Graduation Gift Ideas?

[Tito]

Hello gents,

My little brother is graduating from college this summer and I need to get him a gift of some sort. I would like to give him something to mark the special occasion that he can admire for a long time. The obvious gift of nice shaving supplies is out. He and his SWMBO both like his fuzzy bearded face.

I am open to suggestions... what great gifts have you received or given that would be great for a young man that is bound to join the working world.

Here's some helpful hints:
Econ major, 3.9 gpa off to grad school.
Foodie
Wine Nut
Southern gentleman
Surfer

Thanks guys...

 

[Jim]

How about a case of good young wine and the offer to store it while he is still in school? help him get his celler started/ or a great chefs knife or two.

 

[MJB]

At the risk of prying. What are you looking to spend?

MJB

 

[rossination]

What about a really nice bag for grad school? In the >$100 range, the Timbuk2 bags are fantastic (they come in all shapes and sizes), and he'd be sure to use it in school or just to carry things around (I have two, plus a laptop carrier). If you're looking to spend more than $100, you could always get him a nice leather satchel.

I'm a bit of a bag nut, to be honest.

 

[moses]

Is serious about cooking, or just eating?

If cooking, there is no beating good cooking knives, especially if he is not already well supplied in the area.

Maybe even, depending on your price range, combine some good knives with a really nice maple or bamboo cutting board.....

 

[AJS]

If he's a keen surfer then get him one of these
On the subject of good cooking knives you can't beat Maestro Levi (who also makes breathtakingly beautiful straights) more info can be found at www.straightrazordesigns.com

 

[mrob]

Depending on budget issues. . .

a good chef's knife as mentioned above

a subscription to Gourmet or Food & Wine

a gift certificate to Penzey's Spices

a care package with all of the above

 

[Tito]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm thinking the $250-$300 range.

 

[inkling]

I'm a weekend foodie as well and my first thought was an excellent Chef's Knife. The problem is, if he knows his way around the kitchen he either already has a knife or has his mind set on one particular knife (it's a very personal thing). I would check with his SWMBO on that one.

Also, you could get him a nice Le Creuset glazed/iron casserole pot or a great piece/set of All-Clad cookware.

 

[guenron]

Hello gents,

My little brother is graduating from college this summer and I need to get him a gift of some sort. I would like to give him something to mark the special occasion that he can admire for a long time. The obvious gift of nice shaving supplies is out. He and his SWMBO both like his fuzzy bearded face.

I am open to suggestions... what great gifts have you received or given that would be great for a young man that is bound to join the working world.

Here's some helpful hints:
Econ major, 3.9 gpa off to grad school.
Foodie
Wine Nut
Southern gentleman
Surfer

Thanks guys...

Ah! An ECON major.. Get him a bound volume of NM(ichael)MB's posts.

 

[ouch]

There's a vast difference (vas deferens?) between what one wants and one needs. A young foodie would certainly want a great dinner, or a case of good wine. I think he would be better served by receiving items of lasting value. That case of wine would soon become a fading memory, but a set of good knives or pots would provide decades of service.

You can impress people without spending a lot of money if you appear to have put a lot of thought into the gift. A few black steel pans cost hardly anything and would be appreciated by a true connoisseur. A much safer (and better looking) bet would be some Le Creuset pots, as mentioned earlier.

Still, if you were to canvass professional chefs, they would likely tell you that their most important tool is a knife. Don't buy him a set of Henckel's junk from Macy's. Get him a great chef's knife (preferably a gyuto) or small number of good, useful knives (chef, paring/utility, boning, slicing), and you'll be remembered for many years to come, each of the thousands of time he will use them.

 

[Tito]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. He's pretty much set in all those areas. Maybe describing him as a foodie was not correct. He worked in kitchens for 4-5 years before he went to college (Relais & Chateaux). He has explained to me that it is bad luck to give knives as gifts. Something about tradition... He has the All-Clad. And he subcribes to Art Culinaire... He got the Timbuk2 bag to go to school. So as you can see my options are not spectacular.

I was thinking more along the lines of work ready items. Books, pens, watches, shirts, ties.... Gentlemen stuff.

 

[guenron]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. He's pretty much set in all those areas. Maybe describing him as a foodie was not correct. He worked in kitchens for 4-5 years before he went to college (Relais & Chateaux). He has explained to me that it is bad luck to give knives as gifts. Something about tradition... He has the All-Clad. And he subcribes to Art Culinaire... He got the Timbuk2 bag to go to school. So as you can see my options are not spectacular.

I was thinking more along the lines of work ready items. Books, pens, watches, shirts, ties.... Gentlemen stuff.

Charles Tyrwhitt has a (n up to) 70% off sale going on. Splendid shirts, etc.

 

[moses]

Hmmm.... A nice watch might be very well appreciated, actually. That is a very personal thing, though, so only do it if you have a pretty good handle on his tastes. The real advantage of this though, is that it will last a lifetime (unless he loses it). Those other things like wine don't, as ouch pointed out. Even shirts and ties don't really, and they just get soaked into the wardrobe anyway, so....

Btw, I have heard that about knives, too, but whatever.... An old chinese woman told me it is ok if you wrap the blade in money.

Also, sounds like he is well set on knives and pans. But if you went that way, I certainly wouldn't go all-clad. I just don't feel it is worth the absolutely insane prices. Le Crueset is great, but also very overpriced. The difference, though, is that there aren't a million other options about as good for half the price.

 

[Jim]

The Irish and Italians both have issues with giving knives as gifts.

I have been told that if you gift a knife to Italians the recipient must give back a coin or the friendship will be cut.

My Irish grandmother told me that knives symbolized hunger in folklore so you would give bread also with the gift of a knife.

She also told me never move an old broom to a new house.

 

[Tito]

The Irish and Italians both have issues with giving knives as gifts.

I have been told that if you gift a knife to Italians the recipient must give back a coin or the friendship will be cut.

My Irish grandmother told me that knives symbolized hunger in folklore so you would give bread also with the gift of a knife.

She also told me never move an old broom to a new house.

Jim,

Irish & Italian is our mutt mix here and I have heard all that. Chef's feel that the gift of a knife if bad luck in all of those reasons and more apparently.

 

[moses]

Bad luck or not.... If someone gave me a fantastic chef's knife, I would manage to get over my concerns about the luck somehow....

 

[Ashe]

Give him a 3 to 6 month subscription for a gym if he doesn't have it yet. It's never too late to work on your condition and certainly when you're still young.

 

[Dennis]

A nice fountain pen perhaps?
A good watch?
I would like to receive a nice chef's knife (currently use a Shun)...
Ouch has got me hooked on nice flashlights (damn you...)

Might need more information for further suggestions...

Dennis

 

[moses]

Nice FLASHLIGHTS? interesting....

What ever happened to the trusty Maglight?