1739: Birthday Cake

It’s my colleague’s birthday tomorrow. She’s bringing in cake — or, more likely, doughnuts, since most of our team is currently scattered far and wide (two of them on another site, one of them on holiday) — because That Is What’s Done Now.

Both she and I discussed this today, and neither of us were sure where this strange tradition came from — but tradition it seemingly is: when it’s your birthday, you are the one who has to bring cake in.

This seems completely counter-intuitive to me, particularly as birthdays are typically accompanied by people buying you a card and, if you’re actually liked by your colleagues and peers, a present or two as well. Is it that unreasonable for the one mourning the passage of another year to expect to be treated to a cake as well?

Apparently so. This is one of those traditions that has sprung up over the last few years and seemingly hasn’t been questioned by anyone. It’s not difficult to understand why: say “no,” you’re not bringing in cake for everyone, and you’re left looking like an asshole, even though, as previously mentioned, it should really be everyone else bringing in cake for you and you alone.

I’m just curious who the first person was to demand that someone celebrating a birthday should bring in cake for everyone. I wonder what response they got. I can only assume a positive one, leading to the situation we’re in now.

Of course, there’s probably another reason why this tradition keeps holding on: it’s actually quite nice to share things, and your birthday is a good opportunity to do so. You get to keep the cool presents for yourself, but cake is an easy means of making people like you, particularly if it’s some sort of awesome cake (or, indeed, box of doughnuts) and not, say, something boring like a fruit cake or a sponge without anything in or on it. (Not that there’s anything wrong with either of those things per se; a birthday is simply a good opportunity to show off your immaculate/questionable taste in cakes, so Mr Kipling just isn’t going to cut it here, Bucko.)

For the last few years, since I’ve been working from home, this hasn’t been an issue for me. Now I’m working in an office, however, it seems I’ll be expected to participate in this sort of silliness or risk being ostracised by my colleagues and peers. (That’s an exaggeration, of course; from what I know of my colleagues and peers they probably wouldn’t ostracise someone over something as petty as cake, though my immediate team does really like cake, so probably best to be safe anyway.)

Still, I won’t complain, because that means when other people’s birthdays roll around, I get free cake. And other people’s birthdays happen more often than my birthday. Which means more cake for everyone.

Oh. Oh. I think I see why this happens now.