# Discworld cake **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245 "2006-10-12T21:01:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/21 "2006-10-14T12:53:52Z")
About the fruitcake - there’s a British fruitcake traditionally used for weddings that is light and tasty, not at all like the Christmas time fruitcakes many are probably thinking. At least, that’s what I’m hoping is under that frosting and marzipan!! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/22 "2006-10-14T15:55:10Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] It’s incredibly lame that someone wanted to feature a science fiction series at their wedding [/QUOTE] Why? People are allowed to have their own interests, and if they share those with their spouses, why not include them in the wedding? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/23 "2006-10-14T16:31:44Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Fantasy, not Science Fiction. [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s _very_ nice. You would have fit in well at that wedding. [QUOTE=Captain Carrot] Why? People are allowed to have their own interests, and if they share those with their spouses, why not include them in the wedding? [/QUOTE] I’m a fan of a number of pretty nerdy things; I have nothing against sci-fi/fantasy kind of stuff; I’m a huge fan of _Buffy_, for instance, and I thought the _Lord of the Rings_ movies were truly modern classics. But there’s something very sad about people for whom being a fan of some media product is the defining feature of their personality. If you give your wedding vows in Klingon, I’m gonna laugh my ass off at you. It’s sad that the most exciting thing some people can say about themselves is “I passively enjoy a television show that I have no personal involvement with” (or series of books, or movie, or what-have-you). It’s sad that, for some people, the really important things in their lives are entertainment products. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/24 "2006-10-14T16:44:14Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] It’s sad that, for some people, the really important things in their lives are entertainment products. [/QUOTE] Meh. It seems that you are making a judgement about every aspect of this person’s life based on one bit of information. Who’s to say that their life is not in balance, based solely on that? The greater questions to ask are things like: Is this person functional? Is he/she happy? Productive? A net asset to friends, family, community? If so, what does it matter? And no, I don’t speak Klingon. Not a word of it. Quenya, on the other hand… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/25 "2006-10-14T16:55:39Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] But there’s something very sad about people for whom being a fan of some media product is the defining feature of their personality. If you give your wedding vows in Klingon, I’m gonna laugh my ass off at you. It’s sad that the most exciting thing some people can say about themselves is “I passively enjoy a television show that I have no personal involvement with” (or series of books, or movie, or what-have-you). It’s sad that, for some people, the really important things in their lives are entertainment products. [/QUOTE] Or you could look at it like _Hmm. How many chances in my life am I going to have to really go all out and special-order this incredibly complicated and probably very expensive cake, as well as share it with tons of people?_ People spend beaucoup bucks on wedding cakes; you can either get a boring old tiered wedding cake with a boring old bride and groom figurine on top, or you can take that money and splurge on something totally different and extremely cool instead. I don’t think I’ve ever had marzipan, what exactly is it? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/26 "2006-10-14T17:06:07Z")
A a professional baker, all I can say about that cake is **WOW**!!! It’s absolutely stunning. It took a **lot** \* of talent to do all that molding and painting. The colors are wonderful I’ve heard of the Discworld but never read it. Is it a series of books? I’ve only decorated standard wedding cakes myself, but if I ever married again, the cake I’d want(taking into account the groom of course) would be, in shape, a standard, tiered cake. But everything would be chocolate, the cake, the icing, the flowers, everything. I saw a picture of a cake like that once, and as a confirmed chocoholic, that’s what I’d like. So maybe that says something about _me_, but I don’t care. I have made a number of gingerbread structures, for an annual display held here in Topeka. [http://cjonline.com/stories/121505/loc\_gingerchurch.shtml](http://cjonline.com/stories/121505/loc_gingerchurch.shtml) That link is to an article about the church model my sister and I did last year. If you are interested in seeing it, you may have to register, but it’s free. Or I could send a copy of the picture and caption by email. Again, the cake is stunning! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/27 "2006-10-14T17:07:36Z")
OK, I screwed up the coding on that post, didn’t I? Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/28 "2006-10-14T17:21:54Z")
[QUOTE=Marlitharn] I don’t think I’ve ever had marzipan, what exactly is it? [/QUOTE] It’s a sweetened almond paste, easily moldable, like clay. Here’s a link to an article: > **[Marzipan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan)** > > Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. Variants can be made from other nuts, or apricot or peach kernels, instead of almonds. It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It can also be used in biscuits or rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing cakes, primarily birthday cakes, wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. ... And a site from Odense, a maker of almond paste and marzipan > **[Home | Odense Almond Paste & Marzipan](https://odense.com/)** > > Pure almond paste and marzipan for baking and cake decorating. The choice of home bakers for over 75 years. Almond is one of my favorite flavorings, next to chocolate. You can make a fine truffle by rolling a small ball of marzipan and dipping it in dark chocolate. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/29 "2006-10-14T17:22:08Z")
