# 7 Where are the cake scraps?
This moment didn't really include me when it occured. At least not in person. Only by inference.
My daughter, S, was away at college across the state and working. It was the end of the school year, but she was staying nearby school for her job. Her birthday is in May, and she was staying with a friend's family on that day. S didn't know it, but the family had baked her a little birthday cake that afternoon to have with dinner.
She walked into the kitchen ready for supper that night, and they were excited about the cake that they had baked as a surprise for her birthday.
S thanks them and then wthout even thinking, she asks, "Where are the cake scraps?"
"The what?" Apparently looking at her like she had 3 heads...cause remember, I wasn't there, at least not in person.
You know about cake scraps. Right? You don't? Then maybe you can understand this family's response.
"You know, the cake scraps," S asks once more, thinking that they just haven't understood what she said.
Again, "the what?" Their use of the English language is broader than only these 2 words. It's just a function of their confusion at the moment.
"You know, the part of the cake you cut off so it's level across the top," S innocently answers them.
Let me explain. Here is a layer of cake as it comes from the pan. Note the dome...
The scraps are the best part of the cake in B's opinion. In fact she may not even bother to eat the "real" cake, only the scraps.
And now back to our story...
"We don't cut off the top of the cake. We've never heard of that," and with that they show her the frosted cake, which - if you have guessed where this story is going - wasn't so much level.
Or up to the appearances that she was used to. I'm sure she did a great job of not looking disappointed, and I know that she was genuinely appreciative but S became instantly aware that not all families do cakes the same.
Or level.
Like the cakes S had grown up with all her life. Because if you're going to write on a cake and decorate it, much less stack it with other cakes, it must be level. And because a level cake looks more finished. And because "presentation matters" since people eat with their eyes first.
Try not to blame S. The fault is all mine. See, my name is Deb, and I raised cake snobs. I've been looking for a 12-step group for this particular "disease" for a long time now.
Of course the first step to getting help is recognizing that you have a problem. And I'm still in denial. I even perpetuate the madness and encourage others to be snobs. Like K. He started out saying things like, "We Lemay folks are happy with our humpy cakes." And now he says things like, "There were 2 cakes brought in to work today. The chocolate wasn't that good, but the lemon was really worth eating!"
Or like W. Those pics above came from her house today, because we did Cake Decorating 101 - and created quite the respectable plate of cake scraps. I was so proud.
"Hello, my name is Deb, and I raised cake snobs." I'm practicing in case I ever find the right group.
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