Sure, the season is jolly, but you can get flummoxed choosing gifts for that special someone. So allow me to suggest a few culinary items, from tenderized gator meat to edible underwear, all designed to please the most finicky recipient.Locally, we enjoy a wealth of great foodie gift items: everything from custom-made chocolates to industrial-strength oven mitts. And if you like to shop via computer on the Internet, you can roam every corner of the known planet for that hard-to-please spouse, relative or friend.
Chocolate lovers will swoon for a gift basket from Debbie's Chocolate Delight (2086 W. Busch Blvd., Tampa, 813-963-2298). The tiny shop boasts an incredible gourmet selection of chocolates, handmade by owner Debbie Stephens. She offers 20-some kinds of truffles, 24 different types of nut clusters, and custom gift baskets that cost from $10 upwards to hundreds of dollars.
Edible underwear is available in various flavors, like passionfruit or cherry. In my professional opinion, it tastes like plastic cellophane wrap or office file folders, but hey, whatever lights your screen — and the testing sure can be fun. From The Wooden Nickel (1441 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa, 813-977-0904).
Alligator meat is the specialty at Parker Island Gator Farms (1775 County Road, Lake Placid, 863-465-3161). The farm sells 5 pounds of frozen and tenderized, machine-cubed meat for $7 per pound, shipped via UPS. "It's good tasting and very nutritious," explained farm employee Genie Tillman. "… Once you get past the fact that it comes from an ugly old gator."
If your beloved is too busy or not inclined to cook, he or she needn't go hungry: Give a gift certificate from The Ravioli Company (2202 W. Platt St., Tampa, 813-254-2051).
There you'll find expert, handmade pasta in every imaginable shape and flavor, along with fresh sauces, breads and salads, all available for takeout. We don't know how owners Lauren and Dwight Otis manage to produce such primo fare at such reasonable prices — but who's griping? My fave: a platter of pan-roasted chicken breast, stuffed with prosciutto, basil, Asiago and grilled onion, served atop cracked black pepper fettucine, tossed in Dwight's terrific Alfredo sauce. A bargain at $11. Comes with bread and choice of salad or soup.
Those of you with deeper pockets might consider a gift certificate to the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa. The $195 weekday package includes a 50-minute Swedish massage, 50-minute European facial, manicure and lunch at the resort's gourmet cafe, with a menu leaning toward light and healthy fare. The resort is at 105 N. Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor, 727-726-1161, fax 727-724-7703, or www.safetyharborspa.com.
Many restaurants also offer gift certificates; they're a thoughtful gesture for elderly relatives or young parents, who might be too ill or too tired to cook for themselves. Or, if your friends or family members like a particular restaurant, stop there and get a gift certificate, so they can eat at their favorite establishment — while thinking of you.
A timely gift this year would be an excellent new book about the late Bern Laxer and his namesake, Bern's Steak House. Written by local author and former Weekly Planet food critic Joyce LaFray, it details the long journey from Bern's first modest cafe to his internationally acclaimed restaurant of today. The book, titled Bern's Steak House, Reflections & Recipes from a Remarkable Restaurant, is layered with family photos and anecdotes that make it a must-read. $29.95, Seaside Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 14441, St. Petersburg, 33733, 727-321-8840, 1-888-352-2665 or www.famousflorida.com.
Unusual, even weird, gifts are plentiful online, and it's entertaining to cruise around the Internet from your desk rather than fighting crowds at the mall. Why not send an exotic mushroom basket, two pounds of baby blue oyster, clamshell, trumpet royale, premium shiitake, pom pom blanc and cinnamon cap varieties, all done up festively in a handwoven basket? It's only $65 from www.earthy.com of DeWitt, Mich., 1-800-367-4709, fax 517-668-2402.
Or give your favorite sushi fanatic his or her very own sushi-making kit, complete with everything you need to make authentic rolled sushi at home: short-grain rice, sushi vinegar, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, nori, pickled ginger, wasabi, a bamboo rolling mat and rice paddle, plus a detailed recipe book. $39.99 at www. ethnicgrocer.com., of Elk Grove Village, Il., 847-640-9570, fax 847-640-9571.
Since my mom is a perpetual dieter (one who orders salad for lunch, and then finishes with a gooey dessert, go figure), I send her the most fabulous, juicy fruit in the world from a firm called Harry and David, of Medford, Ore.
She gets the "light size" Fruit of the Month Club selection. In December, the company delivers a 2-pound, 8-oz. box of Royal Rivera pears; in January, a 2-pound box of Empire apples; and in February, a 3-pound box of Royal Naval oranges. It costs $54.95, and if you order before Dec. 17, it arrives standard delivery before Christmas.
Call 1-800-547-3033 or visit www. harryanddavid.com.
Kitchen gadgets always make popular gifts. Why not a Looney Tunes cotton candy maker? Turn an ordinary party into a celebration with mounds of fluffy cotton candy. It comes with 12 paper cones and can create pink or blue cotton candy. $69.96, The Swiss Colony, Monroe, Wis., 1-608-324-6000 or www.SwissColony.com.
You can check out the "world's best" oven mitt, produced by the BurnGuard Company, which protects your busy hands from heat, vapor, and even fire, an occupational hazard even the most vigilant cook faces occasionally. These terrific oven mitts can take the heat. They cost $20 for the short length and $25 for the longer version, at A Place for Cooks (1447 S. Fort Harrison Ave. S., Clearwater, 727-446-5506 or 1-800-446-5506).
Finally, baked gifts are always welcome during the holidays, so if you're handy in the kitchen, you could give plates of cookies or loaves of quick bread, fragrant jars of jelly or jam, or even something pleasantly simple, like avocados from your backyard tree or homegrown oranges and grapefruit. If you don't happen to cultivate anything at home, or if you're on a tight budget, go to a farmer's market or open-air fruit stand, purchase a bushel of perfect fruit, and divide it into a dozen gift packages of a half-dozen pieces each, then box and wrap artfully.
Folks will appreciate your creativity and thoughtfulness. And what better way to celebrate the holidays, amid the twinkling lights and greenery, than partaking with others the season's luscious delights?
Contact food critic Sara Kennedy at sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or call 813-248-8888, ext. 116.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2002.