Slippers, socks, headphones—they’re all fine. Gifts you can eat, tho… that's the level of bestowed enjoyment that we're aiming for when we pick the best gifts for our loved ones. Keeping someone's feet warm is nice, but filling their belly with truffles or chocolate or cheese? Jumpin' Jehoshaphat. That's the good stuff. The best food gifts feel special and decadent, but also cater to the preferences of your friend, family member, or lover; perhaps they're looking for an adaptogenic latte to start their morning with Gwynethian serenity, maybe they're fiending for gabagool, or maybe they're the type whose favorite contact sport is gorging on Pocky sticks at midnight. Maybe they can eat infinity olives, or perhaps you're sending them seasoning blends to escort them on their journey to becoming a less toxic version of Gordon Ramsey. The truth is that we all eat, and helping each other do it better with thoughtful, edible gifts is one of the greatest forms of charity.
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So introduce your giftee to pistachio cream and pickle-stuffed olives, or spice up their life with flavors from around the world. Buy a giant basket and lovingly fill it with the pie formerly known as Crack Pie, ready-when-you-are soup dumplings, Japanese chips, and bittersweet spritzers; then give it to the greatest food lover in your life. If you want to go a little beyond, you cannot miss by coupling your gifts with some of the best cookbooks of 2022, a grip of dope cooking supplies, and maybe even some killer coffee gear. Here are the best edible and drinkable gifts for anyone and everyone in 2022. Don’t know about your friend group, but our squad lives for a juicy, savory dumpling—which is why we were infinitely hyped when two of our favorite Chinese food purveyors, Fly by Jing and Xiao Chi Jie, released frozen, direct-delivery dumplings. VICE editor Ian Burke tried Fly by Jing's dumplings and found them to be "wonderful," "mouthwatering," and "restaurant-quality.”Meanwhile, VICE’s Hilary Pollack made XCJ's soup dumplings and says they're mind-blowing and hella easy to prepare. She also rides hard for the Ginger & Scallion Umami sauce, which she calls "umami heaven." XCJ's "Full Dumpling Experience" includes everything you need for a whole dumpling party, including 50 soup dumplings, a noodle variety pack, sauce trio, and a bamboo steamer to achieve perfectly steamed xiao long bao—but you can also grab items à la carte.
For true dumpling fiends
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Nutella: tired. Pistachio cream: wired.
For snack weebs
The ultimate pasta experience
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For the ones who order their martinis "super, super dirty"
An actually delicious N/A “wine”
The pie that started a revolution
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For the future wine mom (or dad)
For the hardcore ice cream head
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No bland chicken here
Because Y2K is back, baby
For the yoga 'n' meditation types
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Your favorite spicy chip lover’s new favorite spicy chip
For the home cook who's getting pretty good, actually
For the person who's cut back on drinking, but still enjoys sippin'
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Cheeses of the world, unite and take over
For the teetotaler
For the vegan with great taste
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For the super-busy gourmand
For big Dave Chang fans
GOATed banana pudding
Nosh on, hungry hungry hippos. In the words of Jimmy Durante, make someone happy.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story.