Will you eat a gifted plate of cookies?

[SamanthaCarter]

My girls were eager to assemble cookie plates for all of the neighbors on our (short) street today. While we were baking and assembling, I couldn’t help but wonder how much would end up in the trash. Based on the potluck thread. I didn’t say anything to the girls, but would you eat a dozen assorted homemade cookies from neighbors? Is this not appreciated or worth our time? 

[Annie G]

Too hard to tell- I’d try a few, and dh and ds would eat them.  If the people being gifted are known to bake their own cookies, maybe they won’t enjoy them as much as an older couple who can’t make homemade cookies. Then again some people are dieting, or have allergies, or are germaphobes.

Having said all that, we made cookie trays to give away every year for about 15-20 years. I’m sure a lot went uneaten but it’s the thought that counts. And it was something my kids actually had to DO - not just buy a gift and wrap it.  I think it was worth the effort/expense. 

[regentrude]

I would and I have. But I would prefer the cookies to be in a bag or tin, not on an open platter.

If there are kinds I don't like, I share.

Edited December 13, 2019 by regentrude

[Acorn]

Absolutely!

[73349]

Wheat products have to go directly into the compost, sorry.

We'd rather have a little card or paper snowflake or the like if a neighbor wanted to give something, and recycle it guilt-free at the end of winter. I don't like to waste food.

Edited December 13, 2019 by whitehawk

[wintermom]

As long as you didn't include any "weird" cookies, such as savoury flavours, then my dc would LOVE them. I wouldn't due to allergies, and dh is a picky eater (just bring him Oreo cookies and he'd love it). It's a very thoughtful gesture, and I would support it 100% if my dc wanted to do this.

My street has a lot of Asia people on it, and I don't know if they would all enjoy traditional Christmas cookies. The children' on the street probably would. 

Do you know your neighbours?

[Kassia]

We would only eat them if we knew you well.  We had some sweet neighbor girls drop off cookies recently and we didn't eat the cookies but DH saw that one had a piece of plastic in it! 

ETA  

It would also depend on the cookies themselves. I have a dear friend who brings over a plate of cookies most years but we don't like the ones she makes and almost always end up throwing them away.  I feel terrible about it. 

My son's girlfriend, on the other hand, always makes stuff we love and we devour everything.  So it really depends on how well we know the person giving and what is being given. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Kassia

[SamanthaCarter]

1 minute ago, regentrude said:

I would and I have. But I would prefer the cookies to be gifted in a bag or tin, not on an open platter

Of course. They were packed in treat bags by type, and arranged on a plate. I don’t like to put cookies of different flavors and moisture levels in the same package. I have some bakery experience, which I’m trying to pass on to the kids. 

Annie G - thanks for the reminder that it’s worth it for the girls to put effort into blessing their neighbors. It really shouldn’t matter whether food ends up tossed or not, but my frugal side loses sight of that. 

[Robin M]

Yes! We have a customer who brings us a couple plates of homemade cookies and rum balls every Christmas season. So Good!!!!

[Katy]

DH usally takes those sorts of things to work because the kids and I have too many food allergies.  But we always appreciate being thought of.

[DesertBlossom]

It depends on much I trust that your kitchen is clean and whether or not you have a good grasp on hygiene and cleanliness. 😄 For most people I know, that's a yes.

I have been thinking about making small pumpkin loaves for neighbors so here's to hoping those get eaten too....

[Alicia64]

Our house sure would, no question!

But here's the thing: you're doing something wonderful w/ the kids and I would look at it like that.

But they'd be gone in an evening at our house.

Alley

[Annie G]

10 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

It really shouldn’t matter whether food ends up tossed or not, but my frugal side loses sight of that. 

Totally understandable. It feels so wasteful to make something not knowing if it’ll be used. (I feel that way about most blind gift exchanges)

We’re new here and near Halloween the next door neighbor kids brought us decorated cookies. They were so, so proud of their cookies and so happy to have something to give us.  It was worth it for their mom to do that- even though we tossed most of them. 
 

I’d MUCH rather have a consumable gift than an ornament or something, because then I’d worry the kids would notice if it wasn’t displayed.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Before we had the celiac diagnosis definitely. 

[marbel]

Yes, we would and we have happily eaten homemade cookies given us by neighbors. Including neighbors whose homes we have never been in.

I should say that we have no food allergies or restrictions so that makes a difference.

