Annual King Cake Party

Some years ago (15, 16, 17 something like that) a small group of my fellow-teachers and I decided we would start a book club.  That worked out great and we got together about every other month to discuss the book we were reading and, of course, eat.  One winter a couple of three years after we started the book club, somebody had the idea of having a King Cake party.

King Cakes have been around for a long time in many different countries, but our focus was on Mardi Gras and the New Orleans tradition of the King Cake.  This is a cake in which a small plastic figure--the King, or “baby Jesus”, hidden inside is served to guests.  The lucky guest receiving the “baby Jesus” in their serving got the prize.  King Cake parties are held during Mardi Gras. That sounded like fun.

That first year we went all out and ordered a genuine King Cake from a bakery in New Orleans.  Kathy hosted the party that year and prepared a delicious authentic Cajun style meal.  We cut the King Cake with the rule that whoever got the “baby Jesus” would host the party the following year.  That first party was a blast and we loved every minute of it.

Now, if you are a teacher or have a friend or family member who is, you will know that teachers are generally very creative and will often make up their own rules.  Although we kept the “BJ” as he came to be called, gave him a bath and stored him in a safe place to await the next Mardi Gras season (we even sent him through school mail a few times until we decided it might be unconstitutional), our “kings” began to change.  We’ve had several kings over these few years (14, 15, 16 something like that).  Elvis was king, and King Tut, King Kong, BB King, and King of the Jungle just to name a few.  We soon did away with ordering the traditional cake and made our own, often in the shape which represented the named king.   Of course, we always dressed up (some may think we’ve dressed down).

This year “Bling is King” and the party is tonight at the home of my former team mate, Karen.  Since I have been away from Nashville for the past several years, I have been unable to attend the festivities and I miss being there.  This year, when my invitation came in the mail I determined to be there in spirit.

I made my own king cake, sans the BJ, and have dug around for some antique bling.  The party starts at 6 PM and I am calling in to say “hi” to all my friends.  It won’t be the same as being there, but it will be a whole lot better than not participating at all.