a bit of a divergence from anything attempting to be terribly thoughtful or insightful work in this king cake season blog writing challenge and just an observation of my day…and because I just need to get this out!
Can I just say that parades haven’t even really begun to roll in full force and there is king cake everywhere I go?! For real, this self-forbidden confection, this prize for two months of daily not just writing but also publication, has taken up residence at school, in my home, in grocery stores, at parties, in conversation with my kids, at the juice shop (that also sells the gluten free version I will finally get to partake in on Mardi Gras day)…the temptation seems to spring up in every place I venture, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon. If anything, it will only become more prolific with each passing day. On top of all of this general exposure, I am required to actually interact with the king cake that is in my kitchen for my family to enjoy as I hide the baby in the cake, as I slice pieces for my boys, as I open the box just to enjoy the aroma (oh, wait, did I type that? well, now you know the whole truth of the matter). The sweet cinnamon scent whispers on the daily, begging me to partake, whispers…what’s the harm in a little gluten, just enjoy, that blogging audience of yours will never know…and what’s more would they even care..there are lots of pretty important things going on in this world, true battles being fought, what’s a little king cake? But I would know, and because of that I also am aware of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to really enjoy it if I gave in. I made a commitment and I’m going to honor it. (In full disclosure, I came across a vegan gluten free banana bread the other day that was baked in the oval shape of the king cake and decorated with frosting and the tri-colored sugar, a sort of doppelganger king cake. It was tempting. I walked away.)
None of this is the king cake’s fault, of course. This is its season, its time of year. There are those who sell “king cakes” and others who partake of them outside of the January 6-Mardi Gras day time frame, but I say shame on you. If we had king cake year round, would we hold it in the same regard, would it receive the same reverence, would we lose the anticipation and tradition for the sake of sating appetite and indulging in unearned sweet reward? I recognize that I’m doing this all backwards. Mardi Gras is the season of indulgence not restraint and here I am torturing myself…here I am refraining from eating all but one slice of this joyous delight and even that on the last day of the season.
So, this leads me to my next wondering…will this count as my Lenten promise as well?
(Day seven, silly but fun to write and done!)
Sometimes You Just Need A Poem 