Ah yes, the art of cake designing. When you think of cakes you probably don't think about Korea, or Asia for that matter. However, don't let the world of cakes deceive you, some of the most amazing cakes have arisen from right here in Korea. It is quite difficult to understand just why Korea has such a special affinity for cakes, perhaps even an obsession, but they do as it runs rampart in bakeries all across the land. Couples will buy a cake for any possible occasion: Birthdays, Christmases, Valentines Day, White day, 100 Day Anniversary, 1 Year Anniversary, Graduation, End of the Semester, New Years (both Western and Lunar), and the list goes on. Now I've eaten my fair share of cake in America, and have come across some amazing cakes in Japan, but when I see a cake like the one to the left, a cake that looks as if it were plucked from a Disney Movie or a Fairy Tale, I know that there is something special about it. Granted, looks can certainly deceive, and at times what a cake looks like and what it tastes like, especially in Korea where the concept of an ice cream cake simply means a slab of solid ice cream decorated to look like a cake, but I think people in Korea don't eat cake for the taste, but rather buy it for what it looks like. The act of buying the cake and having it far surpasses the actual act of eating it. Not only that, but with those nifty cake boxes that you can carry around while you eat dinner or go shopping, you can have cake on the go, proving once and for all that you can in fact have your cake and eat it too.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day 19: Have Your Cake and Eat it Too
Ah yes, the art of cake designing. When you think of cakes you probably don't think about Korea, or Asia for that matter. However, don't let the world of cakes deceive you, some of the most amazing cakes have arisen from right here in Korea. It is quite difficult to understand just why Korea has such a special affinity for cakes, perhaps even an obsession, but they do as it runs rampart in bakeries all across the land. Couples will buy a cake for any possible occasion: Birthdays, Christmases, Valentines Day, White day, 100 Day Anniversary, 1 Year Anniversary, Graduation, End of the Semester, New Years (both Western and Lunar), and the list goes on. Now I've eaten my fair share of cake in America, and have come across some amazing cakes in Japan, but when I see a cake like the one to the left, a cake that looks as if it were plucked from a Disney Movie or a Fairy Tale, I know that there is something special about it. Granted, looks can certainly deceive, and at times what a cake looks like and what it tastes like, especially in Korea where the concept of an ice cream cake simply means a slab of solid ice cream decorated to look like a cake, but I think people in Korea don't eat cake for the taste, but rather buy it for what it looks like. The act of buying the cake and having it far surpasses the actual act of eating it. Not only that, but with those nifty cake boxes that you can carry around while you eat dinner or go shopping, you can have cake on the go, proving once and for all that you can in fact have your cake and eat it too.
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And they wrap it up and tie it with a bow! So it is like you're carrying around a present, which makes having the cake even better :) I thought the one we had at that bakery was pretty good, but I can definitely see how some of them might be dry, or how the flavor of the icing is sacrificed for texture..
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