A
0 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Wednesday, November 27, 2413 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, November 27, 2013 - 7A
Heather treats AA
Local bakery tailors
cakes to customers'
artistic tastes
By GIANCARLO BUONOMO
Daily Arts Writer
Shows like "Ace of Cakes" and
"Cake Boss," which chronicle
the day-to-dayoperations of suc-
cessful bakeries, occupy a wildly
popular niche in food television.
Why do people like watching
shows about cake? Besides the
obvious pleasure of watching a
large Italian-American family
schmooze with each other, these
shows satisfy on both the gusta-
tory and aesthetic levels.
On the one hand, they are
pure food porn: Layers of ten-
der cake are lovingly smothered
with gobs of creamy frosting and
studded with insulin-raising
amounts of sugary decorations.
On the other hand, cake decora-
tors, with just some fondant and
food coloring, produce products
so creative and intricate that it is
hard to not call them art.
But this delectable dichotomy
doesn't exist solely on TV. Here
in Ann Arbor, baker Heather
Anne Leavitt acts as both a
craftswoman and an artist at her
shop, Sweet Heather Anne on
North Main - roles that "have
equal importance."
Sweet Heather Anne pro-
duces a wide variety of baked
goods, from shortbread, to
"cake in a jar." However, the
shop has become best known
for its custom-designed cakes.
No two cakes are exactly the
same, because no two clients are
exactly the same.
"We try to work with the
client and get out what they
like about certain cakes and
then design something new for
them," Leavitt said.
These designer-client dia-
logues have produced an eclec-
tic portfolio for Sweet Heather
Anne. Cakes run the gamut
from the classically beautiful
floral cakes for weddings, to a
cake in the shapes of a steak and
baked potato.
After seeing the cakes, it's
hard to not call them art, and
whoever makes them an art-
ist. But despite your opinion
on whether cakery is a proper
artistic medium, Leavitt is an
artist in her own right, having
received a degree from the Uni-
verity's School of Art & Design.
Fittingly, her undergraduate
work revolved mostly around
sculpture - of a non-edible vari-
ety. But while studying abroad
in Italy, the edible became her
passion.
"Itwas the first time that I
had thought as much about food
and cooking, because it was just
so pervasive in the culture,"
Leavitt said.
Back in America, Leavitt com-
bined her love of food and her
sculpting skills into a senior the-
sis, for which she made edible
monuments for the Ann Arbor
food producers she sought out
upon her return. After gradu-
ation, she worked in savory
restaurants for several years,
which, like art school, provided
her with skills rather than reci-
pes.
So, cake is just a new mate-
rial for Leavitt, more delicious
and marketable than wood or
bronze.
Sweet Heather Anne has
tried to make itself even more
appealing, though, through its
emphasis on local and seasonal
products. Rather than use mass-
produced ingredients, Leavitt
has established relationships
with local farmers and purvey-
ors for many of the shop's culi-
nary staples.
"I love how I go every year to
get a certain thing from a certain
person; I think that's really spe-
cial," Leavitt said.
For example, the pumpkin
cakes and pies use fresh pump-
kin from Tantr6 Farm, which is
only 20 miles from Ann Arbor
and is sold only in autumn.
"I think that a lot of people
enjoy that kind of connection
and understanding where it's
coming from," Leavitt added.
Sweet Heather Anne is a busi-
ness that is constantly evolv-
ing as the seasons come and go
and as new customers arrive
with neweideas for cakes. But
this constant evolution raises
an almost philosophical ques-
tion: How does the designer of a
work of art, like a cake, contend
with the fact that no matter how
beautiful and unique the piece
is, it will eventually be cut and
devoured?
"As an artist, I kind of like it,"
Leavitt said. "I think that the
eating part is actually part of
the process for me. We make so
much artwork, and I kind of love
the fact that it's not piled up in
some garage. I like that we can
do these special projects that
have a special meaning for a spe-
cial day."
The male gaze.
SThe Simpsons' still going
strong after 25 seasons
By GRACE PROSINEWSKI
DailyARTS WRITER
What'syour favorite TVshow?
It's a question that invariably
comes up, whether in icebreak-
ers for class or small talk with a
stranger. My answer to this ques-
tionhasbeenthesamefor20years:
"The Simpsons." The response I
get has been the same for almost
as long.
First,thereis amomentofincre-
dulity, which I find odd because
it's almost like we're all expected
to have flying hellfish tattoos to
identifyusorsomething. Then, the
dreaded, completely predictable
utterance, "Yeah, I used to watch
that. You know, when it was still
good."
Sigh.
If I had a dollar for every time
someone has said that to me, well,
let's just say I wouldn't need a col-
lege degree. And the way they say
it! How their voices drip with the
self-satisfaction of supposed cul-
tural superiority. Iusually justnod
and change the subject. But what
I really want to do is explain how
wrongthey really are.
I'm not here to argue whether
the show has suffered a decrease
in quality or consistency. That
conversation is for a different day,
preferably after several strong
drinks. What I'm saying is that it's
asinine to criticize something that
you haven't watched in 10-plus
years.
