Third Discussion: Carl
June 27: Carl
Glen Ivy Book Club is reading The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
This next chapter was one of my favorites. I found it interesting that even in the chapter devoted to him, Carl was a strong, silent presence in the background; in this chapter we learned nearly as much about Helen and some of the other students as we did about Carl’s character. Like the white cake that was the class project for the evening, Carl possesses the quiet comfort of an old standard; while not showy or elaborate, he might easily be overlooked in favor of something with more pizazz, but in the end he is the reliable classic that one returns to. There is something soothing and reassuring about food that is simple and understated; it is this food that we return to when we need comfort and rest from the stresses of life; likewise Carl is the steady, reliable husband/friend that waits in silent repose, being always available to share the joys and sorrows of life.
During this class, Lillian notes that, “flour is what holds the cake together,” and that, “if you mix the flour with the other ingredients for too long you will have a flat, hard cake.” Using the cake as a metaphor for Carl and Helen’s relationship, which of these characters do you think represents the flour?
Seraphina
I also enjoyed this chapter, I loved the part when Claire was starving on the day of her wedding and her husband fed her their wedding cake during pictures. It made me smile!
As for the question, I would have to say Carl and Claire hold significance to the “flour” because they both need to hold their lives together. Carl for keeping his marriage together and Claire for her family.
Enjoy,
Chef Kats
Carl is a clear representative of the “flour in this metaphor. Carl is the stable foundation and admits that it’s his lack of imagination that allowed him to stay steadfast through his marriage. He made the promise and was patient until the equation of their marriage, like the cake, balanced out with time. The one line that was represented a perfect coorelation of many things in life was when Carl acknowledged that “not all sticks in the nest are straight.” Life is about commitment and patience working through some of the “curve balls” that we are presented with along the way.
Hi Frankie,
Welcome to the discussion! It’s funny, I initially thought that Carl was the metaphorical “flour,” too, but I also wondered if Helen was the foundation that held Carl together; Carl does not know who he is without Helen and the family they built together…without her, it seems that he would not exist. As I write this I am reminded that baking, unlike cooking, is a science; if one measurement is off the whole cake is ruined. Perhaps the metaphor of this chapter is Carl and Helen’s journey of finding the perfect measurements of family and autonomy…thoughts?
That’s a very good point. Honestly, they are both “flour” in their stability and patience in holding their marriage together. I think the other metaphor of the mixer not going too fast was an important element in their relationship. They were both slow and steady until everything blended.
I love the point about the mixer…I hadn’t thought of that at all. This is why I love book clubs…the richness and depth of the book really comes through when you enter in to conversation with others.
I definitely think that Carl is the flour. Flour, after all, is what holds a cake together. Carl was definitely able to hold the “cake” together by being patient with Helen and himself. I think he knew all along that things would come together and that their marriage would return to the way it once was. If Carl is the flour, then I think that Helen is the frosting. The cake and the frosting are a perfect match, just as Carl and Helen are also a perfect match.
On another note, I just want to mention that I found an interesting point in the beginning of this chapter about couples dividing the functions in the kitchen. I think it’s a good correlation between the functions of wife and mother to that of husband and father. It seems typical for couples, probably couples of Carl and Helen’s generation, to split the duties as spouses and parents. Deep down, I think Carl and Helen aren’t that typical couple from what we’ve learned in this chapter since we see how well they work together.