For today’s National Pistachio Day, I recall how impressed I was with Magnolia Bakery’s pistachio cupcake. It evokes Proustian memories of satisfaction, pleasure, contentment, fulfillment. I found a 2012 tweet of mine that refers to having this cupcake on the train back to D.C. Those were the early days of my New York excursions, when the city’s magic was so freshly addictive and mesmerizingly palatable.
In this case, a cupcake is not just a cupcake, but an aspirational symbol of this sentiment.
The pistachio cupcake I once ate on the train contained the powerful ingredient of Proustian association. Even when I buy a simple package of pistachios for baking, just seeing them triggers my senses.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 