I mean, really, you have to use your sense of humour when you see that amidst the icing roses and marzipan fruit, don’t you?
Of course there are all kinds of spelling mistakes recounted, and decorators who were perhaps not quite as good at replicating an object or creature as they thought. Colour is important too, it was mentioned, as in the example of the cake that used brown swirls of icing around a farm full of animals. Even neglecting something as simple as punctuation can make a difference, and the author is keen to point out the humour and irony in her commentary. In an example sent in that had “1 Dad” written boldly on the cake, she comments, “Of all the Dads out there, you are one of them.” That might have been what Dad was thinking, if only for a moment, but I am sure that very quickly he smiled and thought of the love from the people who gave him the cake.
Once I got past the giggles from the article, I actually went to the blog that started it all. An interesting note is that the book and blog feature only professional errors, so all us amateurs are off the hook. It’s easier if you know that even a professional can really make a blunder. There are apparently 50 to 60 submissions a day sent in, and I thought a few more giggles couldn’t hurt. Well, I have had to stop twice while typing tonight as I am still laughing…
I don’t mean to make light of someone else’s disaster. What I loved about the article, and the blog, was that the theme was more about reminding us all we are human and that laughter is really the best medicine. When I made my first attempt at something like a black forest cake and the cherry pie filling I put in the middle made the top layer slide halfway off, my friend laughed heartily and said that the cake had started the party without us. I was relieved it really was the thought that counted. Once we finally got the mess onto plates, it was pretty darn tasty, after all.
It all goes back to the same old theme as always: food brings us together. Even if it’s bad food, or bad-looking food, we still come together and we still celebrate. To add a little laughter into the mix can’t possibly be bad. Just remember that the next time you pick up a cake you order over the phone.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.