Cake Parties!

Today I participated in my first Cake Party! Cake Party was invented by my roommate, Tuey, about two years ago. It’s essentially a monthly party in a public space, in honor of Cake who turns a year older at each party. Friends, acquaintances, and strangers are all welcome to join, as the point is to bring people together, to connect people for the sake of making friends and having interesting conversations with people you might not otherwise meet.

Each month people convene at a unique location and when enough people gather everyone sings happy birthday to Cake, who is baked, named, and brought by Tuey. And then the best part, everyone gets to eat Cake! Now you might wonder how Cake feels about being eaten given that it is his celebration and all, but you have to understand that part of the concept of Cake Party is that it’s a metaphor for the cycle of life – Cake is created, Cake develops a personality, Cake builds relationships, Cake brings people together, Cake feeds, Cake dies, Cake’s story is told, and ultimately Cake is reborn (the next month).

Here are a few last details about Cake Parties: 1. Tuey hides surprises in the cake, like phone numbers, coins, chocolates, etc, and each surprise has a positive symbolic meaning that is revealed upon being found! 2. Cake is made from different ingredients and has a different name each month. 3. Tuey designs and hand draws a different invitation, and story book, for each Cake Party. 4. Invitations arrive by word of mouth or through snail mail. 5. Everyone who participates is welcome to wear a party hat all day long!

Above is a picture of me eating Cake, to the right is a picture of Tuey in her party hat, and below is a picture of Cake Giovanni Smith at his 22 birthday! Oh, and to find out more about Cake Parties, visit Tuey and Cake’s website: http://www.youmecake.com/