Gifts for the person who has everything?

Many of you may be wondering what to get the person who has everything and needs almost nothing this time of year.

Ever thought about the person in the opposite situation?

the Honor e-Card we sent her after completing the transactionMy mom asked for a donation made to Heifer International in her name this year, instead of acquiring more stuff (and those of you who know my parents know that they already have nice stuff and no shortage of it). I thought that was an excellent idea, so this year, instead of opera tickets or stuff for their various residences or gift certificates of any kind, we got her a llama. She won’t have to feed it, groom it or clean up after it, but someone else surely will be glad to.

I personally would much rather see something like this addressed to our department at work rather than the usual annual competition to see who can get the most (meaningless, yet ubiquitous) Christmas cards from our suppliers.

Here’s a blurb about the organization lifted directly from that e-Card that went out to my mom:

Heifer International is a nonprofit that alleviates hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation through gifts of food and income producing farm animals and training. These animals provide a source of protein, such as eggs and milk, for children and generate income for families through the sale of animal products. Since 1944 Heifer has helped over 4 million families in 125 countries become self-reliant. Each family “passes on the gift” by giving one or more of its animal’s offspring to another family in need.

I really like the renewability built in at multiple levels — recipients get a gift that keeps on giving to them and others and in turn. You don’t have to spend much at all. You can provide a family with a flock of geese for $20, or pool your resources with other donors by contributing toward the cost of a larger purchase like a heifer (hence the name), a goat, or a water buffalo. This feels good.

San Daniele

The Joint

Prüfeninger Schloß Str. 2
93051 Regensburg
Germany
phone: +49 941 / 30 75 999 fax: +49 941 / 30 75 997

http://www.sandaniele.de

Cliff

We’d gotten food (carry-out) from here once before, since good friends of ours live in this part of town. I was surprised at the quality of the food in comparison to the prices — it was a good ratio. I had the carbonara (same as when I’d had carry-out, back in the day) because I just can’t turn it out. I like to say it’s for consistent evaluation, but I’d be full of it. And I really was yesterday, because I didn’t realize that the Insalata Piccante I ordered was big enough to be a meal in and of itself. Oh yes. This was a nice evening…with the possible exception of the sommelier, who seemed like he had an attitude problem. Everything else was great.San Daniele

Sarah

Fabulous! Thanks for the rec, Matthias! In a town overcrowded with Italian restaurants, this place is a stand-out. I had the Mushroom Risotto and a glass of Lambrusco. It was wonderful – high praise, because risotto dishes are easy to mess up if the cook isn’t paying attention. After the meal, on Matthias suggestions, Cliff and I shared an order of profiteroles (chocolatey cream puffs). Again, Matthias knows best. YUM!

Part of the reason I think San Daniele can offer such great food at reasonable prices is that they are located a little ways outside of the Altstadt – about a 7 minute drive from our apartment. Therefore, they don’t have to pay the high rent for location. I don’t mind the trip to eat like this.