You sound very thoughtful in the way you are putting things together. Of course there may be some people who can't eat them! 

 

Quote

Perhaps a treat and a non treat option?  Like at Halloween, lots of houses have a bowl of candy and a bowl of non candy stuff to account for things like allergies and kids not allowed to have candy and so on.

Maybe, bake the cookies, but also maybe have the kids put together a cute little ornament with beads or bows or craft sticks or something, and then give people the option?

I get the thought behind this, but I think it could be really awkward. A person/kids coming to my door to offer me cookies, great, even if they are going to be tossed out. The same people coming by and offering a choice between and food and non-food gift seems odd. It's not Halloween. And, I think ornaments can be even more problematic than food, with people celebrating different things, or the same things in different ways, or not at all. People eat cookies anytime.

This quote is messed up and I can't fix it! The italicized is the quote, the bit below it is me. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by marbel

[Arcadia]

It’s definitely appreciated and Asians do eat cookies as well 🙂 Whatever we can’t eat would just be brought by my husband to his department’s office pantry and the “famished” engineers would finish them hyper fast. 

[Junie]

I have food allergies, but I would let the kids eat them if we knew who the neighbors were.  I mean, I don't know the names of all of my neighbors, but if it's someone I recognize, like, "Oh, that's the family that lives in the blue house," or "We see them walking their dogs every weekend." -- that kind of neighbor I would most likely accept cookies from.

[sweet2ndchance]

24 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

It really shouldn’t matter whether food ends up tossed or not, but my frugal side loses sight of that. 

I'm frugal to a fault sometimes but I don't see this as money spent on the neighbors. It was money spent on my children who chose to give their efforts to someone else out of kindness. I provided my children with the money to do a fun project that they enjoyed, what they decide do with the finished project is irrelevant to what I spent. If it makes them feel good to be kind to someone else with the finished product, it was still money well spent in my book. Even if giving the cookies to the neighbors was the plan from the beginning.

Now if this project was my idea and I was having to nag them to get it done the same way I have to nag them to clean their rooms, that is when my frugality streak would set in and wonder why I wasted money on a project they obviously were not interested in or enjoying.

As to whether we would eat it if we were on the receiving end, I have to be careful due to food allergies and my experiences with people having a flippant attitude about cross-contamination but dh and ds love treats no matter who made them. Dh's grandmother, who is also our landlord and next door neighbor, is a rural letter carrier. She gets all kinds of treats and gifts this time of year from her customers on her route. She accepts them all graciously, but sometimes she doesn't like it or can't eat it herself. She gives those items to dh and ds. It all gets eaten one way or another. She gave us some homemade chocolate covered pretzels the other day that someone on her route gave her. She said it bothers her dentures to eat hard pretzels so she gave them to us. I have no earthly idea who made them but dh and ds enjoyed them lol.

[itsheresomewhere]

We would eat it if we knew you.  

[mommyoffive]

21 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

We would eat it if we knew you.  

 

same

[matrips]

If we knew the neighbor, then definitely!  Yum!

[Acadie]

What a lovely gesture! Yes, we'd appreciate it and devour homemade cookies. When we get a lot of store-bought processed food (Halloween candy, etc) it goes to work with dh and others enjoy it.

Amy

[Kalypso]

No food allergies in our household, so they would definitely get eaten here.

[MercyA]

Heck, yes! 😉And I'd be absolutely delighted to receive them. 

That said, my DD and I couldn't have any with food dyes in them. But I'm guessing my DH would happily eat those. 

You and your kids are super sweet.

[gardenmom5]

generally they will be eaten (or at least tasted).  I've received some that were scary looking that I dont' think anyone was brave enough to try, and we've had some that didn't get past a first bite - but we've also had some that we really enjoyed.

[Loowit]

One of my fondest memories of a neighbor growing up was her making cookies and bringing them to us each Christmas.  She was from Germany and made a lot of traditional German cookies.

If it were to happen with our neighbors now, I would see it as very considerate and thoughtful, but probably would send them with DH to work.  Youngest has a number of food allergies, so having them around is not a good idea.

I send homebaked goodies to work a few times a year, and they are always appreciated.  DH has a co-worker who has recently been diagnosed with a peanut allergy, so I am happy to be able to make things that she can have.

[Shoeless]

We would eat them!  Om nom nom!

