Paris 1989
Once upon a time and one time only, did French Husband help deliver a wedding cake for our dear American friend Cynthia, who had an American bakery in Paris.
Cynthia who introduced chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cheesecake, bear claws, and muffins to the Parisians, decided to try her hand with wedding cakes, à la Américain style. French wedding cakes are little cream puffs stacked like a Christmas tree... Not at all the same thing.
The first order came, the cake was baked, decorated and ready to go.
Cynthia delivered her cookies, brownies, and other baked goods with a bicyclette that had an over-sized-basket-like-thing attached to the back. I called it the, "coffin-on-wheels"... imagine riding that thing in Paris. There was no way that this wedding cake could ride in the back... alone... safely.
Cynthia called a taxi.
The taxi-driver looked at the cake and shook his head, "Pas possible!" The wedding bells were ringing, the three tier wedding cake with its fresh cream frosting had to be delivered. The cake was the size of America...
"How am I going to get this wedding cake to the reception?" fretted Cynthia who hopelessly looked at me who had her own little America, an eight month bun in the oven.
French Husband, who would do anything for 10 grams of chocolate, accepted the deal: Two dozen brownies - if he would sit in the back of the coffin-on wheels, while another guy peddled clear across Paris to deliver the wedding cake.
Imagine the bride and groom's surprise when they saw their wedding cake arrive, barely in one piece, straddled between the legs of a Frenchman.
