Vegan snack exchanging

After the success of my previous snack exchange I couldn't help but let out a squeal when I saw talk of a random vegan snack exchange. In fact, I don't think I've ever been more excited for an exchange theme. As the only veg*n in a family of meat eaters, it's very rare that I get vegan goodies unless I make or buy them for myself, or explicitly point out what I want, which does sort of ruin the surprise.

The random part of the exchange was also fun. Random being, you sign up for it and then when sign up closes, all participants are randomly assigned a match. The person could be in a different country and the only caveat on the whole exchange was that anyone was welcome to sign up, but anything sent had to be vegan. As there is no option to communicate directly with your giftee in this case, all participants had to fill out a short questionnaire about allergies, preferences and whether they were happy to accept home made snacks. The exchanges don't really specify a budget but say that most participants usually spend about $20-25 (excluding postage), although you are welcome to spend more as you like.

I watched the statistics and analytics on this exchange quite avidly. Many of the people who signed up were vegan or vegetarian, but others were not although were curious to try. When gifts are received, many people post a picture to a gallery and there were lots of surprised comments about how some foods were unexpectedly vegan (Oreos! Pringles! Hummus! Skittles!). There were also a few disappointed posts about how they could tell their match had tried, but just wanted to point out that a selected snack had beeswax, or milk, or gelatine in, so wasn't considered vegan. I'm sure these were honest mistakes though, as I remember how hard it was to read labels when I started to vet my food in the beginning too.

Anyway, in the spirit of sharing again, here's what I sent my giftee:

• BBQ flavoured broccoli chips
• French onion flavoured chickpeas
• Spinach and wholegrain protein crunch bar
• Sweet carrot rice chips
• Roasted pumpkin seed munch snacks
• Lemon 'jelly' crystals (made from agar)
• Salted caramel mylk chocolate
• Chia seeds

I had a lot of fun picking out what I'd send. My giftee told me their preference was for savoury snacks and things that weren't too commonly found so I think I got it pretty right. I'd also baked a batch of herbed sourdough crackers to include, but somehow Mr Fork and the kids managed to consume them in between baking and the postage deadline, so they didn't make it in.

Here's what I got back. I really think my Santa went above and beyond with my gift. Everything was individually wrapped and carefully packed with bubble wrap (I did not get a picture of this unfortunately as my kids were all.... wrapping! bubble wrap! and deconstructed it all while I was mid blink admiring it all).

There was also a hand written note describing all of the thoughtful inclusions, and even suggestions for using them. I am really looking forward to making those patties...and eating the cacao spread... and, well, everything!

I was also really spoilt with some non-snacky things - a reuseable bag as a little love note to the environment (perfectly handbag sized and great timing with the major supermarkets discontinuing single use plastic bags!) and even some vegan Lush goodies.

I am so, so happy with my exchange. While some of these products I had tried before, some of them are also new to me, and I really appreciate all the thought my gifter put in.

I really love getting mail, and I love seeing the thought that all the participants have been putting into this exchange. I'm keeping a list of all the delicious things that pop up that I need to try! So many ideas and regional favourites I'm learning about! What would be in your package if you sent a food exchange to someone?

I did a snack exchange thing...

Recently I took part in a snack exchange through a site I participate in regularly. Basically, you respond to someone's post asking for an exchange partner, agree on a dollar amount of food that you are willing to trade (excluding postage) and then exchange boxes of local food. Sure, it might be cheaper to buy the exchange items off Amazon or whatever, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun or mystery.

My exchange partner was from Texas, told me that her birthday was coming up and she wanted foreign snacks to enjoy. She had no preferences or dietary restrictions, but liked gummy things, chocolates and hadn't tried anything from Australia so was happy for me to choose a selection (she wasn't enthusiastic about Vegemite or I'd have popped a small pack in too). We agreed on a budget of $15USD for snacks, which worked out to be just under $19AUD. I think I got a pretty good representation of Australian snacks!

