Culturebox: Against Cupcakes

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television Against Cupcakes The yipping lap dog of baked goods inspires three new shows. By Troy Patterson Posted Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, at 5:36 PM ET Well nigh a year ago, Daniel Gross, Slate's "Moneybox" columnist, wrote in these pages about the cupcake, that fashionable treat with the annoying aura. Considering the cupcake as an economic indicator, he offered that the current recession "laid the groundwork for the recent proliferation of cupcake stores in American cities," described an industry in its bubble phase, and pointed to the reasons that a crash would come soon. "Cupcakes are essentially reactionary ... willfully uncomplex, familiar, and comforting," he wrote. "But as reactionaries often do, they've gone too far." The cupcake downturn cannot come soon enough. Every time I drag myself into the office, I pass "NYC's only cupcake, wine, and beer bar" and then congratulate myself on resisting the urge to smash its front window. It is one of several places cutely blighting the nation with cupcake-and-wine pairings, the sort of dining experience that gives decadent nonsense a bad name. As any child will tell you, this dessert is supposed to be paired with milk, please. Any other beverage that attempts to recontextualize the snack just renders it plainly silly. The cupcake has become a yipping lap dog among baked goods. To continue reading, click here. Troy Patterson is Slate's television critic. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate How Many Black Men Do You Have To Murder to Make the Front Page of the New York Times? Troy Patterson on the Despicable New Genre of TV Shows About Cupcakes Won't It Be Awesome When Amazon Releases a $99 Kindle?	Advertisement
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