One of my colleagues brought in two King Cakes today. He is a very southern guy with a very southern accent.
There was a little pink plastic baby sitting on top of each. I'm not so familiar with the King Cake, but I did think that the baby was baked into the cake.
Also, did you know that it's called King Cake in honor of the three kings? You know, like, the we, of Orient are (which I always thought was Orientare - an exotic locale)? And that it took them 12 days to get there? Who knew?
Anyway, I asked the colleague about the little Baby Jesus in icing perched amid beads.
He said in fact, the baby typically is inside, and that the reason he'd brought in these cakes was that he'd gotten the baby in his slice in the cake we had last week, which meant he had to buy the cake.
I said, "Why is the baby on top? I thought they stuck it in the cake."
And he replied, "I told the woman at the bakery that in my experience the baby was always buried in the cake. Do you know what she said?"
"What?"
"Honey, you're going to have to bury your own baby."
So, I get the King cake thing - but the Epiphany (when the wise guys got there) is January 6. So... what's with King cakes and Mardi Gras?
ReplyDeleteThere's probably some sort of health code that says they can't put the baby in it themselves. But that does seem odd.
No idea. I'm the heathen among us. I just like cake. And, uh, figurines.
ReplyDeleteI just thought it was so funny that she was all, we don't do that here - you're going to have to bury your own.
First camel toe, now burying babies in a kings cake. Your office knows how to party.
ReplyDeleteI think that bakeries quit putting them in the cake when someone choked on the baby.
ReplyDeleteThat sounded weird.
But you know people (like me) can't be trusted to control themselves when cake is involved and then someone (not me) swallows a plastic figurine and ruins it for all of us.
My father-in-law wondered what an "infantso" was for many years. As in "infant so tender and mild". :)
ReplyDeleteI never heard of king cakes until this post, nor burying babies in cakes nor choking on babies, that bit I found funny though.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Mardi Gras?? I just thought it was a huge flamboyant party in Rio that involved semi nudity and feathers.
I am so naive lol.
But hey it's cake and I do like cake, maybe a little too much :-S.
Hahahaha! Oh my, that is funny, what she said.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, it probably is a fear-of-being-sued thing. Too bad. Growing up it was always a huge big deal (if you were a kid) (er, if you were me) to get the baby in your king cake. You felt like the luckiest person in the world. My sister makes her own king cakes now -- can't find a decent one in the Pacific Northwest.
I don't even know what a king cake is. I'm actually very confused by this post. I feel so Canadian right now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am very glad you did not use that line as your title. I never knew they were called "king cakes" What's the skinny on that? And speaking of skinny, I LOVE cake! But I thought you only ate cake when you flew, are you going somewhere?
ReplyDeleteToday was the first time I ever heard of king cake. And you are now the THIRD person who has mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteWeird.
I first learned about kings cakes a few years ago when a friend from New Orleans brought one into the office. I think they gave her the baby to stuff in the bottom of the cake herself (yes, probably a liability issue). Anyway, here in Mexico, the Rosca de Reyes is actually eaten on the Epiphany (Jan. 6). And for some reason, the person who gets the baby (or babies if it's a big office cake with multiple babies) has to buy tamales for the others on Feb. 2. Odd how something similar can be so different, no?
ReplyDeleteI actually found the baby disturbing looking. It kind of reminded me of that oooga chaka baby from Ally Mcbeal.
ReplyDeletei'm with hillary - feeling very canadian right now.
ReplyDeletestill you made me laugh and i need a laugh today.
Oh my.
ReplyDeletei assume it's a liability thing, i'm sure someone somewhere has choked on the baby king and therefore they don't want to take the chance of being sued? just my guess.
ReplyDeletestill takes all the fun out of it.
Love this. And, you are right, traditionally the baby is in a slice of the cake and whoever finds it is the king/queen of Mardi Gras that year and has to buy the cake next year.
ReplyDeleteFor liability reasons, now when you buy the cake you get the baby on the side. After you slice it, you hide the baby in one of the slices.
Just reread and it sounds like I'm making a kiddie porn snuff film. I swear, no babies were injured in the making of this post!
HK - We are seriously wild and crazy.
ReplyDeleteLisa - I am sure you're completely right about this. One person chokes on a baby and the rest of us have to pay for it. :)
Sarah - Infantso! Ha! I love it!
Go-Betty - Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. I don't know a whole lot about it except that there's a hell of a lot of celebrating in preparation for Lenten abstinence.
Laura - I had never heard of these until a few years ago. I can see it being a HUUGE fun thing as a kid.
Hillary - Sorry to make you feel so Canadian.:) It seems to be a very New Orleans/Southern thing. But I think the cake is popular because, you know, it's cake.
Lynn - The three kings who brought gifts to Jesus. Also, yes, mainly with impending death, but I have cake when I'm feeling sorry for myself. :)
Dana - I have to assume there was a whole lot of king cake around yesterday.
Luna - Yes, definitely. You know, I'd never heard of the Epiphany before yesterday. I learned all kinds of religious tradition yesterday because of that one cake.
Kristin - You are SO RIGHT! I'd forgotten about that compelling/creepy baby!
stacy - I'm glad. It's nice to be Canadian and it's always good to laugh.
Maiden Metallurgist - Yes.
jen - I'm sure that's right. So now you have to hide your own baby and take responsibility. :)
cla517 - Hahahahaha! Kiddie porn cake snuff film. For a very creepy, niche market.
Could there have been a worse moment for that comment? I think not.
ReplyDelete