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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Let Them Eat Cake!

Mexico City has loads of bakeries and pastry shops.  In the historic center of the city, on Avenue 16 de Septiembre, there is one which is a landmark...  "Pastelería La Ideal".   It has been around since 1927.



It would seem that it has even attained the status of a tourist attraction since at the entrance there is a sign in English directing you upstairs to the cake display.  I didn't see any other gringos when I went upstairs, but the staff was not at all fazed by me walking around taking pictures.




Here there are cakes of all sizes for all occasions.  Of course the stars of the show are the wedding cakes.


A sign tells how much each cake weighs as well as the price depending on what ingredients you order.  The cake above weighs 68 pounds and costs up to $300 US.



This one weighs 120 pounds and costs up to $550 US.   I have no idea what wedding cakes cost in the United States, but I suspect that by our standards those are pretty reasonable prices.

I then went downstairs where a huge variety of breads and pastries are for sale.


If you have never been in a Mexican bakery, there is a procedure which you must follow.  First you take a tray and a pair of tongs and put what you wish to purchase on your tray.  Then you go to the lady at the counter who will write up your bill.  You go to the cashier and pay for your goodies.  Finally you take the receipt back to the counter, and your purchases will be carefully wrapped and packaged.

I gave in to temptation and bought a bag of pastries.

I left the bakery, and just a few doors down the street I came upon a shop selling marzipan.  I looked in the window and thought about going in, but giving in to one temptation per day is quite enough.



2 comments:

  1. I would be nervous to enter the cake room (I am clumsy and would probably find a way to knock something down), but the cakes look beautiful! Regarding the service at the bakery, thank you for bringing back a memory from my trip to Costa Rica. I had forgotten, but that was similar to how they did it there too. I used to get a roll or other piece of pastry most days for a snack from the bakery at the grocery store across the street from my school.

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    1. Hola Meredith,
      It always seemed like such an involved process, but at least you know that the person who is handling your pastries is not the person who handles the money.
      And, by the way, those are not real cakes. They are models, and you order the design that you want.

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