How To Handle This Question Correctly...
Business By cakemeasIam Updated 14 Nov 2009 , 1:51am by CakestyleIN
K8 - just wanted to tell you publicly that I am sorry that it gets personal - there are many on here who are willing to debate topics without taking it to a personal level - and we appreciate the advice and time that you give. I know you can "take it" - I just want you to know you are appreciated by many.
Thanks--I am fine.
I mean I know I am a rabid scratch/mix junkie like y'all didn't?
I was burned twice* at an early cake age and it might well be permanent damage huh? Seems like it.
As far as CakeBuddies poking me etc. Oh well. I do get intense. I can see how others might think of me as a know it all-ish but not really. I try to always say, "these are my thoughts for you" I think of me as a 'knows something' after all.
Pull up a chair and a reclining couch and we can psycho analyze the cake junkie--since we're getting personal.
And I'm like half sanguine and half melancholy in the personality tests.
So one half of me is always beating up the other half-I'm used to it.
Y'know what people call people they can't stand? Entrepreneurs.
*20 plus years ago I made a tier cake by hand without a mixer from cake mix and an idiot carried on about how his mother's scratch cake was better.
I fell in love with Roses' Cake Bible and she soundly dissed cakers like me in her book--truly broke my cake heart.
Don't cry for me Argentina... or CC
But imagine my amazement when I got online and discovered that some of my knowledge and experience was valuable to some folks.
I understand that my warped scratch versus mix obsession could be contagious so I'll try & be good.
'Sides I know y'all love me even if I'm a pia sometimes. Sometimes I help out too.
Then there was the ICES fiasco, that I lost oh well, not good enough, that I was treated thusly o.m.g.
I'd like to be cured of doing cakes but I think that's permanent damage too. An old old family friend called & said, do me a cake I said no. I said $165 for an 8x5 hot fudge cake she said OK --shoot!
There's room for everyone thoughts-for-you even moi.
And I'm sure I'm gonna find that place any minute now.
kate,
i too am in love with "cake bible" but haven't seen anything in it about using cake mix in a recipe.
i can understand how hurtful that must have been because i admire rose and love the book.
sounds like she was way out of line.
i want to chime in to say that as a newbie, i've really appreciated your help too.
She didn't talk about cake mix per se. I had just purchased some 'insipid cupid pillars' and frankly was quite proud of them.
Also I was one of the ones making 'hulking white baroque numbers' back in those days.
She had made a special cake for her brother's wedding and planned to fly with it to Colorado from New York--huge Snowstorm--all planes grounded--her cake was eaten by the airplane people--her dad made the travel box--all lost--grr huh.
So her brother's peeps bought him a 'hulking white baroque number with insipid cupid pillars." So he would at least have a cake.
So that kinda smarted.
well, she is clearly out of line and judgemental in that statement.
i have minimal decorating ability and am very impressed with the skill set required to make a cake that could be called "baroque".
there are a lot of cakes that aren't my aesthetic but i am still blown away by what it must have taken to produce it.
I do appreciate you K8, you have helped many on CC including me. (((HUG)))
i agree. kate may have a strong personality over the net that rubs people the wrong way at times *but* she is *very* helpful to so many here!
I thought it was pretty ballsy to put that story in a book called bible. I mean wouldn't you at least want to market the book to the poor unfortunates who bought the cupid pillars??? She dissed her brother's friends too not to mention the decorator.
I don't think she's really worried about it.
And I was always curious about her thesis where she proves that sifting does not equally incorporate ingredients all exactly. I mean who ever thought sifting does fully mix things up in the first place? Just sift a half cup of cocoa with three cups of flour. What?
well, she is clearly out of line and judgemental in that statement.
i have minimal decorating ability and am very impressed with the skill set required to make a cake that could be called "baroque".
there are a lot of cakes that aren't my aesthetic but i am still blown away by what it must have taken to produce it.
I agree. I'm sure, based on this statement, that she must think Lambeth style is horrible, but the amount of skill and the beauty of the architectural build up, creating masterpieces out of BC is unsurpassed.
If she likes plain iced with a ribbon around the base and calls that "decorated", then power to her. doesnt' make her right or wrong .... just one with an opinion that HAPPENED to get published.
Kate....half sanguine half melancholy? Good lord woman, how do you stand yourself?!!!
Actually, I'm pretty much the same. A little more melancholy than sanguine, but still. I seriously irritate myself.
