Dec 11

Dec 11 Foodie Stocking Stuffers

Christmas is two weeks away and, with only a couple gifts under my proverbial tree (which his really just a chair next to my TV where I've stashed the two gifts I've bought) I'm feeling the need to swing into action. Luckily, my mom--who is perhaps the best shopping buddy in the world--arrives in New York this afternoon and I'm counting on her to help me find perfect gifts for the people on my list.

One area in which I require no help is stocking stuffers. The small gift department is where I excel. Whether it's a pocket-sized leather-bound notebook, a heavy bar of fancy French soap, or a pencil sharpener shaped like a hedgehog from my favorite Japanese grocery store, I am really good at finding random tiny things and buying them, hoping I will find an occasion to give them away before they take over my apartment.

Within the stocking-stuffer genre, the type of gift that excites me most of all is artisanal food products. These small batch sauces, spreads, syrups, spice blends, and sweets typically come with irresistible packaging, hypnotic flavor descriptions, and the satisfaction of knowing somewhere in Brooklyn, a bearded man is buying a new flannel shirt thanks to your purchase of his $14 spicy honey.

All joking aside, it's important to support the little guys who are cooking up these tasty concoctions. And since most of these products feel a little too luxurious or unnecessary to buy for yourself, they will make the perfect surprise for all the gourmands in your life.