Food Memoir- Let Them Eat Cake!

I really don’t know why the lower class of Paris got so upset at Marie Antoinette’s remark of “Let them eat cake”. Firstly, she never said this; it was just a vicious rumor, but come on! Cake! Who doesn’t love cake? Cake to me is the epitome of bliss. And there’s cake for every personality: cream-filled cake, gluten-free cake, ice cream cake, wedding cake, plain ol’ vanilla cake. I covet every kind of cake (besides the ones with fruit in the frosting. Really? Fruit? That’s not a dessert – that’s healthy). I adore yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting, Dairy Queen’s s’mores cake, but above all, above everything else, my all-time favorite type of cake is red velvet. Most people enjoy cake, that’s true, but my favorite cakes are my favorite because they are linked to my fondest memories.

            My dad and I don’t really get along. That is, we don’t talk much and when we do, it is usually a big mess. My dad started his own contracting business from absolutely nothing. After years of stress and hard work, he has succeeded in making KaufmanLynn Construction the second biggest construction business in South Florida. While I am very proud of how much my dad has accomplished, I am also disappointed because when I was growing up, my dad would take his stress home with him. He couldn’t seem to turn off “boss mode”, so scolding and pedantic reprimands were often a theme in our house. Happy memories of my dad are scarce but I do remember one very special time. I was 12 and it his 44^th birthday. My sister, Hillary, and I baked him this positively scrumptious yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting. It filled the house with the sweet aroma of vanilla. We wiped the lingering batter from the bowl and licked the gooey goodness from our fingertips. We decorated the outside of the cake with rainbow sprinkles and green icing in poor cursive that said “Happy Birthday!” He came downstairs and was completely surprised. We sang him the birthday song and took huge helpings of that yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting. He was happy that day and so were we. That cake will always remind me of my dad.

            As for the Dairy Queen s’mores cake? Well, that reminds me of my mom. You see, Dairy Queen doesn’t make a s’mores cake (at least, not on their own). My older brother Harris was leaving for The Citadel, a prestigious military college in South Carolina, and my mom wanted to send him off right. She planned to have the whole family come over for a send-off-dinner and wanted a special cake for dessert. Brilliance struck! Dairy Queen makes the most luscious ice cream cakes. My mom ordered a chocolate ice cream cake and brought in her own crushed graham crackers to be mixed in with the marshmallow filling. The staff was a little hesitant at first, but after completion, they all agreed she was a genius. She had created the Dairy Queen s’mores cake. After dinner had finished, out came my mom with the most glorious ice cream cake anyone had ever seen. Just one bite and everyone immediately fell in love. Second helpings were had by all. Now, for a special event in the Kaufman household, it’s a tradition that a s’mores cake will be served.

            Well, every special event but my birthday, that is. Every year for my birthday, my candles are always staked on one dessert– a red velvet cake. Besides red being my signature color and the name sounding so smooth, red velvet is the most delectable cake to ever exist. The cake is just chocolate with red food dye, but don’t think for one second that it isn’t positively delicious. Who doesn’t love chocolate cake, especially when it’s perfectly moist? I have to say, the cream cheese frosting is the best part, though. If you find a red velvet cake recipe that calls for a regular vanilla frosting rather than a cream cheese frosting, throw it away; it is wrong. Cream cheese frosting is the only way to go when baking a red velvet cake. The cream cheese frosting is what makes red velvet cake so special. I’m so excited for my birthday to come each year so I can glob on that extra frosting to my little slice of red velvety heaven. Red velvet cake always reminds me of October 25^th, where everyone thinks of me, sings me the birthday song, gives heartfelt gifts, and sends good wishes. But, everything wonderful about my birthday before dessert time pales in comparison when I slide that first forkful of cake into my mouth. Red velvet cake is the sweetest, most mouth-watering delight.

            If the starving people of France had only known about yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting, Dairy Queen’s s’mores cake, or red velvet cake, there wouldn’t have been any riots. Marie Antoinette would have been praised for her good taste. She would have gone down in history as the sweetest queen France has ever known. The deliciousness of cake can only do good. So I say: Prevent such atrocities from reoccurring! Don’t be afraid to try a tasty tiramisu! Bite into that beautiful bundt! Sample that scrumptious swiss roll! Let them eat cake!

"The Pleasure of Eating" Reflection

I'm not overly thrilled with Berry's tone of immediate need for these things to happen but I agree with some of his steps; I have, in fact, done most of these points on his list. Living in Vermont, most people are aware of where their food comes from because they are a very green state covered in farms. I try to shop locally because I feel better knowing I have helped a smaller farm but also because I know where that food comes from. That being said, I hold meat higher than vegetables, in that I would be more likely to purchase local steak or fish caught off the coast (when I lived in Florida) rather than buying vegetables that way. Fruit I'd say is different because it has a thinner skin and is more susceptible, in my mind, to harmful chemicals than carrots. Am I likely to start following these steps? Probably not because I have a fixed behavior when it comes to food (eating and buying) and it would take something more drastic to convince me to start doing these things.

Service-Learning Reflection # 1

1. As of this date, I have no official experience with the service-learning process. I have a very rigorous schedule between school and work and am finding it difficult to find time where I can pencil in these activities. However, when my agenda becomes less arduous, I plan on helping with the Campus Garden behind Brown Hall. 

2. As of yet, the service-learning experience has only taxed my academic growth because I have to cut down on my studying to complete said tasks. However, when I do get to work in the Campus Garden, I am sure I will find the reason this would help.

3. So far, the service-learning work hasn’t helped my social growth partly because I have yet to begin but I imagine it might be a possibility to make friends. I doubt however that this would be an option because I am an “inside girl” and believe I might become rather curt working in dirt and a searing heat. Also, I am not the most outgoing person, nor do I make friends easily. However, I will do my best when the opportunity arises.

4. I imagine the community will be pleased with the work I will put into it. I understand in order to gain the best possible results, one must put in all effort to attain such ends. I will do my upmost to see this outcome comes to pass. I trust the Campus Garden will flourish when I get my hands dirty, so to speak.

5. My service-learning goals for the future are to get all I can from this project and to not stick my nose up at working hard as is my nature. I hope I can be of use to the Campus Garden and to the campus.

Focus Reflection: Food Challenge

I am one of those lucky people who has been born into a well-off family. My dad had to work for his money and sacrifice a lot for it, but by the time 1990 rolled around, his business was doing well. Because of this, my family has traveled to many different places and I’ve been able to try many types of food. Also, growing up in South Florida, 20 minutes from Palm Beach and an hour from Miami, I’ve been exposed to very high-end restaurants with chefs that like to experiment with ingredients. Also, there is a lot of variety when you live in a place like Boca Raton because everyone is looking for that next fad or something different because they’ve already had Thai food that week. “The Food Challenge” notifies us how exposed we are to different culinary cultures, and for me, who scored a 57, and because of that number, we might go out and try more dishes.