Lately we’ve read and heard a lot about the aging boomers, their effects on US society and their needs as they age.  USA Today said that almost 3.0 million boomers have passed over to the other side….”the other side of 60 that is”. Then there are the 75 million boomers still in their 40’s and 50’s. Many of us have a mother, father, aunt, uncle or friend in this age group. Or we might just be there ourselves!

These boomers are not ordinary people. They are post World War II children of privilege. Many are well educated, well traveled and have acquired significant material possessions in their life time. Which brings us to the point of this article. When it comes time for an occasion gift for these boomers…what do you give have someone who has it all?

Enter the era of experiential gifts. These gifts are exactly what they imply – an experience. For those gift recipients who have received every trinket imaginable over the years, consider an experiential gift. It might be a day at the spa, a day riding horse-back or even a ride in a hot air balloon. If your gift recipient has a taste for the gourmet side of life, consider a food gift.

Gourmet food gifts, specifically dinner gifts, can satisfy many gifting occasions, especially for those recipients who do not live nearby. If you want to say thank you with a dinner delivered, if you want to say congratulations with a gourmet meal, or if you want to let them know you are thinking of them, a gourmet dinner gift may suit your needs, and theirs.  There are several companies that specialize in this type of food gift including Atlanta based GourmetStation. Most companies deliver nationally and provide a wide variety of cuisine with a minimum of preparation time. The idea is provide your gift recipient with an evening of restaurant quality food delivered right to their home. An experience they will long remember.

Small town USA was not a particularly exciting place to grow up. But something special was going on in the midst of the consistent low-key life…the establishment of values. Everyone knew everyone while weddings, births and funerals were the big events. The families were not particularly wealthy in the ways of the material world. But in the ways that count, they were very rich. Tight knit families valued each other, relationships with neighbors and friends, and good cookin’.

And I do mean good cooking. I remember my mother and aunt sending me to neighbors with one of their delicious three layer cakes for one event or another. I would walk into the neighbor’s kitchen and food was everywhere. That’s the way these small town people expressed love.

The world has moved on since those days, but I assure you, small town or big town, people still express love through food gifts. We see it every day at GourmetStation. Our gourmet dinners are shipped all over the US for wedding gifts, welcome new baby gifts, and sympathy gifts. Oh I forgot get-well gifts, and simply thinking of you gifts. Food gifts say it all, but I’m partial to GourmetStation meals delivered. New customers ask every day, what’s your most popular food gift for this occasion or that occasion. To help you make your decision, below are my recommendations. You may not be able to walk down the street to your neighbors with your Mom’s best layered cake, but you can let GourmetStation do the good deed for you.

Congratulations Food Gifts for weddings, new baby gifts, promotions, or job well done.

Parisian Four-Curse Dinner For Two.

Thinking Of You Food Gifts for a sympathy gift, get well gift, or to let them know you care. Tuscan Four-Course Dinner For Two.

Thank You Food Gifts for a heart-warming way to say, “thanks for all you do”. Cajun Four-Course Dinner For Two.

There are always reasons to send a gourmet food gift. To say thanks, thinking of you, get well, cheer up – you name it. Normally when I send gifts the intent is to lift the spirits of the recipient. Now there are lots of choices and top of mind may be flowers or chocolates. Not that there is anything wrong with flowers or chocolates mind you, but wheres the imagination? Flowers and chocolate are a safe gift, but not necessarily a wow gift. So let me share with you a wow gourmet food gift…a 3 or 4 course gourmet dinner from GourmetStation.

You may choose from Parisian, Tuscan, Cajun or Fusion fare, but for the summer, I recommend that you “Go Cajun”. Here’s why. Summer is casual, fun and light. We dress light and eat light. Cajun cuisine may be spicy, but it’s not necessarily heavy. But more importantly, it’s FUN! I found a definition of Cajun and had to share it with you. Read on.

CAJUN ('ka:-j@n), n. A person born or living along the bayous, marshes and prairies of south Louisiana; devoted to gumbo, boudin, sauce piquante, crawfish and jambalaya; dedicated to the fais-do-do, French music, hard work and letting the good times roll.

Any person who is devoted to gumbo and boudin and let’s the good times roll is all right by me. Cajun cuisine has many associations, but the most prevalent to me is kick back, eat & have fun. That’s what your recipient will feel when they receive a gourmet food gift from GourmetStation’s Cajun menu. Go ahead, let the good times roll.

I am so pleased that our friend and GourmetStation patron, Mark Stine, has agreed to write for Delicious Destinations from time to time. Mark's latest post demonstrates ways to show you care with food gifts. Mark combines personal memories with practical ways to say "thinking of you" for the people in our lives that have everything.

