Politics and pastry…yes, this is now a thing. And it further proves that nothing is immune to political divisions these days – not even even food.
Since the election of President Trump, a growing number of bakers across the country have been serving up controversy with their cookies. And now many customers satisfying their sweet tooth at local bakeries are leaving with a bad taste in their mouth after the bakers took a political stance with their pastry.
Ken Bellingham got branded a cookie monster for putting the words “Build that Wall” on cookies at his bakery in Washington state. “I was, you know, supposedly this horrible person,” he said. Bellingham eventually apologized and claims he wasn’t trying to be political. “I did it as a joke, but it was taken out of context. It’s not anything I endorse,” he said, explaining that he doesn’t even support President Trump’s proposal to build a barrier along the southern border.
But Ana Carrera didn’t see anything funny about Bellingham’s creation when she visited his shop to get a sweet treat. She thinks the “Build that Wall” cookie is a half-baked idea, and she started a boycott after posting a picture of the offensive pastry on social media. “A cookie like this does represent that there is some sort of hate coming out of that bakery, whether he chooses to admit it or not,” Carerra said.
There have also been several boycotts against bakeries thought to be supportive of President Trump. Customers like Don Adams are apparently not willing to put sugar before politics. “I would not buy a cake,” Adams said, adding, “When did America stop being great?”
Just like fresh dough, the bakers are beginning to rise up, and they’re pushing back. Most say they’re not trying to add a pinch of partisanship to their recipes, just trying to drum up business any way they can. Philadelphia baker Deneen Ciancaglini says she’s not making a political statement. Rather, Ciancaglini just wants to showcase her skills as a way to comment on issues of the day. “If Hillary won, I would have came up and did my research and came with something, you know, something creative,” she said. But as today’s political climate gets hotter and hotter and seems to transcend one issue after another, this cookie controversy begs the ultimate question: isn’t sugar more important than partisan politics?
Steve Rappoport is a Newscast Producer and Anchor for Fox News Radio. Follow him on Twitter @SteveRappoport.