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Unexpected Food Gifts

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in Food Traditions & Culture

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I have just received this bag of milk powder from Xinjiang, China's troubled westernmost province. I know no one there.

 

I have no idea who sent it to me. It was definitely addressed to me and my cellphone number was on the delivery note. That is not publicly available information. Mystery.

 

1763432854_milkpowder.thumb.jpg.13a114a652fd5691f31b84e174837a71.jpg

  • Like 3
  • Confused 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

I was talking to my Admin yesterday about Thanksgiving snacks and she mentioned a fig spread and crackers that she liked from Wegmans...found these on my desk this morning.

I'll probably save this for when my step daughter comes to visit in December, since she loves brie baked with preserves, she'll like these with cheese.

 

figcracker.jpg

  • Like 12

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

This was unexpected, but when It turned up I knew immediately who had sent it. About a week ago, I had a conversation with a friend who is from and still lives in Yunnan province in the south of China, bordering Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Tibet as well as Guangxi where I am. It is largely a rural area with many ethnic minority peoples.

 

Anyway, said friend (delightfully her given name is 莹莹 pronounced "YIng Ying"), and I were chatting about foreigners' perceptions of China and, in passing, I mentioned that most foreigners think China doesn't do dairy - especially cheese. She found this hilarious. Yunnan is famous for its cheeses, as are Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang regions in the north and west of the country. Yunnan specialises in goat's milk cheeses.

 

This evening, this unexpectedly arrived on my doorstep.

 

372559318_YunnanCheese.thumb.jpg.9a2d3066e88cd5e485f6b58e026ad82a.jpg

 

I haven't tried it yet. Maybe after dinner. I will report back.

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 12

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

Unexpected gift for food…Dad has been making cheese boards for fun, so he brought one for Thanksgiving.

 

AD13F4F6-A7D4-4C8F-A0A8-EA33328E1DE2.jpeg

  • Like 20
  • Thanks 2

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Yesterday evening, I was in the local convenience store and saw that the couple who own it had hung up their spicy, home made sausages to dry, as people do every winter. I took the picture below and the man of the shop lifted them down and gave me half of them!

 

1088073430_17sausages.thumb.jpg.49f6c5513218bbf227d131363730be3c.jpg

 

  • Like 13

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

Can I assume that you will need to hang them and dry them at home? How long does that take?

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
6 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Can I assume that you will need to hang them and dry them at home? How long does that take?

 

4-5 days

  • Thanks 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

This could be a food funny but it was also an unexpected gift so I'll share it here. 

126635616_IMG_4711(1).thumb.jpeg.96fb796ce46a84bfa36c951edcf3cf8f.jpeg

A 12 oz can of Bob Ross Positive Energy Drink 

Just the thing to enjoy whilst watching Bob paint 🤣

 

  • Haha 6
ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

This could be a food funny but it was also an unexpected gift so I'll share it here. 

126635616_IMG_4711(1).thumb.jpeg.96fb796ce46a84bfa36c951edcf3cf8f.jpeg

A 12 oz can of Bob Ross Positive Energy Drink 

Just the thing to enjoy whilst watching Bob paint 🤣

 

 

Strange coincidence.  Every year I buy John the annual Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.  Just yesterday, I was reading that book and it contained an article on how he got started.  It was the first time I had heard of him and here he is again!

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  • Haha 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

I have no idea what's going on. Situation normal.

 

Today, I went to the local supermarket to pick up some minor essentials and the woman at the checkout threw a bunch of greenery* into my basket, saying "It's a gift!", except she said "送给你" which is the Chinese, of course.

 

I thanked her and asked politely why. She just smiled enigmatically.

 

* Bitter Hemp

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 6

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

60D51583-D898-45AD-9F36-3FC67C669C94.thumb.jpeg.3d58255dda062093428256d8f8240d36.jpeg

 

there might have been more chocolate dipped ginger.

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 7

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

  • 2 weeks later...
BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

This takes the prize for 2nd strangest Holiday office food gift, ever. First prize was the crate of potatoes from an Idaho-based vendor.

 

biscuit.jpg

  • Like 5
  • Haha 3

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

This takes the prize for 2nd strangest Holiday office food gift, ever. First prize was the crate of potatoes from an Idaho-based vendor.

