Many things come to mind when I think of the word delivery. “It’s not delivery. It’s Digiorno.” “Speedy delivery, speedy delivery.” Then there is FTD. Amazon, UPS, FedEx, USPS. Pizza, Chinese, Grub hub, and a shit load more.
A vendor friend of Marty and mine has a business called The Food Florist, which is a brilliant name. Trish took the FTD idea and made it her own. Before I get into her business. What does FTD stand for?
We know it stands for flower deliveries, but according to Wikipedia, the official name is Florists’ Transworld Delivery, which is a floral wire service, retailer and wholesaler based in Downers Grove, Illinois, in the United States. FTD was founded as Florists’ Telegraph Delivery in 1910, to help customers send flowers remotely on the same day by using florists in the FTD network who are near the intended recipient.
Why did people start giving or sending flowers in the first place? Flowers sent to sick people were meant to cheer them up. They are given or sent with good intentions to help the sick recover.
For the record, gifts can also be sent with bad intentions. I have received a couple of gifts with bad intentions, and as soon as I opened or received them, I dropped them like hot potatoes. I could feel the bad intentions.
Back to The Food Florist, she had a truck that looked like a floral delivery truck, but instead of flowers, she had frozen chicken pot pies, fruit pies, breakfast bakes, lasagna, and many more menu items.
Trish didn’t deliver the well-intended frozen meals to sick people, new mothers, or family gatherings; she had pop-up and farmers market locations where customers could purchase her meals. The customers delivered the meals themselves.
She was very successful in Albany, NY, but after the pandemic, she couldn’t find people to work since there was a lot of food prep and cooking involved. She moved back to the midwest, where she lived before moving to NY.
The shame is she provided so many meals for people to buy during the pandemic when no one was going out to eat. Her customers were devastated since they loved her and her food so much.
As in true Irish storytelling, I am now getting to the point of this blog post.
The other day when I was feeling awful and exhausted, our friend Martin, the chef across the street, left a sheet pan covered with foil on our front porch.
He texted me that he had cooked us dinner, and it was on our porch. This was a pleasant surprise, one I was grateful for since now we didn’t have to scrounge around looking for something easy to cook.
This was a special delivery sent not only with good intentions but love. Martin is such a sweet guy and such a good friend.
He made a pork loin with my favorite side dish of his, mashed Asian white sweet potatoes with a sweet, garlicky lime sauce. The potatoes are so different and delicious.
How lucky are we to have such a thoughtful friend? We always make a lasagna and bring it to someone with a death in the family. The family could still eat while planning their loved one’s funeral arrangements.
This lasagna giving thing is a Jersey and downstate New York thing to do, dropping one off almost immediately when someone dies. My lasagnas are made with comfort and caring intentions, and with love.
I have a remarkable story about when my dad died and lasagna. It’s a post for another day, though, since it is lengthy.
Many friends and family have been checking in to see how I feel. Want to know how I feel? I feel loved. 🥰
You are so fortunate to have such a friend as your neighbor, especially on his being such a fabulous cook. Hope you are feeling better. Enjoy!!
I wanna be eaten out, any takers? https://is.gd/dBsd60