Tale of Two Bakers

   There was a crusty old baker who knew how to bake a cake. He and his helpers in the kitchen began with a large Golden Delicious apple. 

   They added 3 T. brown sugar, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. vegetable oil, 1 egg, 1/2 c. dark molasses and 1-1/2 c. flour. Also in the mix were ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves and hot water - all in precise amounts.

   Then there were the directions: peel, core and slice, combine and toss gently. Using vegetable spray, they baked at 350 degrees for five minutes. 

   Meanwhile, they combined sugar, oil and egg, beating for two minutes, then adding molasses and beat for another two minutes. Day after day they combined, added, mixed, baked and cooked until all was in order.

   Americans great and small benefited from this recipe. Even the least of us got a taste of the icing on the cake. When the baker said, "Let them eat cake," he  improved many lives. And we no longer relied on foreign powers for vegetable oil.

A Different Baker 

   Then another old baker replaced the first. He brought his own cooks into the kitchen, claiming the first baker was bad for our diets. He promised to Bake Back Better, even if it added trillions in debt, replacing electric ovens with solar heat. 

   From the first day he began changing the recipe. No vegetable oil would be in the cake, and if it was, it would come from foreign sources. Brown sugar was okay, but egg whites were omitted. 

   Most ingredients - including ginger, salt, cinnamon and ground cloves - were omitted or decreased in amount. Baking and skillet times had to be adjusted. The first baker had it all wrong, you know. 

   The second baker assures the people his way is superior. And thousands of helpers are teaching children the first baker and all his admirers were oppressing them ... with delicious cakes. 

   Well, the elite among us can still have their cake and eat it too. But many of us are thinking the apple isn't so delicious anymore. 

        Jimmy