 

biscuit.jpg

Not exactly a Covid conscious gift considering the brand's behavior

liamsaunt

liamsaunt

Posted
Posted

The holiday food gifts are starting to arrive.  I was not expecting either of these so thought I would post them here.  A tin of candies from my sisters colleague.  I think she bakes for every human she knows exists 😀  There are buckeyes, peppermint bark, fudge and some kind of toffee and chocolate covered cracker in here.  I'm definitely going to sample a piece of the peppermint bark when I get a candy craving.  My niece will probably eat the rest haha

 

IMG_9544.thumb.jpg.b575aca03f83c835c0957a2e8e15355a.jpg

 

 

A box of treats from a bakery that recently opened in town, a gift from the guy who comes in to clean my house.  Definitely unexpected, and very nice of him.  I ate an arm off the gingerbread man yesterday and it was very tasty.  My niece ate the blueberry scone this morning and said that it was tender and not too sweet.  I'll have to stop by this place after the holidays and see what else they make.

 

IMG_9542.thumb.jpg.888adcb2be357206eb8aaeafd37876da.jpg

 

I also got a gift box in today's mail containing four pounds (!!!!) of mixed nuts, 2 pounds of chocolate covered fruit, and 2 pounds of dried fruit.  That will definitely get redistributed among various family households, as we could never eat it all before it goes bad.  

  • Like 10
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted (edited)

My next door neighbor yearly brings over a big can of Hubs peanuts. They are my favorite peanut after fresh roasted by me. I'd told his wife I was not baking this year and she thanked me as her health issues make it a serious temptation she has to fight. So who shows up in the pouring rain yesterday - Bob with the peanuts!. I ate way too many last night.

Edited by heidih (log)
  • Like 6
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

This morning a German woman who lives here gave me these two boxes of cake and cookies she had baked. Big surprise. I hardly know her.

 

cake.thumb.jpg.06bcea8bbca96b4d14b4c57f425d0f99.jpg

 

 

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 10

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

This morning a German woman who lives here gave me these two boxes of cake and cookies she had baked. Big surprise. I hardly know her.

 

cake.thumb.jpg.06bcea8bbca96b4d14b4c57f425d0f99.jpg

 

 

 

 

You should fix that.

 

  • Haha 6

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

  • 2 weeks later...
KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

This came in a little while ago from the south of France

 

20220108_085046_HDR.thumb.jpg.7fc0d0f7fdd836e53a7c28f2796282f8.jpg

 

I'm excited to try this olive oil, but i have no idea what to do with the salt/herb de provence grinder.  Many years ago I used herbs de provence a lot, but I've been out of the habit.

  • Like 2
Steve R.

Steve R.

Posted
Posted

If you wind up liking the olive oil, its available in the U.S.  Although you can find it on Amazon (approx. $35), "yummy bazaar" (which I've never used) has it for around $18: https://yummybazaar.com/products/nyons-cold-pressed-extra-virgin-olive-oil-a-o-c-by-nyonsolive-8-45-oz.  When we rented an apt. in Vaison la Romaine several years ago, we drove up to Nyons a couple of times for their town market.  Their local olives and olive oils were pretty damn good.  Enjoy!

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, KennethT said:

i have no idea what to do with the salt/herb de provence grinder.

 

Great for roasting chicken, be it whole or a sheet pan type of roast, with potatoes and other veg.

 

I bought us a gift of new harvest olive oil (olio nuovo) - from California Olive Ranch. It's very good, and they were running some sort of sale at the time.

  • Like 3

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Great for roasting chicken, be it whole or a sheet pan type of roast, with potatoes and other veg.

 

I bought us a gift of new harvest olive oil (olio nuovo) - from California Olive Ranch. It's very good, and they were running some sort of sale at the time.

My wife brings in COR oo from Fresh Direct all the time.  I don't think she's ever tried the new harvest though - and I don't know if FD carries it.

weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, KennethT said:

My wife brings in COR oo from Fresh Direct all the time.  I don't think she's ever tried the new harvest though - and I don't know if FD carries it.

 

It's good stuff. I knew FD carried one or two of their oils, but they have many more varieties to choose from on their website; some 100% CA stuff, others sourced from various places.

  • Thanks 1

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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