Ritual Dances of Cupcake Lust and Desire

I was out with two of my favorite foodies yesterday--TJ and Amanda--and we ate ourselves through Chelsea, the Meatpacking, the High Line and Soho. We had Colicchio donuts (hot pumpkin ones with cream cheese dipping sauce) and while on our way to the new Payard, (where we would split a chocolate almond croissant and a divine Gateau Basque) we passed the Magnolia Bakery with its signature long line and pooh poohed it. (Look, I've had my sugary share of Magnolias, but waiting on a line for an hour to get them is no longer cute.) However, as we waited for the light to change, out marched eight women in fuchsia satin dresses and black high heels, cupcakes in each hand with the precision of drum majors. Suddenly, they broke into song and dance, singing "God Bless Magnolia" (to the tune of God Bless America). We would later find out that they were the Cupcake Cadet Corps, with weekend performances in the street at 3pm and 5pm.

Here, have a look:

Now, when we watched this, I didn't realize all the political significance--it was just some impromptu performance art which quite frankly in the West Village isn't so weird. I love at the end of this video, when choreographer Sue Hogan explains what happens when people are distracted from what they really should be thinking about and instead become obsessed with a cupcake or some other pop cultural phenomenon to deal with the things that are too difficult to deal with. Look, those of you who read my blog are no strangers to the fact that I had my own little cupcake obsession over the course of the past year, but hey, I was an equal opportunity cupcake consumer! Magnolia, Billy's, Crumbs, Little Cupcake, Butter Lane--I had them all and I loved them all.

But after Gateau Basque my darlings, there's no returning to cupcakes. (Isn't that what they say? Once you go Basque, you never go back!)