“Let them eat cake.” When a cake is not just a cake.
Most readers will be familiar with the quote, “Let them eat cake.” which Wikipedia reminds us “is the traditional translation of the Frenchphrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche," supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread. Since brioche was a luxury bread enriched with butter and eggs, the quote would reflect the princess's disregard for the peasants, or at least a complete lack of understanding that the absence of basic food staples was due to poverty rather than a lack of supply. While it is commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette,[1] there is no record of this phrase ever having been said by her.”
I was reminded of his phrase while reading about the fact that a Muslim woman won a baking contest in the United Kingdom and was awarded the opportunity to create the birthday cake for Queen Elizabeth. By all accounts the woman, Nadiya Hussain, was delighted to be chosen for this honor.
In many respects, the background of the Queen and Mrs. Hussain could not be more different. Queen Elizabeth is the royal head of an Empire whose history includes all the behavior which empire building necessitated. She is a member of and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Mrs. Hussain is a Muslim and not head of anything in her religious community. The Queen lives in a palace, rides in a gold coach and has been bathed in luxury as well as ceremonial responsibility since ascending to the throne in 1958. Mrs. Hussain lives in a modest house although she is in process of moving to another modest house.
According to Wikipedia and other sources, Mrs. Hussain “is a first-generation Bangladeshi born and raised in Luton where she attended Challney High School and Luton Sixth from College. She was one of six children, with three sisters and two brothers.”
The Bengal history includes:
“The British East India Company gained official control of Bengal following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This was the first conquest, in a series of engagements that ultimately lead to the expulsion of other European competitors. The defeat of the Mughals and the consolidation of the subcontinent under the rule of a corporation was a unique event in imperialistic history. Kolkata (Anglicized as "Calcutta") on the Hooghly became a major trading port for bamboo, tea, sugar cane, spices, cotton, muslin and jute produced in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Kushtia.
Scandals and the bloody rebellion known as the Sepoy Mutiny prompted the British government to intervene in the affairs of the East India Company. In 1858, authority in India was transferred from the Company to the crown, and the rebellion was brutally suppressed. Rule of India was organized under a Viceroy and continued a pattern of economic exploitation. Famine racked the subcontinent many times, including at least two major famines in Bengal. The British Raj was politically organized into seventeen provinces of which Bengal was one of the most significant.”
If we just look at the above, it would seem that the historical distance between Mrs. Hussain and Queen Elizabeth is enormous. Yet, these two women have much in common. Both of them
Are female.
Are educated, strong, intelligent, powerful, professional women.
Had marriages which were largely arranged and both become love stories in their own right. (Actually although of royal lineage, Phillip was the not favored choice of many.)
In many respects, refused to obey the limits of the prescribed roles although both choose their battles. Queen Elizabeth’s public costume is very traditional although distinctly her. Mrs. Hussain wears the traditional hijab.
At a time when many extremists who happen to represent the Western world seems to have a difficult time separating extremists who happen to be Muslim and many extremists who happen to be Muslim have a difficult time separating the Empire building, arrogant, violent history of some of the Western world, the coming together of these two women remind us, once again, that our similarities as people is much greater than our differences.
The Queen is reported to have asked “Does it cut?” or “How do I cut it?” depending on which news story one reads. At that moment it was two women figuring out a logistical problem while delighting in something as simple as a birthday and the birthday gift of a cake. No matter how complicated this engineering project requiring 42 eggs was, it was, after all, both “the cake” and just a cake. Women and men have been sharing such moments since we began living together and taking care of each other. Long before we decided that it not enough just to be human and devised ways of proving that we are more than, better than, or more deserving then, we were people taking care of each other and coming together to celebrate each other and/or an achievement or blessing.
From “let them eat cake” which could, at times, symbolize how he humans treat those we decide are the least deserving – the least among us – to “Here is the cake to celebrate your birthday. I make this gift. I accept this gift – person to person” is perhaps not the complicated and impossible task we have imagined it to be.
A cake is, after all, sometimes not just a cake. It is a bridge of love. It is a bridge of mutual respect and acceptance. Perhaps?
