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::: center home >> being here >> last donut? >> cake

Work Hard, Eat Cake
Fellows Reading Group, September 18, 2015

The selection of food is a major part of our weekly reading group meetings. This is a fact that slowly creeps into the awareness of fellows as the term proceeds. What accelerates the process is the chocolate cake.

It is not just any chocolate cake. It is Costco’s “All American Chocolate Cake.” If you are unfamiliar with US culinary practices, you may not know what makes something “all American.” It is no special ingredient that is distinctive of American cuisine, unless you consider corn sugar or gellan gum. The secret is the size.

This is the land of consumption and nothing says “celebration” better than portions so joyfully monstrous that there’s vastly more than anyone could possibly eat.

We partake fully in this tradition when the cake is slid out of its hiding place in the fridge an hour or so before the start of the Thursday reading group. It then lies in wait for Fellows who innocently wander in to grab some coffee or tea or whatever they need. On my coffee run, I find Nancy standing in the lounge, staring at me wide-eyed. She is thinking and perhaps even saying “Did you see that . . . .?” I deadpanned “What . . .?” and thought, “Mission accomplished.”

Today, we are reading Matthias’ paper on ceteris paribus laws. I am “it” for this week. In preparation, I have gone to the white board and covered it with my summary, so I can make the best use of the 5 minutes of sand allocated to me.

We are all seated and ready to start. “Who will cut the cake?” No one is brave enough. I hear some say “Not me.” Caitlin is brave and she gets to work, portioning the slices to the wishes of each Fellow.

The cake is cut. The mood is set. We get to work.

When our time was up, we assembled for dinner. It will be at the Double Wide Grill on the Southside. That is the easy choice for these last warm days of summer. There we can sit out on benches and watch the sun go down, while we eat and talk.

The next day, there is still 3/4th of the cake left. Trey, Cheryl and I debate just which will be the right combination of words that will encourage the rapid demise of the remainders.


John D. Norton

 


 

 

 

 

 
Revised 9/22/15 - Copyright 2012