Bring back the bean

It’s Fat Tuesday, baby! Also, it’s the last day to find that tiny baby Jesus in your slice of Mardi Gras King Cake. But maybe this year you should think twice about that little plastic baby.

King Cake is the cake that is traditionally eaten from Jan. 6 (the twelfth day of Christmas, during the Feast of the Epiphany) through today — Fat Tuesday.

In New Orleans, the cake is usually a ring of twisted sweet bread, with an optional cream cheese or praline filling, covered in sugar granules.

The topping is colored purple (representing justice), green (representing faith) and gold (representing power). Until recently, a small bean, coin or ceramic baby was baked into the cake.

My problem with King Cake begins when people start using plastic, factory-manufactured babies instead of the coin, bean or ceramic pieces.

Such plastics often contain a compound called Bisphenol A (BPA) that is well known for causing adverse health effects.

BPA seeps from the plastic especially fast when it is exposed to heat, like when the plastic baby is baked into the King Cake.

When BPA ends up in bodies, it mimics estrogen. It disrupts the endocrine system by binding to the same hormone receptors as the body’s natural hormones.

The possible health effects of BPA include increased tumor formation, impairment of sex organs and sex organ functions, early puberty, increase in DNA damage, increased insulin resistance, and increased rates of heart disease, obesity and hyperactivity. Most research suggests these health effects are anything but temporary.

I’m especially concerned about BPA because it has been linked to breast cancer. That’s why I always avoid microwaving plastics and why I am a bit uneasy about how hot my dishwasher gets when it cleans my plastic dishes.

In January, the United States Food and Drug Administration committed $30 million to investigating the health effects of using BPA plastics in food containers. This decision was in response to studies that have revealed the effects BPA has on young children and fetuses.

Considering these risks, I believe King Cake would be much better if bakers returned to using a bean instead of a plastic baby. Beans are naturally occurring seeds.

They are superior to the plastic baby because they do not have all the nasty chemicals. Beans would be a lot cheaper and easier, too. So, if you happen to take advantage of the last day to bake a King Cake, please consider an alternative to that silly plastic baby Jesus doll. Happy Mardi Gras!


Email: kslabosk@indiana.edu