“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
– Virginia Woolf
When a group of moms from all over the United States started to get to know each other better online, they realized that despite the miles that separate them, they had plenty in common, especially since they all welcomed new babies last year. But when the group’s members took an interest in each other’s local cuisine, they decided to exchange their hometown’s unique delicacies with their cross-country friends.
“We are an incredibly good looking, fun, sarcastic, tight-knit group of about 30 moms from all over the country who ‘met’ on a pregnancy website because our babies were all due in August 2013,” explained exchange organizer Samantha ‘Sam’ Pohaku. “We formed a Facebook group to better interact and now we have been together for over a year. Pregnancies and newborns will bond you!”
“In a series of recent posts designed to help us get to know everyone even better,” Sam said, “we realized that we have incredibly varied tastes in food. And since we are so widespread, some of our local favorites are uncommon to others. So we decided on a food theme and are trying to stick to local foods. For example, sending something that your area is known for, or that people in your area love. We are spread all over the country so we thought that would be fun. It could also be a recipe or anything food related.”
And even though their Elfster wishlists are full of items for their bundles of joy, this tasty exchange is just for the moms! The group has done several exchanges using Elfster since they first came together. “The first exchange was onesies for our (then not-yet-born) babies and the second was for toys for the little ones. We chose Elfster at the recommendation of members who had used it before for similar gift exchanges,” Sam explained.
One reason the group likes using Elfster for its exchanges is that “there is no chance of someone leaking who got who since you can do everything anonymously through the site,” Sam said. The group also likes the wishlist and secret questions/answers features of Elfster because “even with knowing each other for over a year, there are plenty of things we still don’t know I’m sure! Plus, the foods we like now are probably different than pregnancy cravings,” she added.
“I also liked the ease of posting the link for sign up in the group and being able to invite friends that I have been in exchanges with in the past. It’s also helpful to be able to make sure that an incredibly healthy eater doesn’t get paired up with a junk food lover!” Sam explained.
And this group is not your typical ‘moms’ group! “We are opinionated, snarky and honest and we don’t hold back with each other,” said Sam. “We can laugh at ourselves and at everything the internet has to offer. We are also very supportive and have seen several members through some tough times. We are planning an epic get together in a few years! Watch out because when that many incredibly good looking moms and unbelievably smart babies are in one place at one time, you never know what might happen!” And having this much fun is just what this Elfster exchange is all about.
What’s next for these moms and babies? “We will undoubtedly do another exchange though Elfster in the future,” Sam offered. “Whenever we want to start another exchange, we do a group-wide poll and all of the ideas are great, so as long as we’re a group we will undoubtedly have some great exchange ideas!”
Are you a part of a group that has a unique way to share your local flavor? Do you love to try new things for your exchanges? The Elves at Elfster would love to hear how your group is using the site, too. You can visit us on Facebook or tweet us @elfster.
photo credit: tastespotting
