The importance of the birthday cake

I don’t know where the tradition of the birthday cake came from but I really hope it never dies out in years to come. So many of my childhood memories come from the birthday parties I can remember so vividly and the cake is all part of that. I love the thought that the humble Victoria sponge for one day a year can stand proud in the middle of a table of food simply because it is wearing its finest royal icing and has been crowned with candles.

This is a beautiful cake made by a friend for another friend's birthday! We all sat around eating it together and it was such a great afternoon!

My first memory of reading cookery books comes from looking at all the pictures in a great cake book which my mum used every year for our birthdays. She did not need guidance on how to bake a perfect cake but she used the book for inspiration on how to make a normal cake transform into a racing car or a beach scene. It would be part of the centre piece of every party and birthday cake definitely helped start my love of food and the creativity which can be explored through food.

To me, birthday cake is strongly linked with the tradition of sharing food. It does not only trigger most birthday memories, having everyone sing to you and then you blowing out the candles but also a great part of birthday cake is that it is shared by everyone celebrating the birthday that day. The concept of sharing food and sitting down to eat as a group of people is something I love and want to encourage. I believe this can all stem from appreciating the importance of a birthday cake from a young age!

                In these modern times where the culture is to eat whatever you want whenever you want, meal times are not so important. It is also not necessarily the case that even if you are sitting around the same table that you will be eating the same thing as everyone else. We have grown up in a culture where if you like a certain food you can have it in excess and if you don’t like something you don’t have to eat it at all. Sweet treats such as cake are no longer rare or thought of as special. This is just a reflection that food is over produced and we have become greedy.

                Yet the magical thing in my eyes is that when a cake is donned a ‘birthday cake’ people do seem to treat it more as something special and those who may worry about weight or eating healthy are often swayed to have “just a slither!” Birthday cake allows you to feel part of something, a group of people celebrating someone’s birthday and enjoying cake with no regrets. Cake is common and easily eaten by all, whenever they want, but birthday cake is special and rare and reminds people that food can be fun and should be appreciated. Even if it only happens once a year, people can be reminded that eating something delicious, as a group, is a great treat and an enjoyable experience. This is why I believe the birthday cake is and always will be, extremely important in our lives.

You are what you eat

In light of recent events, most prominently the horse meat scandal, people have been forced to think more about what they are eating. Are there many times a week that you can say you are eating a meal where you know exactly where all the ingredients came from, let alone know what they are? The truth is that hardly any of us can.

                Events such as finding out that your lasagne may or may not have horse meat in it, shocked the nation and caused a huge uproar for a short period of time, yet in 6 months I think it would be reasonable to guess that it will no longer be in the forefronts of people’s minds. A minority of people will have stopped buying supermarket meat and will be experiencing the benefits of buying directly from their butchers, but most people won’t.

 I believe that it is so important for people to understand there is some truth in the saying ‘you are what you eat’. It is common to see images of disadvantaged children drinking dirty water and the thought that always runs through my head is that they must be so desperate to drink something like that when they have no idea what could be in it. Most of the things which are in dirty drinking water harm them severely, but they have no other choice as they are so thirsty. So why do we eat so many foods where we have no idea what is in them? The majority of us are not desperate and in fact we are spoilt for choice when faced with choosing what to eat. So I think there is no excuse for our lazy attitude towards food. Of course money is a factor but it only narrows the choices available, it does not eliminate choice.   

As a culprit myself, there are many times that it does not even cross your mind to consider what else is in your food other than the core ingredients you recognise. But this is the mindset which needs changing. If you were buying a house for example I believe you would check what was inside every room and would check that it was all up to standard before buying it. So why when choosing what to put inside our bodies, something much more important and irreplaceable, do we take no care in checking what is inside our food?

I understand that it is extremely hard to know exactly to the last detail what is in your food when you are buying it in, but my view is that a little more consideration will go a long way. As I have said before I believe eating well is not only good for you biologically but it can enhance happiness and well being. I can say it is truly satisfying to know what you are eating is not full of lots of chemicals and additives. To the taste buds it may be a more subtle difference between it and the food you were eating before but when you have the knowledge on top to know you are eating something wholesome it will enhance the flavour and enjoyment dramatically.

Live to eat, don't eat to live!

It had finally dawned on me that food can be more than just a hobby and can be a way of life. It is now truly my way of life. Nothing makes me happier than working with food. Food is easily one of the best ways to make other people happy and that thought motivates me every day to share my passion with others.

                Recently the food revolution has totally taken over the country. Chefs are just as recognisable as sports and television stars. Cooking and baking has become extremely fashionable, a common activity which seems to be bringing people together whether it is watching the Great British Bake off together or hosting dinner parties.

                Through all the experiences I have had with food so far in my life it is clear there is a direct link between eating something great and an increase of happiness. My philosophical view of life is that you should strive for happiness and not settle for anything less. If you can surround yourself with people and things that make you happy you won’t be going far wrong. Food pops up on you at least 3 times a day trying to boost your happiness. I believe everyone should oblige and enjoy their meal times with a big smile on their faces.

                In regards to this, my question is why are there people who simply eat to live and claim that Michelin starred restaurants intimidate them and wouldn’t be their type of thing. I do believe that taste is subjective, I am happy to admit I have an irrational hatred for bananas – not everyone will like every taste. But I challenge anyone to eat at Le Gavroche and not love every course. Appreciating good food and cooking is to do with mindset not taste buds. I believe a culinary education is just as important as any other learning which happens throughout life. Wanting to experience new things and being open minded is just as valuable as knowledge.

                I am thankful to my parents for lots of things but mostly for insuring from a young age I tried all different types of food and didn’t just let me eat chicken nuggets and chips every day. They educated me in what lots of different foods and drinks tasted like and were always making sure I ate fresh and fruit and vegetables. I learnt many technical skills whilst at cookery school but the best thing I learnt was an appreciation for the ingredients I was using. If children and adults could learn this through experience I truly believe it would change their views on food and eating.

                Take a piece of fish which is simply pan fried and served with a big squeeze of lemon. It has been caught the day before by the local fisherman and filleted by the local fishmonger. I can guarantee there will be a taste left with you when you eat it that is more than just well cooked fish. I believe eating good food is good for your soul. If you are what you eat, why not be something which leaves you with a good conscious supporting someone who works hard?

                If nothing else, my philosophy degree taught me to always think twice about things before forming an opinion. I believe this should be applied to food too. Why do we eat? We eat to survive- it is a necessity- so why not make it something that also brings you extreme amounts of happiness? Unfortunately there are not many things you can do with breathing to make it fun, so why not exploit the chance we have with food?

Next time you buy a cheese and tomato pizza, why not add fresh spinach and homemade pesto to it? There you would be, joining in the food revolution, delving into the realms of cheffing, teaching yourself that food can taste great rather than just good. That day you would have learnt something as part of your new culinary education.

                Make yourself and those around you happier- stop eating to live and start living to eat.  

A little bit about me...

My name is Harriet Rogers I am 22 and in the last 6 months I gained 2 valuable qualifications. The first was a philosophy degree and the second was a culinary diploma allowing me to become a professional chef. I now work as a commis chef while my friends from university work in offices in London. They may have great graduate jobs and very appealing salaries, but I feel like the lucky one.

This blog is a way for me to share my thoughts and passions. I completely understand that food is personal and people love all different foods for all different reasons, the view I have is that a greater understanding of food can lead to a greater love of it, resulting in a larger amount of happiness for everyone all over the world.