holiday gifts: 17 posts

Holiday Shopping : Gifts for All Senses, Perfume and More Part 1

More Books

In the previous installment, I focused on perfume and scent themed books, while today I would like to offer a few suggestions on flavors. A book like The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg might be equally fascinating for cooks and fragrance lovers. It outlines different combinations of flavors, pointing out what foods go well together. Another great book from the same team is What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water – Based on Expert Advice from America’s Best Sommeliers. The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook by Niki Segnit is similar in premise to The Flavor Bible, but it goes further by classifying different flavors and explaining why some combinations work.

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Holiday Shopping : Gifts for All Senses, Perfume and More Part 2

My very first perfume gift was an abject failure. I must have been 10 at the time, and in anticipation of my great grandfather’s birthday I walked into the cosmetics shop and asked for a bottle of their best perfume. Considering that the sales associate had only one type of fragrance on the shelf, it was not a difficult choice for her. It was a glass bottle filled with green liquid labeled “Shipr” (Chypre in Russian.) My great grandfather graciously accepted my gift, but my great grandmother said that this is the type of perfume that alcoholics drink when they do not have enough money for vodka. Needless to say, my great grandfather never wore it and I developed an apprehension about chypres which only my perfumery training erased completely.

These days I am still careful about giving perfume as gifts, but I love the idea of a present that can stimulate the senses. Holiday presents give me an opportunity to indulge in shopping, but they also inspire me to create my own gifts, which are appreciated by my friends and family.

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