I would rather not have someone give me an ornament or other holiday decorative doo-dads. I know, I know, it's a nice gesture, but this year I looked at my tree and realized over half the ornaments on it were picked out by people that do not live in this house.  They are also from people we don't know well, so there's none of that "Oh, this reminds me of my beloved Great Aunt Tillie!".  More like "I think this came from that neighbor that lived in the apartment across from us.  You know, the one that played really loud techno music on Sundays? Yeah, that guy".  (Yes, I had that neighbor). 

[maize]

We always eat any baked goods we are gifted with.

We also eat potluck food.

I figure we pick up more germs from breathing air that someone coughed or sneezed into than from anything else, but I breathe air anyway and don't wear a mask everywhere.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I would very much appreciate the thought, and if they are good, I would eat them.  I'm trying to get better on only eating junk food I REALLY enjoy, rather than just because it's there.  3/4ths of my kids would eat them, but not my gluten boy or my DH who has a ton of nut allergies and has to avoid most baked goods.  

It sounds like a lovely project and I think you are right to encourage your girls and make this possible for them!  

[DawnM]

I would, and do!

I have a friend who used to make a box for all her friends.  

However, there are some kinds I don't particularly care for and pass on those as I don't feel they are worth the "price" of the calories and fat.  But if they have chocolate, or rum......YES!

[Pawz4me]

They would get eaten here. DH loves his sweets, and if the boys young men were home--well, they still eat like teenagers. So 'nuff said.

[mom@shiloh]

Yes!  You may bring them to me. 🙂

[teachermom2834]

My family is a bit picky because I am a good baker (in our opinions) so they might not be eaten if they aren't super yummy and fresh.

I try not to eat sweets because my weight is such a battle. However, the kindness is never lost on me and I would not think it a waste at all. But I do know people who get kind of upset to be gifted things they can't eat. So for that reason I have cut back on my sweets giving. It is hard because I always did love to gift cookies or cinnamon rolls. Now it is just to the people I know will enjoy them. 

[regentrude]

11 hours ago, Annie G said:

I’d MUCH rather have a consumable gift than an ornament or something, because then I’d worry the kids would notice if it wasn’t displayed.

THIS! Please, no ornaments or other kid crafts. Those are already clutter if my own kids made them.

Edited December 13, 2019 by regentrude

[SquirrellyMama]

Yes! I love cookies that I don't have to make.

[SquirrellyMama]

21 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

Completely serious question - are you diagnosed with anxiety or OCD?  I haven’t seen this level of food control outside of the allergy and eating disorder populations (I’m in the latter group) without something like that at play, and am curious as to whether you’d consider yourself or be considered someone who doesn’t otherwise struggle in this area.  Zero offense intended!

I'm not the poster you were addressing but like her I won't eat home canned food from most people. I have no trouble with regular food, potlucks, cookies, etc..  But, home canned food makes me nervous. 

Kelly

[SquirrellyMama]

7 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

See and I’ve eaten tons of canned food from jams to salmon to chicken soup from dozens of friends with zero issue.  Botulism is fairly rare even in home canning.  The only food poisoning I have EVER had was from a prebagged, refrigerated broccoli salad we bought at Costco and prepared ourselves.  If food safety was my biggest concern I’d probably only eat saltines and chocolate 😂. 
 

That was part of my question, the complete avoidance of multiple categories of food prepared under certain conditions or by others is not common, but it is more so in groups with either medical or psychological reasons for their avoidance.  But maybe there is this giant secret segment of the population who won’t eat anything they didn’t prepare, themselves, and they just are polite about it, so I figured I’d ask since I was curious 🙂

I do eat home canned jam. 

I didn't grow up eating it, nor did I know anyone as a kid who canned. I know a few now, but not many.

I remember living in a house when I was between 4 and 6 years old with a scary basement that had jars of vegetables. No idea how long they had been there. I was always told not to eat them or they'd make me sick. Not sure why they weren't thrown away. They weren't ours. I'm sure that is a big reason for my hesitancy.

ETA: I also eat home canned peppers and salsa. I guess I eat more than I think 🙂

Edited December 13, 2019 by SquirrellyMama

[Janeway]

I do. But if I did not know you, I would not. 

[SquirrellyMama]

Just now, Arctic Mama said:

The haunted veggies cans of deathy death!

