True facts, one time I deleted someone from my twitter feed because she said she didn’t like food. It’s not like I think she’s a bad person, but, really, what more could she have to say that would be of value to me?! Food plays a very important role in how I connect with people. I love cooking for and with people, talking about food, and, oh, of course eating. If these aren’t a few of your favorite things… Well, I don’t know your life.
This past Spring, I was totally stoked to find out a food swap was beginning in my town– And, a little pukey because even just thinking about new social interactions makes me nervous. Mostly stoked, though.
The basics of a food swap are these:
- Make foodstuffs
- Bring foodstuffs to swap
- Trade with other swappers 1-for-1
- Go home with your new yum-yums (and maybe some new friends… AWWWWW)
It has only been a few months, but I am definitely head over heels for my local food swap. Every month I get to step away from my family and go to an event that feels like it is just for me. We meet at a yarn store; everyone sets up their swap goods while gabbing with new old friends; and, there is a real sense of warmth and camaraderie in the air because we are there for mutual, obsessive love of food– Okay, sometimes the warmth is a broken A/C unit in the middle of July, but usually it is camaraderie.
The swap I go to is a monthly event, and, no, it isn’t exclusively vegan. But, it is a lot more vegan-friendly than you might think. My vegan baked goods have always been well received, but probably the most popular items I ever brought were ginger syrup and candied ginger. Homemade condiments are very often vegan, and they get a ton of love. There are a number of people who bring intentionally vegan fare, but there are also plenty of popular items that are accidentally vegan (jams, salsas, and extracts to name but a few). Alls I’m saying is, if you avoid mixed-diet potlucks like the plague (and I feel you on this one) you may find more middle ground at a swap. Of course, there’s no reason we couldn’t make vegan food swaps the next big vegan trend…
Whaddaya say? Want to find a food swap in your city or mayhaps start swap of your own? Author and Blogger, Kate Payne, has a food swap how-to and a list of swaps in cities nationwide. I especially like the link she includes to a Chow.com article about effective food swapping. It is a great excuse to make some new recipes and meet some new friends!
P.S. Look at these mitts I just finished! They were supposed to be a Christmas gift LAST year, but pregnancy malaise took me over. Only a little belated…
I realize in this picture they look child sized, but I promise you that they are just so big and fuzzy they make my normal, adult hand look shockingly petite.