Even though I just started my second year of college, I’m still not used to having to be a responsible adult all the time. Sometimes, I prove myself really bad at it, like when I find a website like Potato Parcel—a company that allows you to ship a raw potato with a personalized message on it to whoever you please.
Naturally, I laughed at my computer screen for about five minutes, then pulled out my credit card. Buying and sending these potatoes counts as a necessary expense for groceries, right?
Save the Cake, Send a Potato
I conveniently discovered Potato Parcel about a week before my best friend’s 21st birthday. With her birthday being on a Monday and the two of us going to different schools, she probably wasn’t expecting anything from me on that day. Boy, did I show her.
I purchased a potato and requested to add a message that read, “H21BD Breanne, here’s a potato instead of alcohol. <3 Eris". I timed the order just right, too, because on the afternoon of Breanne's birthday, I answered a call from her and had the words "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SENT ME A POTATOOOOO" screamed into my ear. She loved it so much, she bragged about me and my gift on Facebook with the caption, "The best gift a girl can get!"
They actually shipped my friend a giant, raw potato with a hand-scrawled message, and I was positively thrilled. Considering that vodka is often times made from potatoes, this naturally was the perfect 21st birthday gift.
Disappointing My Parents, One Tater at a Time
I, like many other college students, miss my family pretty much 24/7. When I first came across Potato Parcel, I thought of them instantly. Can you think of a better way to re-establish your dominance as the weirdest sibling from afar than shipping your little sisters a raw potato? Neither could I.
So, I added a second potato to my cart, this time addressed to very own permanent residence, bearing the message, “I triple dog dare you guys to make fries out of this. <3 Eris". This time, however, Potato Parcel seemed to have other plans. My parents and sisters received a potato with an alternate signature, and I found out via Facebook comment.
They DID in fact sign it “Eric”.
The confusion was amplified by the fact that I have an uncle Eric, so my parents couldn’t even deduce that the sender was me, and the name was just a misunderstanding. They really thought my uncle sent the potato.
If we’re being real, though, my Mom and Dad played themselves. They were the ones who named me Eris.
To make things worse, it’s not safe to make fries out of the potato. At least, Potato Parcel doesn’t think so.
Overall, I give Potato Parcel an 9/10 (would ship potatoes again). I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over them putting the wrong name on the second potato (I mean, seriously, I ordered them within three minutes of each other), but I’ll just assume they were trying to look out for me.