a tree fell on my house on my golden birthday, and all i got was a cat shaped cake
if you're reading this, tomorrow's my birthday!
I’ve had the idea to write about the most memorable birthday foods ever since I started Combos last February, but have held onto it for almost a year until it was my birth month. I think that a lot of newsletters this month will have to do with my childhood; January is an understandably nostalgic month and I have been slowly collecting memories with the intention of writing about them around my birthday. Here are some of the most memorable foods I ate on a birthday:
My favorite restaurant to go to on my birthday when I was younger was Der Rheinlander, a German restaurant in NE Portland that does not exist anymore. Der Rheinlander was decorated like the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland, the waiters wore lederhosen, and there was an accordion player that circulated from room to room, playing any song you request. Meals started with cheese fondue and brown bread, and ended with the tray of desserts being brought out. Der Rheinlander is responsible for my love of spaetzle, and I wish that it had stuck around long enough for me to turn 21 and be able to enjoy a cold stein of German beer with my veal schnitzel.
My other favorite restaurant to go to on my birthday was Todai, and it also does not exist anymore. Located at the top floor of Pioneer Place mall, this Asian seafood buffet was a dark, overwhelming fever dream. You could eat anything here. Crab legs, sushi, fried rice, noodle dishes, fried chicken… You name it, it was there, and it was probably drenched in ponzu sauce.
My mom tried to start a tradition in my family (that started and ended with me) where you have a “decades” party when you turn 10. I was obsessed with hippies at the time, so I chose to have a 70s themed party. My mom was the best party thrower when I was little and this one was no exception. We bought 70s clothes from Goodwill and made a backdrop to have a 70s fashion show, we must have watched a 70s movie that I don’t remember, we spent hours making a disco playlist, and we had a 70s feast. Bugles and Tang were in attendance, but the main draw for me was the Kraft Mac n Cheese. I was an Annie’s kid growing up, so getting to have the indulgent junk food that was Kraft was a real highlight for me.
When my friend turned 10, her mom made a cake that was 10 layers of different flavored cakes and 10 different fillings/frostings. I remember that it was so tall, I remember it tasting pretty good, but I don’t remember any of the specific fillings or flavors beside banana cake and chocolate ganache frosting and some type of jam. I’d love to make this a tradition for my future kids because I think it is so hilarious and over the top.
At another friend’s birthday party, I remember vividly the meal we had before we went swimming or laser tagging or something. We ate salmon, caesar salad, and butter noodles. I have no idea why I remember this so fondly, but it must have been so good because I will never forget it. It just seems like such an odd thing to serve at a child’s birthday (anyone ever heard of PIZZA?), but it must have really hit the spot.
The subject of this email is true, a tree did fall on my house on my 8th (golden) birthday. I grew up in the literal woods, and our backyard used to have trees almost double the height of our house. On the eve of January 8th, a tree fell on our house, crashing onto the roof and causing a fair bit of external damage. Luckily, we were all okay, but I had to spend my birthday in a hotel instead of at home having a birthday party. When it was safe to come home, my neighbor called to let me know that she made two cakes for my birthday and I could come over and pick which one I wanted. Well, it was below freezing and the narrow, steep sidewalk was covered in a thick sheet of slick ice. We wobbled our way over to our neighbor’s, each taking a few tumbles flat on our butts. One cake was shaped like a cat, the other like a dog, and after I secured my orange cat-shaped cake, we wobbled back home to enjoy it. True story! I was robbed of a golden birthday.
I’m dying to know everyone’s birthday traditions. Leave a comment!
a tree fell on my house on my golden birthday, and all i got was a cat shaped cake
i have never met another person who has had brown bread WOW
On my birthday, you wake up to a folded piece of paper on the table that says happy birthday and has one star for each year you’ve been alive. You get to choose what you have for dinner and you get a cake made for you, usually an ugly but delicious one, that says Hap Bay instead of happy birthday on it.