So I learnt yesterday that there’s thing called “smash cakes”. Basically, it’s a small birthday cake that parents buy on the side so that their young children can smash & have fun during their birthday celebration while the actual cake is served to guests.
Some websites tout this as a fun way for young children to get involved in their own birthday celebration. I am however rather disturbed by it.
Call me old fashion but since I was a kid, my parents & elders have always emphasized the importance of not wasting food. They would remind me how scarce food was during the war & how lucky I am to have abundance of food when many children in 3rd world countries die of malnutrition.
Although I can’t claim to always finish my food & I am guilty of over ordering at times, the thought of ordering a cake with the sole intention of it being smashed – no matter how small it is – is troubling.
It’s not so much about the cost but the thought that we have enjoyed peace & prosperity for so long (if you consider a couple of decades long) that we have taken a basic need, i.e. food, for granted.
Will our children grow up in the belief that their enjoyment & fun takes precedence over everything else? Is this a slippery slope to a generation that is self-serving & hold a misguided sense of entitlement?
It’s a worrying food for thought. Literally.
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