I dunno… Maybe the newlyweds first met at a sci-fi convention, where they were both dressed as Diskworld characters? Surely, there’re a few cases of that happening, and it’s no more pathetic than folks meeting due to any other shared hobby. In that case, Diskworld could be a strong reminder of their relationship, with deep personal significance far beyond the value of the books themselves. And for such a hypothetical couple, it would be entirely appropriate to feature a Diskworld cake at their wedding. Or maybe they just met at the office, or in college, and happened to both have a passing interest in Pratchett, and thought that just because it’s a wedding, that’s no reason not to insert some frivolity. That’d be perfectly fine, too: It’s their wedding, and it’s none of our business to say how they should or should not celebrate it. Either way, that cake is definitely way cool. I have to wonder, though, whether there are any sort of reinforcements inside the elephants (and possibly extending down through A’Tuin’s shell). Even just a thin cardboard disk covered with icing (as the top appears to be) is going to have some weight to it, and candy and cake are neither one known as the best structural materials. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/30 "2006-10-14T18:03:11Z")
Re: Fruit Cake: I doubt it’s the dreaded Xmas gift with the little jellies in it. My wife never does yellow cake with chocolate frosting, or anything that simple anymore. It’s always mango with raspberry glaze or coconut with orange filling - you get the picture - and they’re almost all fruit-juice sweetened. I think these type of cakes have come to be known as Fruit Cakes to a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/31 "2006-10-14T18:16:16Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] It’s incredibly lame that someone wanted to feature a science fiction series at their wedding (even one that’s as good as Discworld is reported to be), but I have to give them credit - they did a great job rendering it in confection form. [/QUOTE] Friends of ours played the processional theme from the end of Star Wars: Episode IV at the end of their wedding ceremony. They are not obsessive Star Wars fans, and neither are their lives defined by it. They just thought it was a fun, unusual choice for wedding music. For MrWhatsit’s birthday about five years ago, I enlisted the help of friends and we made him [Floating Island in the Shape of the Galapagos Archipelago](http://www.bluepoof.com/pics/april01/galapagos.jpg), which is a dessert featured in the Patrick O’Brian sailing novels. MrWhatsit loves reading Patrick O’Brian books. His life is not defined by Patrick O’Brian. He does not go around his daily life dressed like an 18th-century British sailor. But he does like the books, and we thought it would be cool to do that theme for his birthday party. You can make a groovy cake based on a sci-fi/fantasy series – even a wedding cake – and still not be some kind of el bizarro freaky fan who is obsessed with the books to the point of not having a life, for God’s sake. And as **Qadgop** pointed out, there are a lot more relevant questions to ask that will determine a person’s worth and functioning in society than, “What was their wedding cake shaped like?” I try to refrain from passing judgement on people as much as possible, and find that it really makes for a less-stressful lifestyle. Also, that is a _killer_ cake! I can’t imagine anyone actually being able to cut into it, it’s so gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/32 "2006-10-14T19:22:25Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Meh. It seems that you are making a judgement about every aspect of this person’s life based on one bit of information. Who’s to say that their life is not in balance, based solely on that? [/quote] Actually, I’m making a judgment about every aspect of their (again, admittedly very well-designed) wedding cake based solely upon their wedding cake. > [@](#): > > The greater questions to ask are things like: Is this person functional? Is he/she happy? Productive? A net asset to friends, family, community? If so, what does it matter? If you’re talking about diagnosing a psychiatric illness, sure. I’m not. I’m just saying I think it’s screwy and I probably couldn’t hang with those people. > [@Chronos](#): > > I dunno… Maybe the newlyweds first met at a sci-fi convention, where they were both dressed as Diskworld characters? Surely, there’re a few cases of that happening, and it’s no more pathetic than folks meeting due to any other shared hobby. In that case, Diskworld could be a strong reminder of their relationship, with deep personal significance far beyond the value of the books themselves. And for such a hypothetical couple, it would be entirely appropriate to feature a Diskworld cake at their wedding. You’re right . . . that’s actually a pretty reasonable explanation. I wouldn’t argue with that. > [@Chronos](#): > > It’s their wedding, and it’s none of our business to say how they should or should not celebrate it. You’re right. I’m hereby deleting the letter I was writing to my legislators to demand that they pass a law to regulate wedding cake design. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And as Qadgop pointed out, there are a lot more relevant questions to ask that will determine a person’s worth and functioning in society than, “What was their wedding cake shaped like?” Where did I ask anything about these people’s “worth and functioning in society”? Jesus. Chill, you guys. I made a judgment on someone’s wedding cake. Get over it. Everyone is not obligated to pretend that bizarre, nerdy obsession is a perfectly good way to go through life. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I try to refrain from passing judgement on people as much as possible, and find that it really makes for a less-stressful lifestyle. You don’t seem to be doing a great job of that right here. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/33 "2006-10-15T15:46:35Z")
You’re right. You didn’t overtly say anything about their social worth or ability to function in society. I inferred that from this: > [@](#): > > But there’s something very sad about people for whom being a fan of some media product is the defining feature of their personality. If you give your wedding vows in Klingon, I’m gonna laugh my ass off at you. It’s sad that the most exciting thing some people can say about themselves is “I passively enjoy a television show that I have no personal involvement with” (or series of books, or movie, or what-have-you). It’s sad that, for some people, the really important things in their lives are entertainment products. Try being sad about something actually deserving of sorrow, instead of some people who decided to do an unusual, thematic wedding cake. And yes, I do try to refrain from judgement as much as possible. In a case where someone has taken it upon themselves to mock others simply for having a particular interest or hobby, it is not possible. For me, anyway. I’m not Mr. Spock. (That’s a Star Trek reference that I’m sure you’re not obsessively nerdy enough to get.) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/34 "2006-10-15T17:52:55Z")
