In the 1970’s, something weird began to happen at dinner parties in Glencoe and seemingly throughout the North Shore. At each and every one of these dinners, the main course was followed by a delicious yellow cake for dessert - served with either a bountiful dollop of Cool Whip, defrosted frozen raspberries, or even (gulp) fresh raspberries on sale at the Jewel.
Perhaps even a dusting of powdered sugar if the host was feeling theatrical.
What was most odd about this custom was that all of these desserts being plated up were actually the same damn thing: Sarah Lee poundcake. Slice it right, arrange it on an attractive plate, and suddenly this frozen supermarket purchase had somehow become “something I put together.”
“Homemade,” even.
In the beginning, they got away with it. But over time, everyone knew - so much so that hosts began to serve Entenmann’s just because it would be harder to detect the dessert’s origins with so many available varieties (e.g. crumb cake, marble loaf cake, chocolate chip iced cake, marshmallow devil’s food iced cake, Louisiana crunch cake, etc.).
I often think (and sometimes drool) about Sarah Lee poundcake when I tour houses with “updated” kitchens that have the “look”: white, off-white, or greyish cabinets, Carrera quartzite countertops (with veins or without), off-white subway tile backsplash, and stylish cabinet pulls.
Even with such “updating,” they can’t fool me -because I know the truth: the cabinets are really painted oak cabinets from 1988; the new countertops are from Home Depot and replaced the Uba Tuba ones; and the cabinet pulls are also from Home Depot, third aisle, second-from-the-top bin, on sale for $1.89 each. The backsplash tile ($4.89/foot) is from Tile Outlet on Fullerton, miles away from the Ann Sachs showroom.
As a buyer, you need to understand what has actually been DONE on an “updated” house: what, when, where, how, and how much.
Because throwing a bunch of Cool Whip at the kitchen cabinets should never fool you, no matter how tasty it might be.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Brad
