Celebrating dads and grads with gifts of food

It isn’t fair, is it? Mother’s Day gets May all to itself, but Father’s Day, June 15, has to compete with graduation parties and end-of-school events in June. While we’re sorry to lump dads and grads together, finding delicious gifts for the food lovers in your life is easy if you shop at a trio of markets clustered along West 29th Avenue in Eugene. 

Market of Choice, Sunrise Asian Food Market, and Vishnu India Imports are within walking distance of each other, spread over three blocks. Whether you’re shopping for a dad who loves to experiment in the kitchen or a graduate who loves new food flavors, these three stores offer many intriguing items from Oregon and around the world that can be enjoyed individually or put together into an epic gift basket. 

Sunrise Asian Food Market has a surprising selection of foods from around the world, not just Asia. They have a large Indian and Middle Eastern section along with items from Holland, such as stroopwafels (brown sugary, buttery cookies). For a grad with a sweet tooth, consider a package of Venco Honingdrop (honey drop, $3.99) licorice, which sits on a shelf next to Muntendrop (sweet salty licorice coins) and Katjesdrop (sweet, cat-shaped licorice). 

Honey butter-flavored potato chips ($2.99) deliver an addictive sweet-salty bite with a hint of honey. Sunrise sells several flavors of rice crackers including sweet coconut milk ($3.99) and savory cheese curry ($3.99) flavors. 

If your graduates are heading to new living situations, you can shop Sunrise’s large household area and set them up with versatile kitchen supplies such as chopsticks, bamboo steamers, woks, and beautiful teapots and cups. Sunrise Asian Food Market
https://sunrise-asian-food-market.wa-cafe.com, 70 W. 29th Ave., 541-343-3295

Market of Choice sells nearly 800 Oregon-made products distributed through its 11 locations, and a large selection of specialty food items. GloryBee is a Eugene-based company known for its bee stewardship and honey- and beekeeping-related products. GloryBee sells other items too, including a Tamarind Puree ($9.99). Your dad or grad can enhance their homemade barbecue sauce; make a marinade or chutney; or add an earthy, tart sweetness to a cocktail or mocktail. 

Hot Mama Salsa, based in Portland, makes a Smoky Coffee Chili Oil ($9.99). This is smoky but not overly so, with a dried pepper flavor blend and a hint of coffee, similar to a mole. Smother a roasted cauliflower steak with it. Durant Olive Mill is in Dayton, Oregon. They grow and process their own olive oil varieties, and it’s worth getting the sample pack ($18.99) to taste the flavor nuances between the vegetal Greek Koroneiki olives, the buttery sweet Frantoio Italian olive oil, and the grassy Spanish Arbequina olive oil.

Olympia Provisions, based in Washington, is known for its cured meats. Little pepperettes ($4.99) can be tucked into any picnic pack or gift basket and are perfect for snacking. The Petite Pierre variety is flavored with juniper and sea salt. Your giftee can dollop this Regalis Black Truffle Compound Butter ($16.99) on a steak, toss with hot pasta, or blend into risotto. Market Of Choice, www.marketofchoice.com, ​​67 W. 29th Ave., 541-338-8455

Vishnu India Imports has a wide variety of fresh produce, frozen items, and packaged foods. I especially like to seek out the many crunchy, savory snacks including these flaky Mirch Masala puff pastries ($3.49) flavored with ajwain, which tastes a bit like a cross between thyme and cumin.

Vishnu offers mixed Indian sweets ($11.99) made by Pabla Indian Cuisine, a restaurant and grocery store in Washington. These sweets come in a variety of flavors, often made with milk, rose water, cardamom, cashews and pistachios, sugar, and chickpea flour. Some are rich and fudgy in consistency, others are crumbly and light.

Speaking of pistachios, if you’ve noticed them popping up everywhere lately, try them in drink form. The label of this Guruji Pista saffron and pistachio drink ($5.00) says to blend it with milk, but Vishnu India Imports owner Vijay Sachdeva tells me she likes it mixed with sparkling water. The nutty syrup with a touch of rose water can also be mixed into coffee or poured over ice cream.

Another fruit syrup option is the Vimto fruit cordial ($6.00). Vimto originated in Manchester, England, in 1908 as a health tonic. It’s vaguely similar to our Dr. Pepper, which was first sold across the country in 1904, also to impart vim and vigor. The flavor of Vimto is an interesting mix of berries and black currants, with a slight orange note from carrot juice. This Vimto syrup concentrate can be mixed with hot water for a tea-like drink, mixed with sparkling water, or added to milk or milkshakes. Vishnu India Imports, https://www.facebook.com/vishnuindiaimports, 135 E. 29th Ave., 541-343-6932