I always like seeing both side of an exchange, so here's what I sent:

• French Fries
• Chicos
• Allens Party Mix
• Twisties - both cheese and chicken variety
• TimTam - gelato messina choc mint and cherry coconut varieties
• BBQ shapes
• Pods - snickers variety (because Americans are all about the horrible Tide Pod challenge at the moment and I thought it would be funny to send actual edible ones)
• Chicken salt - surprisingly, this is a uniquely Australian seasoning and even more surprisingly is ninja vegan! Who knew
• Not pictured - half a container of a Favourites selection that I used to fill the gaps - Cadbury mini cherry ripes, moro, boost, dairy milk, crunchie, turkish delight, flake and dream bar

I wrote a note explaining each item, explained the TimTam Slam and why she should try it and told her I'd love to know what was her favourite item once she got through them all (Pods are the winner at the moment but she hasn't tried everything yet).

Here's what I got back in my box. I hadn't provided any dietary restrictions because I figured if I wouldn't eat something, Mr Fork or the smalls would. The only thing I said was that I would prefer not to get any American chocolate (I think it's not very nice) and when asked I said I was happy to have spicy snacks! Every single thing she sent was totally new to me and if I'm honest, I don't even know what half of it is!

Lots of it is spicy and some of it I think are Spanish or Mexican sweets so the ingredients lists aren't in English at all.

   

The bright lollipops on the right are watermelon flavoured and then coated with spicy coating (I think they're amazingly delicious). The colourful chain of lollies underneath are spicy tamarind coated things which are delightfully spicy and sour at the same time.

Interestingly, the twizzlers (root beer and cherry flavoured) are both ninja vegan and SO GOOD! I haven't had a gummy sweet in a long time and these were good (I wasn't sure initially but I quite like the root beer flavour). The Laffy Taffy (watermelon and guava flavour) is also a ninja vegan product and I found it a chewy, fluffy sort of starburst type thing. It was good.

My smalls liked the milky (real milk!) lollypops, and there were also some soft caramels which Mr Fork tells me were amazing (but very milky... he thinks maybe goat milk). Mr Fork also claimed the spicy Fiesta mix and warhead worms as soon as he saw them. 

It was a super fun thing to do - I had fun picking snacks and then the anticipation of trying something surprising and new-to-me was half of the excitement, and then it was like opening a box to get a glimpse of someone else's favourite snack culture.

I'd definitely do it again in the future, and Mr Fork is already putting in requests for exchange locations to keep an eye out for. I certainly have some places in mind I'd like to try snacks from... I've even seen some posts pop up where people are looking for vegan or healthy snack exchange partners too which seems fun.

So I'm interested to know, if you could choose a location to exchange snacks with, where would you pick? And what would you send in an exchange that was representative of your location or your favourites?

Have you heard of Tsum Tsums?

First of all, let me start off this post by saying it isn't sponsored. I'm writing this because I had a bad purchase experience, which actually ended up turning into something extremely lovely.

Let me back up. Last weekend I was shopping for a birthday present for one of Ellie's friends at a store I won't name. There was a promotion at the time on toys where if you bought one thing, you could select another toy for 50% off. I thought, she's been well behaved and they look cute, so I bought her a pack of Tsum Tsum Squishy figurines (Tsum Tsum roughly means 'stackable' in Japanese). She chose Cinderella, and there was a mystery one included that you could only see when you opened the pack. Hooray (for my Frozen obsessed threenager), she'd gotten Anna! Except well, Anna has no eyes.

When I took this picture, I'd bought it a few hours previously, so I hardly think that she could have possibly played with it enough to wear off the eyes already. Cue disappointed threenager, throwing appropriate threenager sized tantrum. As we couldn't see Anna when we chose the pack, I admit to being sad and disappointed myself, and figured head office would like to know that there was a possible faulty batch out there. I also planned to take Anna back to the store and swap her over.

I had a quick google, and (although I didn't purchase it from them), wrote to Tsum Tsum Australia to let them know what happened, and to give them the feedback about product quality.

What happened next is a lovely experience.

I got a reply saying that Tsum Tsum Australia aren't associated with Disney, they are just a passionate parent who decided to import official Tsums themselves after having trouble purchasing them online. They don't stock the Squishys on their site but advised me to take it back to the place of purchase for a refund, and went on to say they wished they had an Anna to offer as compensation for me.