My parents were very dramatic about some things. They also told us that if we touched the mushrooms growing in our yard we'd die. My brother came to tell them goodbye one day because he had rescued my shoe from one. 

I will not touch mushrooms that people have gone out and picked themselves. I don't care how many years they have been mushroom hunting.

[ScoutTN]

12 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

We would eat it if we knew you.  

This. 

[maize]

26 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

Oh gosh my oldest loves eating foraged food and keeps trying to get us to eat the things she forages.  Now THAT is a hard pass from me on most things, I just don’t trust a 12 year old’s field guide mojo 😂

I do trust some of my adult friends on that, but they’ve managed to do it and not kill themselves for years so they have a track record.  With the middle schooler, on the other hand, I know exactly how much deodorant and tooth brushing she forgets and that’s that!  Nope. Hard pass on the fastidiousness and thoroughness of her field food skills.

 

I ate a berry from a tree last year that I was almost certain seemed familiar but wasn't able to positively identify until we got home. My kids thought I was setting a terrible example (it was a serviceberry, perfectly safe. And it was familiar because I have serviceberries in my yard, I just hadn't seen the tree varieties before; ours are shrubs).

There aren't really many good tasting poisonous tree berries that will kill you if you ingest just one though. I can't guarantee that they don't exist anywhere in the world, but really there aren't any locally.

Mushrooms now are infamous for being difficult to distinguish poisonous from not poisonous, I do not forage mushrooms.

[catz]

They would likely be eaten at our house by someone!  Our neighbors often gift us something at the holidays and usually at least a good portion is consumed.  It depends what else is around the house.  I have a feeling this is going to be a light baking year for us so anything homemade that came in would be extra appreciated this year!  

We would definitely appreciate being thought of through the holidays!

[Carol in Cal.]

Sure we would.  Variety is really nice.

When I give things to the neighbors, it’s usually fruit off of one of my trees.

But some years I make a bunch of shortbreads, and wrap each one in plastic wrap on a Chinette plate, tie with the red ribbon, and bring it to a neighbor.  That is easier that a plethora of cookies, and always good.  I have a stoneware shortbread mold, the design of which makes it easy to break the shortbread into wedges.  Plus it looks pretty.

[plansrme]

Absolutely.  And even if it were a flavor no one in my family enjoyed, I would be so delighted by having neighbor children make and deliver them that I would eat them anyway!

When we first moved into our house 19 years ago, our next-door neighbors, whom we had not yet met, brought us a pumpkin roll.  I do not like pumpkin roll particularly, but I have always, always thought kindly of her ever since.  And yes, we ate the pumpkin roll.  It was such a sweet gesture.  

[Hadley]

Yes, I would eat the cookies.  All of the cookies.  I also highly encourage all of you who wouldn’t eat them to bring them to me!

I do get that there are real reasons some people have to avoid this, though.  My son has an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts...

Edited December 13, 2019 by Hadley

[Spryte]

The cookies would be eaten at our house!  Cookies are awesome!
 

Two of our kids both have a mix of anaphylactic allergies, and I’m GF, so while we would drool at the cookies enviously, DH and eldest son would eat them, and guests, too!  Oh, and my mom, who is temporarily living with us.  But to be fair, if you had neighbors with those types of allergies you’d already know so this would not be an issue.

 

Team cookie here.  Go, cookies!

[Rachel]

Yes I would and I have. Our neighbor girls brought over a tin the other day. I think it’s a low stress way to meet the neighbors if you don’t know them and it’s a nice project to do with your kids. 

[Carol in Cal.]

9 minutes ago, Plum said:

I will have to find a mold like that. This was my first year making shortbreads and I really liked them. I made an orange cranberry pistachio cookie drizzled in white chocolate and a pecan toffee shortbread that reminds me of sandies. They all turn out so pretty and keep for much longer than most cookies. 
 

Yes we’d eat cookies that were given to us and egg rolls and lumpia and smoked meat. We’ve devoured all of those. 😁

You might check the King Arthur site—they have several designs that are similar to mine.  I think mine was from Brown Bag Cookie Company, and they are out of business.

[Scarlett]

I would, unless I knew for sure the preparer was unsanitary.  Or unless they were dirty looking.  I know even that is not 100%, but I try to not go through life freaking out about who prepares my food.  Otherwise I would never eat out.  I have worked in restaurants.  

[SamanthaCarter]

Thanks for the input you all! Merry Christmas!