Have you done the MBTI test? Very interesting, if you're into personality stuff. I teach an entire two week unit on personality (MBTI, True Colors, etc) and the kids love it.
A mix cookbook theres "The Doctored Mix". I think thats what it's called. For those who like scratch recipes, theres "The Cake Bible". I never seen a writer who is trying to appeal to every single demographic, thats why everybody doesn't buy their book. I had just done an inspid cupid grecian columned cake when the book came out. I thought her stroy was entertaining. She doesn't like decorating that way. I think thats her perogative. This is a no brainer, don't read the book.
Kate....half sanguine half melancholy? Good lord woman, how do you stand yourself?!!!
Actually, I'm pretty much the same. A little more melancholy than sanguine, but still. I seriously irritate myself.
Have you done the MBTI test? Very interesting, if you're into personality stuff. I teach an entire two week unit on personality (MBTI, True Colors, etc) and the kids love it.
Tellll me about it!!!! oh my oh my oh MY
I am one point more melancholy than sanguine - aheh.
I totally irritate/aggravate myself moment by moment--and fellow cake buddies think I irritate them--ha! They have no clue.
But I totally went into therapy for the first time in my life because of frankly how sh*tty the ICES certification thing train wrecked me--and I patiently waited and waited for them to make it right. Aka apology plus refund of my fee. And they said no. Although one of the certification officials said they would pay my fee for a next time--thanks but no thanks. Admit guilt much.
But all that to say--I told my therapist I was half sanguine & half melancholy and she said, So you're a well balanced person--hahahahaha uproarious laughter, eternal belly laugh. I'm a freaking civil war on two legs!!! Geez and I was paying this chick. At least I'm not depressed anymore. Pretty much.
What's MBTI??
Myers Briggs Temperment. It's a much more detailed personality test, and incredibly accurate. It takes into consideration extroversion and introversion, and is quite helpful. It gives you a four letter type (I'm ESJF, my husband is INTP....opposites attract!). There are 16 types.
Can you tell I love this stuff??
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes3.asp
I know this is a silly internet test but I'm ISTJ. Hmmmmmm.
I did a very detailed one that I actually have the booklette results of somewhere-- besides the original where I was 51/49...hmmm wonder where that's at. It might be this same one huh...It's designed to determine like your spiritual gifts. Where your strengths lie. I think the conclusion was, must dig deeper (to find them) hahaha
I love that kind of stuff too!! I'll look up both them--Jamie's and yours. Cool.
I've taken a zillion of those tests during my time in corporate america. I put most of them in the category of "giving HR job security".
I go with how Andy Rooney described himself and it's me to a T: I'm a Type A person. What does that mean? It means when you are in your car in front of me .... and the light turns green ...... GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'Nuff said!
I go with how Andy Rooney described himself and it's me to a T: I'm a Type A person. What does that mean? It means when you are in your car in front of me .... and the light turns green ...... GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'Nuff said!
That's me too!! lol....
No not me--I see that person's side too. They have every right to save their gas by taking off slow and dawdling as long as they want. After all it was me the other day who hesitated when the light turned green and lo and behold if I had pulled out that guy who ran the light would have knocked me into next week....
No no, no, I understand you have to get where you're going but they pay taxes too...blablabla blabla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dude~~and I'm just warming up too~
~Welcome to my world <insert maniacal laughter>
Oh, k8! And just when I was starting to have hope for ya!
Yeah, no.
Not to stir the pot up again, but after reading thru this "debate" I wanted to throw in my 2 cents I think it's all a matter of opinion on what "scratch" really is... to me, completely from scratch would ensue milling your own flour, which you grew in your field along with your vanilla bean, sugar cane, etc. Eggs collected from the chickens you raised... get my point? That is my opinion of completely from scratch.
When I make a cake I add flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, sometimes cocoa, sometimes sour cream, oil, baking powder, same as what a scratch baker adds...I just happen to also add a box that has some of those ingredients as well. I used to not use a box mix included with my other ingredients for cakes, but now I prefer the taste more with it.
So, what exactly is from scratch? Pretty much everything you buy from the store has preservatives in it. I am assembling the ingredients, mixing it myself and baking it myself... so aren't we all really the same?
That all said, I don't own a biz, I'm a hobbyist that loves decorating. If someone were to ask me if its scratch or box-- well, I would just tell them, it is homemade. That's not lying, it is true, even if it is not actually answering the question
K, I'm done, thanks for reading!!
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