I wrote back saying, thank you for the information, I did intend to take my purchase back and thank you for responding. I also said the offer was lovely and appreciated, but unnecessary, especially given I didn't purchase it from them. I said that I would make an order through them later though as Ellie had by now become Tsum Tsum obsessed and they obviously knew their Tsums.

To cut to the chase. I arrived home on Wednesday to find an envelope in my letter box with a tiny Marie (from the Aristocats) Tsum inside, and a note saying that they hoped this made up for a disappointing prior experience. They had tracked down my address from the contact form submission and sent an official fluffy Tsum Tsum out of the goodness of their heart!

Marie is not plastic like the Squishy, but tiny, fluffy and a very cute stuffed toy. Look at her! She even has a fuzzy tail (you can see some of the fluff in the picture below, as well as on her head).

That is customer service, above and beyond, for someone who wasn't even their customer. It made mine, and most certainly Ellie's day too.

So, if you ever want to expand your Tsum Tsum collection, and you want something that is authentic, from a business who is passionate about quality and service, may I suggest you look to Tsum Tsum Australia, for all your cute, stackable needs!

5 Random Acts of Mummy Kindness

It's been a rough couple of weeks lately, as Jimmy came down with some kind of virus. The kind where he was coughing and hacking, had a runny nose and horrible nappies and was just generally miserable. Because it's a virus, there is nothing to be done except ride it out and offer him comfort. It's been exhausting. He can't sleep well lying down so constantly wants to be held. It's one thing to wear him during the day, but quite another for him to be wanting it at night too.

His illness also coincided with a really busy weekend where we couldn't cancel any plans. Consequently, I'm more than a little tired, and there is only so much that coffee can do, especially when I'm restricted to one (rather large) cup a day in order to keep the breastmilk supply up.

I have always known that people can be really nice, thoughtful and helpful in a crisis. People rallied and helped us out where they could see a need. I am surrounded by friends and family who have their hearts and intentions in the right place, as do most people really. It's when there is no crisis, during the every day grind of life where sometimes those little acts of kindness can also make a huge difference to someone.

You know the times I'm talking about - standing in the checkout line, driving to do the daycare drop off, juggling shopping and baby while loading up the car, frantically running around the shopping centre to stock up on necessities. I think even on a good day, mums (and dads!) could use a helping hand - whether it's an understanding smile at just the right frazzled moment, or a surprise offer to drop over some baked sugary goodness.

With that in mind, here are five random every day nice things you can do next time you see a mum out and about:

1. Listen intently. Often we are caught up in our own little worlds, and we forget to slow down and listen. If you ask a mama how they're doing, really slow down and listen to their response. If they want advice, don't be afraid to offer it, but if not, don't be afraid to just sit there and let them say what they need to. A sympathetic and willing ear is really a wonderful gift sometimes.
2. When out without kids, or even if your kids are older and better behaved, skip that premium right-at-the-door parking spot with the hope that a mum who really needs it will get it. While I know it's not guaranteed and there is a possibility some young unappreciative thug will snag it, I hope karma will point someone who really needs it to the spot.
3. Visit a mummy friend today and distract her kids. Whether that means you play endless tea party games, take them to the park or run around in the garden. Remember how nice it is to have an hour or so just for your very own? Offer that to a friend. Bonus points if you bring along something sugary and delicious.
4. That friend with a newborn or a sick toddler at home? Call her from the supermarket while you're there and see if she needs anything. There is not much worse than running out of an essential at home and then having to bundle the kids into the car as an extra punishment for running out to pick up said essential. With very little effort on your part you can save a frazzled mama friend that effort on hers.
5. Speaking of shopping, next time you're out and there is a tired, harassed looking mama with a screaming, wailing child... look at her and smile. Not a creepy grimace smile, but a really understanding smile. Perhaps help her out loading her groceries onto the conveyor belt. Hold her trolley while she extracts the fit-throwing monster kid. Give her a kind word. We've all been there. Maybe next time you're the 'mean' mama who won't buy the lollies, people will be understanding and realise that you aren't usually so grumpy and your babe isn't so loud/bratty/wailing.

Have you received or given a random act of kindness lately?