a nice dinner, sharing good healthy food = strong relationships and good times. Thanks Kap for giving us the gift of your knowledge and motivation.
Gabe Kapler says
Love this, Christian.
Judy Novy Holmes says
Giving healthy food is one of the best gifts one can give – particularly if it can be stored for later use (there always seems to be so much food at the holiday time). Thank you for highlighting this topic at this time. May we remember this as all of the gift catalogues come through the mail.
Gabe Kapler says
Appreciate you stopping by, Judy.
Karl says
Great post Kap. I actually do not look forward to the holidays because I have come to dread giving and receiving gifts that is forced and nobody really wants. I am going to do just this for Christmas. The diversity of your posts really blow me away.
Gabe Kapler says
Much appreciated, Karl.
~Al~ says
Cash. If you must.
~Al~
Ed H says
Damn you cut to the cold reality…. Probably not the point of this post but the absolute damn reality!
Gabe Kapler says
Donnie Brasco.
Paul says
Sure,you can’t go wrong with cash. Only trouble w/giving healthy food is worrying
about allergies! More & more, you hear about egg, soy, wheat, peanut, etc. allergies.
Or if you take statins for high cholesterol, grapefruit & its juice is a no-no.
Gabe Kapler says
Always grateful for an alternate take, Paul
mindy61 says
Such a great idea. Personally, I prefer that friends and family make donations to their favorite charity in my honor for my birthday. I hate to see the stress that many go through at holiday time trying to to buy and afford gifts for all their loved ones. The gift of health is a great concept.
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Mindy.
kbeyazdancer says
Gift giving makes me ill. I don’t want to bestow those feelings on others during the holidays. For those who actually get gifts from me, I don’t buy them anything-instead I make them a gift (that’s how I roll!). That is a long honored tradition in my family. As some one who can sew, knit, crochet, and make jewelry, my gifts are pretty popular. As I come from a family of eaters, the idea of giving food should go over well (my garden’s tiny but there are some goodies there)
-Kelebek
Gabe Kapler says
Dig.
Michelle says
My birthday and Christmas are very close together so you can buy me a cow as a dual present. Thanks in advance!
Gabe Kapler says
You’re funny, Michelle.
Joel Ledford says
I eat eggs every single day so I am definitely happy to see that it is at the top when it comes to quality proteins. People are always telling me that the yoke is’nt good for me though. I have read different opinions on this but what is your take?
Gabe Kapler says
Dr. Jeff Volek: “Whole eggs contain more essential vitamins and minerals per calorie than virtually any other food.”