There's almost this idea that
watching "The Simpsons" now
takes away from what it was, and
that's simply not the case. It's a this argument also don't take the
smart show, and it still rewards actual logistics of the show into
viewers with laughs and warmth. account: A show on for 24 seasons
I wholeheartedly believe there can't have deep character revela-
are newer episodes that are just tions every other episode; it has to
as funny and culturally significant be paced.
as episodes from earlier seasons. Lastly, there are those who
And there are some old episodes complain about the apparently
thatcompletelymissthemark,just never-ending rotation of guest
like some of the new ones. Like any stars that take away from the orig-
show, there are going to be some inal characters. I actually agree
storylines that grip you and some with this to an extent, but there
that don't. have been some phenomenal
guest spots, including my recent
personal favorite: Neil Gaiman.
1 And the most brilliant part is, he
d so doesn't even know how to read.
funn.s Am I See, if you still watched the show,
you would get that reference.
rigghht? And then you have to consider
*7 that every single episode of "The
Simpsons" gets better when you
rewatch it. Every episode. It's
That means you can't just throw scientifically proven. Jokes you
out every episode after a certain didn't catch the first time, signs
arbitrary paint as unworthy of you never noticed in the back-
your attention. ground, there's so many layers to
Take, for example, those who an episode. And that, more than
complain about the plots getting anything, is the marker of a truly
too zany - to which I reply, it's a great show.
cartoon. It doesn'thave to be realis- "The Simpsons" started off as
tic.In fact, alot of times it shouldn't the pinnacle of subversive humor.
be, as it's part of the reason why Over time, the popularity and sue-
animated shows can push into cess'of the show cemented it into
territory considered too taboo for an institution, and hence put a tar-
regular prime time. get on its back for every whiny fan
Then there are those who say boy with a keyboard.
there's no character development So go ahead, tell me everything
anymore. But that's simply not the wrong with "The Simpsons" in
case, from Grandpa's past love to some unintentional imitation of
Homer and Marge's discourse Comic Book Guy. I'll be too busy
about having another child, there laughing to care. But remember,
are plenty of "real" topics still just because I don't care doesn't
being explored. People who make mean I don'tunderstand.
HBO
"Bound 3"... so beautiful.
Silverman makes 'Miracles'
By GRACE HAMILTON
DailyARTS WRITER
"I mean, are you crazy?" Sarah
Silverman asks the audience in
her HBO special, "We Are Mir-
acles," which
premiered Sat-
urday night. In
this hour-long We Are
program, Sil- Miracles
verman returns
to her stand-up HBO
roots for an
audience of 39
comedy fans at
a small club in L.A. to remind
people that yes, you probably are
crazy, and so is everyone else.
"We Are Miracles" is, among
other things, an exploitation of
America's craziness: the hypoc-
risy of religion and so-called
"secular" America, unaddressed
forms of female objectification,
the use of the word "pussy" and
our obsession with Kanye West.
After doing a few small film
roles, the required time on
"SNL" to add to her resume as a
high-profile comedian, and "The
Sarah Silverman Program," this
is Silverman's first time doing
standup in several years. That
being said, time away from the
live, single spotlight has done
nothing but sharpen the knife
she uses to drive straight into
the heart of controversial topics
like rape and porn. Her deliv-
ery (most of the time) is dis-
tinctly inappropriate, vulgar and
entirely effective.
Yes,
uncom
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streng
Silv:
the audience is probably didness. The audience is left
fortable with her jokes with no choice but to trust her
9/11 widows, showers with decisions, and this creates inti-
other or the concept of macy: "I love being able to see
ng terminally ill children. all 39 of you." Even watching on
rd to imagine how pushing a TV, it's possible to feel part of
undaries this far is neces- the room.
make a point or produce The most important point Sil-
er, but that's part of her verman makes is to draw atten-
ge: This is not satire; there tion to the crazy ways in which
eating around the bush or we hide insecurities. These
g creatively subtle ways to include deflecting blame by
ze society. For issues as claiming to be "thrown under
some of the ones tackled the bus," and the classic shoulder
Despite the comedic deliv- shrug accompanied by "whatev-
ey deserve absolute blunt- er." According to her, this kind of
The jokes that seem like attitude is exactly why the world
o too far are, in fact, the sucks.
vidence of her real com- The miracles are the things
nt to enlightening the that don't make sense because
ce and demonstrating the they aren't just crazy; they are
th of her personal beliefs. exceptions. The message is that
erman pushes straight we need more of them, and the
way we do this is to stop saying
a person was "thrown under the
bus," and take some responsibil-
Comedian ity. Stop blaming others for the
world's problems and confront
.-ands up for them as an individual. In other
words, stop being crazy.
onest jokes. wThat is exactly what Silver-
man is attempting to do with
her comedy. That is why the
audiences' respect, despite the
;h to the end with few vulgarity, is inevitable. By stand-
, laughing at her own ing up on stage, she stands up
sparingly, and preserves for her beliefs about the way the
namic with a tone and lan- world should work - laying her-
that sometimes resembles self out on the table as well. She
oetry or storytelling. She proposes a challenge: It's okay to
arkably on-point, 100-per- give a shit, you should give ashit.
omfortable on stage and And when you do, you should do
no apologies for her can- something about it.
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