Food delivery services make it easier than ever to deliver comfort. In tough times of illness or loss, joyous times of birth, and busy times of family visits, it can be a great relief to have a meal that just shows up ready to eat and tailored to your specific diet.
With members scattered, it’s easy to forget that we can provide that sort of comfort to physically distant family and friends. You may think of services like GRUBHUB, DoorDash, and Uber Eats as useful for having a restaurant meal delivered to your doorstep, but they can also be used to send comfort across the city or country.
When I send food to someone who needs a break, there are a few things I keep in mind. First, I don’t want them to have to put in a lot of effort. With that in mind, I ask as few questions as possible.
The way that might work is I call or send a text that says, I want to send you a meal. I’m thinking I’ll DoorDash you a seasonal chopped salad and curry chicken salad summer roll from Goop Kitchen or something else if you prefer. You choose the time.
This usually results in the recipient letting me know what they’d rather have. But since I started the thought process, they only have to edit my ideas rather than come up with something. I usually have a second restaurant and main dish chosen in case the situation calls for it.
The initial conversation is a great time to move to my 2nd concern – making certain I have any allergies or other restrictions (including likes and dislikes) properly noted. Once that’s done, I move on to a third consideration – maximizing the dollars spent.
If you’re paying a delivery fee, it makes sense to buy more, not less. I buy enough for at least two meals and sometimes three. Using the list of restrictions as a guide, I add items to whatever the recipient has chosen.
If they choose a salad and soup, I’ll add a sandwich or quinoa bowl. If they want a BBQ brisket plate, but mentioned they can’t decide between that and a stuffed potato, I’ll order both.
I also review the kids’ menu. The options are often only slightly smaller than an adult version, but the price can be significantly cheaper.
When buying for a whole family, I look at restaurants that offer a family style or catering menu. I also consider boxes of croissants, muffins, sausage rolls, petit fours, or loaves of banana or pumpkin bread – snacks that can easily fill in gaps between meals or be served to visitors who stop by.
Most delivery services have expanded to deliver from pharmacies and convenience stores. In lieu of food, I may send a few household staples – tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, glasses cleaning wipes, disinfecting wipes, disposable razors, travel size shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, or makeup remover wipes. Buying travel size means it’s okay if the brand is not their favorite. It’s something to tide them over if they run out when things seem overwhelming.
Pharmacies also have chips, sodas, flavored water, ice cream, sewing essentials, batteries, magazines, baby wipes, diapers, trash bags, coffee, tea, peanut butter, laundry items, pain reliever, band-aids, and games. If there are children in the house, modeling clay, puzzles, art supplies, and bubbles are great choices.
When a friend with two young children came to town for his dad’s funeral, I put together a basket of art supplies and left it on my porch along with a pack-n-play for them to use. I had all the items on hand. It was a small gesture, but greatly appreciated. And that’s the point.
With the availability of delivery in a majority of towns and cities, it’s never been easier to offer comfort even when you live far away. You may not hit perfectly with every item, but the gesture will let your friend or family know you care and that you’re more invested than just sending a gift card (an option appropriate for many situations).
You can deliver comfort from the tip of your fingers, watch the driver on a map as they approach the recipient’s home, and know that you’ve done something to ease a burden or celebrate a joy. That’s a great feeling and pretty magical when you think about it.
