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So a while back I decided to try my hand at web design. It did not go well. But the person who hired me gave me incredible advice and I've been working for him doing various stuff for about a year now.
A few weeks back, I was having trouble believing in myself and focusing on my studies. Some things were challenging and had drained my energy. This person basically kicks me in the *** and gets me back on track - again.
I want to show this guy my deep appreciation. I would send him a gift basket but he is Orthodox Jewish and wouldn't be able to eat it.
Any ideas how to show him my appreciation? I'm a college student, but willing to pay somewhere around $50 - not very many people can get you back where you need to be when you aren't.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
I agree with Scott. Writing a sincere letter explaining how much it meant to you is going to be better than most gifts.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Phanto: I would send him a gift basket but he is Orthodox Jewish and wouldn't be able to eat it.
Leaving aside your actual question (I think Scott's idea is a great one), I call BS on this. Most gift basket providers are more than happy to work with clients to provide all-kosher items in a gift basket. I have both given and received.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Fairytale Brownies. That's what they used to send me from work on my birthday, because they're 100% kosher. And they are beyond delicious. My favorite are the mint chocolate, the cream cheese, the white chocolate, the caramel, the chocolate chip and the original.
Brownies are way better than words. Especially when they're this good.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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A gift is good. A letter of appreciation is good. Which is better depends very much on the personality of your friend but you don't have to choose one or the other. You can do both, which would be much better than either one or the other in any case.
And I second rivka, you should be able to get a Kosher gift basket.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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I don't know if any gift basket that didn't have a little jar of bacon cheese spread that tried to insinuate it was from Wisconsin without coming right out and saying it would be worth getting.
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mmmmmmmmmmm bacon cheese... LOL. There was a vendor at the farmers market in Madison that had an absolutely awesome bacon cheddar spread.
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So there are kosher gift baskets. The brownies look interesting, thanks Lisa!, but can't find immediately anywhere where it says explicitly that they are kosher. The orthodox Judaism I'm talking about requires explicit markings of kashrut on items (at least for my family) even for food that is "kosher" and without it, my family would not be able to eat something.
Good. I'll send one with a nice note. Thanks! =)
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quote:Originally posted by Phanto: So there are kosher gift baskets. The brownies look interesting, thanks Lisa!, but can't find immediately anywhere where it says explicitly that they are kosher. The orthodox Judaism I'm talking about requires explicit markings of kashrut on items (at least for my family) even for food that is "kosher" and without it, my family would not be able to eat something.
Good. I'll send one with a nice note. Thanks! =)
Phanto, For future reference, both Lisa and rivka are orthodox jews who keep kashrut so they know what you're talking about.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Phanto, I have successfully ordered gifts baskets for people who are makpid cholov Yisrael (all parve items is generally the easiest in that case). Other than whole fruits, I am talking about entirely items with national (i.e., O-U, O-K, Star-K) hechsherim.
And I live in L.A. In NY I'd expect it to be far easier, and in Boston (do I recall correctly that that's where you are?) I'd expect it to be just as easy as here.
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How about a fruit basket, carved into flower shapes? Edible Arrangements, I think the company is called....
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Thanks for the help and I have sent the brownies, along with a card (although the card does say "Happy Birthday" along its personal message).
The fruit basket idea is also good and I know there must be kosher ones out there (as we have gotten them in the past) but finding the vendor just takes soooo long!
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Yeah, that "Kosher Certified" notation on their website's Locations page is soooo hard to see. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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When you're tired (had 3 hour long pitch meeting, train ride, study session, final presentation in morning, et cetra) it can be hard to see even obvious things =)
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Gift cards are always nice as well. I have a sales partner here that always hooks me up with gift cards to Regal Cinemas every time I refer clients to her. I havent had to pay for a movie when I take my wife out in over 6 months now.
Something else you can do is just get one of those pre-paid debit cards for them, and let them buy whatever they need. They could have a nice night out or they could spend it on groceries. Either way I am sure it would be appreciated.
Heck, you could even get him a gift card to your college's book store. That way next semester he can apply it towards a book he may need for a class.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Phanto: The fruit basket idea is also good and I know there must be kosher ones out there (as we have gotten them in the past) but finding the vendor just takes soooo long!
I'm curious, what is there about a fruit basket that could make it no Kosher. Isn't all fresh fruit kosher?
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Depends. It's being cut, right? Suppose the knife has been used for cutting something non-kosher prior to cutting the fruit? All whole fresh fruit is kosher (with a caveat), but cut fruit is different.
The caveat is fruit from Israel. If it's from Israel, then to be kosher, it has to have had the proper agricultural tithes taken from it. Also, produce grown during the Sabbatical year has its own issues and problems.
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In general, you can eat fruit as an Orthodox Jew in most situations. As Lisa says, cut fruit raises the possibility of "contamination" with non-Kosher food. The laws can be very complicated and sometimes challenging. IIRC, you might technically not be allowed to drink wine if it is poured by a non-Jew.
(Things like that are why the divine reward for honoring your parents (long life, I believe) is the same as the reward for chasing away a bird before taking her eggs. The idea behind that, according to some Rabbis, is we really can't know what is or is not important to G-d and we just have to do our best.)
Personally, I am not as strict as I perhaps should be regarding kashrut, but for someone who is, if you don't get it right, they can't eat it =)
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