Written April 22, 2016
Most readers will be familiar with the quote, “Let them eat cake.” which Wikipedia reminds us “is the traditional translation of the Frenchphrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche," supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread. Since brioche was a luxury bread enriched with butter and eggs, the quote would reflect the princess's disregard for the peasants, or at least a complete lack of understanding that the absence of basic food staples was due to poverty rather than a lack of supply. While it is commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette,[1] there is no record of this phrase ever having been said by her.”
I was reminded of his phrase while reading about the fact that a Muslim woman won a baking contest in the United Kingdom and was awarded the opportunity to create the birthday cake for Queen Elizabeth. By all accounts the woman, Nadiya Hussain, was delighted to be chosen for this honor.
In many respects, the background of the Queen and Mrs. Hussain could not be more different. Queen Elizabeth is the royal head of an Empire whose history includes all the behavior which empire building necessitated. She is a member of and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Mrs. Hussain is a Muslim and not head of anything in her religious community. The Queen lives in a palace, rides in a gold coach and has been bathed in luxury as well as ceremonial responsibility since ascending to the throne in 1958. Mrs. Hussain lives in a modest house although she is in process of moving to another modest house.
According to Wikipedia and other sources, Mrs. Hussain “is a first-generation Bangladeshi born and raised in Luton where she attended Challney High School and Luton Sixth from College. She was one of six children, with three sisters and two brothers.”
The Bengal history includes:
“The British East India Company gained official control of Bengal following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This was the first conquest, in a series of engagements that ultimately lead to the expulsion of other European competitors. The defeat of the Mughals and the consolidation of the subcontinent under the rule of a corporation was a unique event in imperialistic history. Kolkata (Anglicized as "Calcutta") on the Hooghly became a major trading port for bamboo, tea, sugar cane, spices, cotton, muslin and jute produced in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Kushtia.
Scandals and the bloody rebellion known as the Sepoy Mutiny prompted the British government to intervene in the affairs of the East India Company. In 1858, authority in India was transferred from the Company to the crown, and the rebellion was brutally suppressed. Rule of India was organized under a Viceroy and continued a pattern of economic exploitation. Famine racked the subcontinent many times, including at least two major famines in Bengal. The British Raj was politically organized into seventeen provinces of which Bengal was one of the most significant.”
If we just look at the above, it would seem that the historical distance between Mrs. Hussain and Queen Elizabeth is enormous. Yet, these two women have much in common. Both of them
Are female.
Are educated, strong, intelligent, powerful, professional women.
Had marriages which were largely arranged and both become love stories in their own right. (Actually although of royal lineage, Phillip was the not favored choice of many.)
In many respects, refused to obey the limits of the prescribed roles although both choose their battles. Queen Elizabeth’s public costume is very traditional although distinctly her. Mrs. Hussain wears the traditional hijab.
At a time when many extremists who happen to represent the Western world seems to have a difficult time separating extremists who happen to be Muslim and many extremists who happen to be Muslim have a difficult time separating the Empire building, arrogant, violent history of some of the Western world, the coming together of these two women remind us, once again, that our similarities as people is much greater than our differences.
The Queen is reported to have asked “Does it cut?” or “How do I cut it?” depending on which news story one reads. At that moment it was two women figuring out a logistical problem while delighting in something as simple as a birthday and the birthday gift of a cake. No matter how complicated this engineering project requiring 42 eggs was, it was, after all, both “the cake” and just a cake. Women and men have been sharing such moments since we began living together and taking care of each other. Long before we decided that it not enough just to be human and devised ways of proving that we are more than, better than, or more deserving then, we were people taking care of each other and coming together to celebrate each other and/or an achievement or blessing.
From “let them eat cake” which could, at times, symbolize how he humans treat those we decide are the least deserving – the least among us – to “Here is the cake to celebrate your birthday. I make this gift. I accept this gift – person to person” is perhaps not the complicated and impossible task we have imagined it to be.
A cake is, after all, sometimes not just a cake. It is a bridge of love. It is a bridge of mutual respect and acceptance. Perhaps?
Written April 22, 2016
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