50.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Something for everyone, prince or pauper
I am so not in the mood for an emerald necklace this year. I thought I’d get that out of the way first. In this post-recession interlude, I’m thinking more along the lines of the best things in life are free or at least quite reasonable.
According to sociologists and anthropologists and every other ologist, it seems our society is drifting in two very different directions, creating a super-privileged class and an underclass; the middle class is losing ground. So, in the spirit of the season, I offer some gift suggestions for both ends of the budget, whether you’re an extravagant big spender or a penny-pinching bargain hunter.
If you’re thinking small, say gifting a pizza, you can send out for a top-of-the-line pie covered in lobster caviar, smoked salmon, venison medallions and edible gold. It will set you back $4,200 but they do throw in paper plates and forks. If, on the other hand, you must watch your pennies, the local guy can deliver an eight-slice beauty with pepperoni for $12. And he’ll still throw in the plates.
Want to cap the meal with some nice, healthy fresh fruit? For $6,100 you can buy the world’s most expensive watermelon, a 17-pound Densuke melon grown in Hakkaido, Japan. (I don’t know how you’d return it if it’s not sweet.) The budget-minded among us can pick up some strawberries, at $10.99 a box, which, come to think of it, are probably the world’s most expensive strawberries.
For the kayaker in your life, how about a transparent polymer kayak for $1,300 that will allow your paddler unlimited vistas of the underwater world? If, however, you yourself are financially underwater, a plastic tube, at $4.49, will also keep you afloat, although not for long.
Thinking about a coffee table book? There’s a handmade photo book on Bhutan selling for $30,000. It measures five feet by seven feet, so you’ll also need a new coffee table. Or, if you’re strapped, you can get an “almost new” photo guide to New York City for 75 cents plus $3.99 shipping.
