July 28, 2010
I think we’re in the middle of a cupcake bubble of historic proportions
“Did they really think cupcakes were different than cake?” the world will ask after the cupcake market implodes. “Why did they wait in those ridiculous lines just to buy cake?”
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Cupcakes ARE different from cake. Is it that hard to see? They are smaller. You can eat them with your hands. There is more frosting (generally) per unit of cake. Cake is about community. Cupcakes are about self. For a country that is so frequently characterized as based on consumption, we are really, really bad at consuming.
It’s funny. Yesterday, over at the Galena Piggly-Wiggly (formerly Dick’s Supermarket), I noted what struck me as an unusually large number of PVC containers of cupcakes mounded on a table near the store’s entrance. I thought to myself, “This cupcake thing is about to tank big-time.”
I am probably wrong. I am almost always wrong about such things.
It’s a little covetable thing. It’s a wee baby cake. How could we not go nuts over them?
In a food fight cupcakes are good because you can smash them, frosting first, into the face of a nearby enemy or hurl them, with greater accuracy than, say, a pie, across great distances.
I stood in line at that cupcake bakery in NY – I’m too lazy to verify that it’s called Magnolia Bakery, but that’s the name in my head – it was a fine cupcake and I actually had a good time waiting in the line, but I wouldn’t do it again.
As a general rule, once something becomes popular in Sacramento the rest of the world decides it’s no longer cool and in the last few years we’ve had several dozen cupcake cafes open (one called Baby Cakes). I’m guessing the whole market will collapse soon. Cupcakes and self-serve frozen yogurt are going down. Trust me on this.
Michael, your comment reminds me of an important observation made by Billy Bob Thornton’s character in the classic film, Bad Santa:
Okay. You don’t drink, which is smart on your part. But being sober can put you at a disadvantage when it comes to violence. I can’t box worth a shit, see. But I’m good in a fight because I can’t feel anything. You, you’re gonna feel everything.
[...] Michael Smith: In a food fight cupcakes are good because you can smash them, frosting first, into the face of a nearby enemy or hurl them, with greater accuracy than, say, a pie, across great distances. posted by Deron Bauman in food, observations, war | * | comment [...]
I wholeheartedly agree with this writer’s bullishness on brownies. They are 9×13 blank canvases, waiting for a canny baker to impart his or her own creativity. It’s only a matter of time.
“You can eat them with your hands.”
Ahem, eating a slice of cake (including icing/frosting) is deliciously decadent.
I eat cake with my hands, sometimes.
Honestly, I’ve just always been more of a cookie man.
Of course, you eat cake with your hands. You’re lusty, bold fellows who know how to kick up your heels. You rogues. My point is that it is generally understood that cupcakes are meant to be eaten with one’s hands.
[...] Aaron Winslow: Cupcakes ARE different from cake. Is it that hard to see? They are smaller. You can eat them with your hands. There is more frosting (generally) per unit of cake. Cake is about community. Cupcakes are about self. For a country that is so frequently characterized as based on consumption, we are really, really bad at consuming. posted by Deron Bauman in culture, economics, food, from the comments, local, observations | * | comment [...]