I realized the depth of my embarrassing cultural ignorance only when one of my Canadian co-teachers said, 'Wow, you've never seen one of those? I'm from Canada and I know King Cake.' (Read: Are you truly an American?)
In case there are any other ignorant Americans out there, here is a picture of a King Cake so that at least you will not be caught completely unawares when accosted by one in the street:
Apparently, there is a little 'trinket' hidden inside the cake (often a Baby Jesus figurine) so that the person who gets the slice with the hidden trinket also receives special privileges and duties:
In this part of the country (i.e. anywhere within 600 miles of New Orleans), King Cake has something to do with Mardi Gras/Carnival and the arrival of the Lenten season.
So, here I go to try some King Cake. I'm not sure if I actually want the special trinket because I have no idea what 'special privileges and duties' I would receive. A ver....
Don't feel bad, Elizabeth! I didn't know what it was either! I had to ask someone at HEB. We don't have this stuff in North Carolina!
ReplyDeleteIt sounded vaguely familiar, but without any context, I would probably not have a CLUE to its origins! :->
ReplyDeleteThough the picture (namely the decorations) definitely made me think of Mardi Gras...
Here's another American regional food: scrapple. (Does your Canadian friend know what that is? :)