I have a suggestion. Why don’t we ignore the condescending comments that were made, and get back to talking about what a cool cake that is. You know, having _fun_. I’d like to know how much that sucker weighed. The turtle, if it was made out of fruitcake, even a lighter kind, wouldn’t have been as light as a regular cake. It just had a massive look to it. Does anyone know how many people it was supposed to serve? I’ve tried molding animal shapes before but I’m no sculptor. Last year, when my sister and I did a model of a church, in gingerbread, it had a teeny two inch high statue of St. Joseph over the front door. I’m glad my sister did it, I couldn’t have made it look as good as she did. Can anyone tell me where to start with the Discworld series? How many books are there? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/35 "2006-10-15T18:00:48Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] Can anyone tell me where to start with the Discworld series? How many books are there? [/QUOTE] Come over [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=392204) and join us. We don’t bite…much. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/36 "2006-10-15T19:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=MsWhatsit] You’re right. You didn’t overtly say anything about their social worth or ability to function in society. I inferred that from this: Try being sad about something actually deserving of sorrow, instead of some people who decided to do an unusual, thematic wedding cake. And yes, I do try to refrain from judgement as much as possible. In a case where someone has taken it upon themselves to mock others simply for having a particular interest or hobby, it is not possible. For me, anyway. [/QUOTE] Wow, you’ve taken this awfully personally. Look. You apparently don’t see anything wrong with people who decide to get married dressed as the cast of _Xena: Warrior Princess_. I do. We have a difference of opinion. Get over it. Jesus, have you never in your life encountered anyone with a different opinion from yours? I know this place tends to skew rather heavily in the nerd direction. Nothing wrong with that. But I’m not going to pretend that it’s a good thing for someone to devote their entire life to being a fan of, well, anything. _Star Wars_, Joss Whedon, whatever. In fact, same goes for “Fantasy Football” and the like. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m not Mr. Spock. (That’s a Star Trek reference that I’m sure you’re not obsessively nerdy enough to get.) Ahh. And here we get to the core of the issue. You think I’m making fun of you for watching _Star Trek_ or reading _Harry Potter_ or whatever it is you do in your free time. Only problem is that I didn’t say anything _remotely_ like that. Grow the fuck up, MsWhatsit. I’m not the jock who shoved you into your locker in high school. You’re doing a great job of proving that nerds really are missing out on basic social skills, though. Here you are projecting whatever upset you in your past onto me and pretending I said things that aren’t remotely similar to what I actually said. Jesus. Grow up and get over it. People can have different opinions from you without necessarily being the bully who used to steal your lunch money. Get some therapy or something for Christ’s sake, because your overreaction to what I said is just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/37 "2006-10-15T19:06:13Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] Can anyone tell me where to start with the Discworld series? How many books are there? [/QUOTE] Here’s one suggested order: [http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-list-v1-25.txt](http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-list-v1-25.txt) Here’s a nice flow chart of suggested orders: [http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-bw-1-25.gif](http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-bw-1-25.gif) Another helpful link about all things discworld: [The L-Space Web: Books & Writings](http://www.lspace.org/books/index.html) I personally started the series with “Small Gods” and that worked well for me. Frankly, the first two chronologically published books “Colour of Magic” and “Light Fantastic” are not his best. The books are enjoyable, but a little rough, and a bit more derivative than later volumes. PTerry says he was going for a knock-off of the sword and sorcery genre when he started the series, and that’s surely what he wrote. Later volumes are much more original, and in some spots, threaten to become literature. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/38 "2006-10-15T19:07:39Z")
Please stop it, **Excalibre**. We’re trying to enjoy ourselves here. Start a pit thread on the topic if you wish. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/39 "2006-10-15T19:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Please stop it, **Excalibre**. We’re trying to enjoy ourselves here. Start a pit thread on the topic if you wish. [/QUOTE] No. All I did was state an opinion that’s apparently unacceptable to a lot of you. There’s no rule that anyone who posts in a thread has to agree with the OP. It’s not my fault that a bunch of people decided to read something into what I said that was not there and rail against me for saying things I didn’t actually say. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245/40 "2006-10-15T19:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] No. All I did was state an opinion that’s apparently unacceptable to a lot of you. There’s no rule that anyone who posts in a thread has to agree with the OP. It’s not my fault that a bunch of people decided to read something into what I said that was not there and rail against me for saying things I didn’t actually say. [/QUOTE] We’ve heard your opinion ad nauseum. Can’t you let it drop? Geeze… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-cake/376245.md?page=3)