The B'day cake
I am not sure if there exists any soul on this earth who actually enjoys having a cake all over his/her face on his/her b'day. Still year after year the trend goes on as is evident by the mandatory presence of a "caked face" snap in all the photo albums on Orkut and elsewhere. If nobody likes it (as was indicated by a quick survey I conducted on some of my friends and found only one supporter), then the question is why does it go on? Well I have some theories as always :-)
1. It is encouraged by those who don't like cake. So this way they can bring out all their hidden contempt for cake and do the worst that they can do to it i.e. waste it.
2. A slightly less skeptic view says that people are trying to take revenge for what happens to them on their b'days. So it is a vicious cycle in which we are loosing both fun and cake.
3. A more rational explanation by my sister. She says that people do not like to have it on their own face but they really enjoy putting it on others' faces. Now at any point of time, there is only one person who dislikes the act and many more who like it and so the total amount of happiness generated is more. This is what makes it happen year after year. While this sounds much more logical, this also reflects pretty badly on us. It says that we inherently have double standards and that all of us are a little bit of sadist in our hearts.
So which one of the above fits you best? None? Then you belong to the majority that almost never knows why they are doing what they are doing but since everybody else is doing it, so are they. This is worst. There are so many reasons why it is bad idea to waste a cake like this, you most probably don't like it also and still you are doing it year after year without even knowing why.
As you may have guessed, I absolutely hate it and would go to any length to avoid it. I have bought myself fruit cake instead of a cream cake just to avoid this ritual. I am glad that people around me have been understanding and I have never faced a ugly situation. I am thinking of starting to refuse to step into or click any photographs in a party where a person has cake on his face.
Let me suggest some alternatives. If you don't like cake, say it out aloud and refuse to eat it. It's not a crime to not like cake. If you are trying to take revenge, isn't it better to not let it happen to you to start with? And if you really really enjoy it, carry some colors or something else, something not eatable at least, to put on the face. Wasting food is criminal.
(This was prompted by the images of faces covered in cake in Orkut albums and soon to come Holi.)
1. It is encouraged by those who don't like cake. So this way they can bring out all their hidden contempt for cake and do the worst that they can do to it i.e. waste it.
2. A slightly less skeptic view says that people are trying to take revenge for what happens to them on their b'days. So it is a vicious cycle in which we are loosing both fun and cake.
3. A more rational explanation by my sister. She says that people do not like to have it on their own face but they really enjoy putting it on others' faces. Now at any point of time, there is only one person who dislikes the act and many more who like it and so the total amount of happiness generated is more. This is what makes it happen year after year. While this sounds much more logical, this also reflects pretty badly on us. It says that we inherently have double standards and that all of us are a little bit of sadist in our hearts.
So which one of the above fits you best? None? Then you belong to the majority that almost never knows why they are doing what they are doing but since everybody else is doing it, so are they. This is worst. There are so many reasons why it is bad idea to waste a cake like this, you most probably don't like it also and still you are doing it year after year without even knowing why.
As you may have guessed, I absolutely hate it and would go to any length to avoid it. I have bought myself fruit cake instead of a cream cake just to avoid this ritual. I am glad that people around me have been understanding and I have never faced a ugly situation. I am thinking of starting to refuse to step into or click any photographs in a party where a person has cake on his face.
Let me suggest some alternatives. If you don't like cake, say it out aloud and refuse to eat it. It's not a crime to not like cake. If you are trying to take revenge, isn't it better to not let it happen to you to start with? And if you really really enjoy it, carry some colors or something else, something not eatable at least, to put on the face. Wasting food is criminal.
(This was prompted by the images of faces covered in cake in Orkut albums and soon to come Holi.)
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