My Grandmother had a habit every time I called her of saying “I was Just thinking about You”…now whether my Grandmother was psychic or tapped into the metaphysical remains to be seen, but since she had a lot of time on her hands, she probably was thinking about me and the odds of me calling and her thinking of me were probably pretty good. And those memories of her answering the phone with that response will always stick with me

Now being somewhat like my Grandmother, I find myself thinking of family, friends and past acquaintances. Some of it has to do with age. Being over 50, the portion of time remaining has become more important to me in how I spend it. And the actions I take towards others and how I am viewed …..and remembered someday.

Just recently I made a new acquaintance and was introduced to a breakfast and or lunch snack of toasted white bread, fresh avocado spread over bread and topped with Bacos, or imitation bacon bits. It was a unique little snack…and when a gifting opportunity presented itself, I purchased four bottles of imitation bacon bits made from soy protein and mailed them right off to say “Thanks” to a man who basically has everything anyone could want….. but he could use the imitation bacon bits in his everyday life. .A way of saying, “Thinking of You” for a friend. A simple thing, but surely more remembered than anything else I could have sent.

Gifts of food have been a part of most world cultures and was often reflected in the bounty of late summer and early fall as peaches were canned, German apples dried and Italian hams cured.

While the holiday season is a primary gifting opportunity, it’s after the holidays, when we all return to our normal routines, that is the time to step back and look at ourselves and our friends and remind them that we are “just thinking about you”

A wonderful opportunity exists to send to your friend, family member far away, or someone who is or was close to you, but due to the passage of time, the closeness may have faded….a reminder of how much you care.

What better way to recharge that connection than through a wonderful gourmet gift from GourmetStation. Often a friend or loved one may have had a dream of visiting some far off locale, but through the events of their life, may have gotten sidetracked along the way. A gift opportunity to transport them, if only for a respite, to Paris or Italy can be accomplished through a GourmetStation gift certificate or better yet surprise them with a specialty meal. A “personalized” card can be included…and they’ll remember you as part of that special meal from a locale they always wanted to visit.

And maybe next time…”They’ll be thinking of you”

Technorati Tags: Food_Gifts, Thank_You_Gifts, Family

Zupa (Polish), soep (Dutch), sopa (Portuguese), sopp (Swedish), leves (Hungarian)or Marak מרק (Hebrew). Soup.
Long before Andy Warhol turned a Campbell's soup can into pop art, soup has been a classic dish on many tables. Soup recipes can be found in cookbooks dating as far back as 30 AD when Marco Apicio's included a dish made of farro chickpeas, fava beans, onions, garlic, lard and greens in De Re Coquinaria.

Soup has even made its way into literature.
Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland's Soup of the Evening

Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau - ootiful Soo - oop!
Beau - ootiful Soo -oop!
Soo - oop of the e - e  - evening,
Beautiful, beautiful, Soup!

There are even soup songs. For a unique treat listen to 12-year old Michael Bannett sing Soup of the Evening. I promise you it's worth the click.

One of my favorite fables is of course, Stone Soup. I'm sure you recall the tale of the travelers who made the most delicious soup from a stone...with a little help from some new friends.

For me a perfect winter's meal is a steaming bowl of soup, some crunchy bread, a tossed green salad and perhaps some warm right out to the oven cookies. Don't worry if you don't have time to prepare homemade soup or bake cookies GourmetStation has done it for you. This is one of my favorites and makes a great beat the winter blues food gift.

Technorati Tags: Soup, Entertainment, Food_and_Drink,

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.

George MacDonald

1824 – 1905

Scottish Poet & Novelist

What would be a better way to let them know you care than with a food gift from GourmetStation and a poem from George MacDonald.

Technorati Tags: Food_Gifts, Gourmet_Food_Gifts

I have two quotes on this subject - enjoy.

"And Tom brought him chicken soup until he wanted to kill him. The lore has not died out of the world, and you will still find people who believe that soup will cure any hurt or illness and is no bad thing to have for the funeral either." - John Steinbeck - East of Eaden

"Everything ends this way in France - everything. Weddings, christenings, duels, funerals, swindlings, diplomatic affairs - everything is a pretext for a good dinner." - Jean Anouilh - Cecile

If you seek a food gift to warm the soul, look no further than the GourmetStation "thinking of you" food gift collection.

Food and community are as naturally paired as Santa Claus and Christmas. W.K. Kellogg, Professor of Agricultural, Food & Community Ethics at Michigan State University and Paul B. Thompson wrote these insightful comments about food and community.

"The association of food with community is a commonplace. A community even without food is rare and the bonding that people experience when sharing food and drink underwrites a number of diverse human institutions. The family table, dinner and a movie, the church supper, the wedding banquet and the busienss lunch are icons of sociability, each centering on a meal, but implying distinct forms of common interaction and shared meaning about human beings."

So if you want to share and connect, I say send a gift of food. The occasion does not matter – in fact, you don’t even need an occasion. And if you’re too far away to prepare it yourself or you’re unsure about what to send, send a gift certificate from GourmetStation.