Wizard of Id by Parker and Hart for January 22, 2011

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    Llewellenbruce  almost 14 years ago

    Even Betty Crocker couldn’t save her from losing her head.

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    ellisaana Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    Actually, Betty didn’t. Her head has been replaced with a younger version.

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    rockngolfer  almost 14 years ago

    She didn’t realize that cake costs more than bread, when the peasants had no bread. Like our 435 plus 100 today.

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    jscam Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    Cake without circus is not fair!

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    GROG Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    I had no idea Betty Crocker was so old.

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    Coyoty Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    In that time, cake meant the burnt crust at the bottom of the bread after baking. Peasants got the burnt bottom crust, or cake, while their masters got the tasty soft upper crust of the bread. That’s why the affluent are often called the “upper crust”.

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    Sandfan  almost 14 years ago

    Off subject comment:: Coyoty’s avatar suggest that he, like me, is a Green Hornet fan. Anyone seen the movie? Is it worth buying?

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    cdward  almost 14 years ago

    FWIW, there’s no evidence she ever said it. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions is where the phrase originates, and it came out well before Marie Antoinette was in a position to utter those words.

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    freeholder1  almost 14 years ago

    You do know the King class was also the capitalist class in France, don’t you, William. That was why the taxes were so high on serfs. It was also that oppressive idea that ended up in a SOCIALIST revolution that’s still going on in the country. Both our tax happy parties are unlikely to learn from the history they keep re-writing.

    She was in a position to PAY for them, however, cd. Again something our pols would do well to keep in mind.

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    peter0423  almost 14 years ago

    Coyoty: An interesting notion about “cake”. Do you have a source for that? (I’m a mad factoid collector.)

    One dictionary definition of cake is “a flat thin mass of bread, esp. unleavened bread” — not a sweet, fluffy dessert, but the low-grade food of a poor man. However, the WikiPedia article on “Let them eat cake” indicates that the more common meaning of cake as a dessert (actually “brioche” in the original) is the intended one, with no mention of the sense that you gave.

    The article also thoroughly debunks Marie Antoinette ever using that phrase, which seems to have originated before she was born, and would have been out of character for her — she was clueless and an incredible spendthrift, but kindly disposed toward the poor when she thought about them at all.

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    soluvrly  almost 14 years ago

    And what most American’s forget is that the French went bankrupt supporting a certain Revolution of a certain colony of a certain Empire that had been centuries old enemies. And how did they rethank them? Let them be beheaded. Nice. Real nice America.

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    Edcole1961  almost 14 years ago

    Actually, she never said anything of the sort. Jean-Jacques Rousseau mentioned in his confessions book about a young princess who made the comment. This was about 75 years before Marie Antoinette was even born. It wasn’t attributed to her until after she was dead.

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    tmick2001  almost 14 years ago

    Clark Kent: that’s what I’ve heard.

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    gocomicsmember  almost 14 years ago

    The statement about the origin of the term “upper crust” is an urban legend. Besides, the actual word (translated into English as “cake”) used by Rousseau in the story he told was “brioche.”

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    ponytail56  almost 14 years ago

    coyote, thanks I always appreciate an education based in reality

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    SaunaBeach  almost 14 years ago

    Hey! Stick your cake in your hockey locker.

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