Plenty has been written about the increasing tendency towards obesity in developed countries, including Australia, so we can do without labouring the point with statistics here. But, I ask myself (I do that a lot, particularly when I find one of life's mysteries), whatever happened to all the fabulous cake shops we used to have right here in Brisbane? My memories are replete with cake shops, seemingly all over Brisbane, their displays filled with of all sorts of scrum-yumminess (I know there's no such word, I made it up just now!) from napoleons to fruit cakes to custard buns. Has the increase in fast food outlets like the pizza, fried chicken and hamburger chains more than made up for the loss of the cake stores in the avoirdupois dilemma? Anyone who has read Hugh Lunn's book about growing up in Brisbane, "Over the top with Jim", will know that Lunn's dad Fred had a cake shop at Annerley Junction, and there was another just a couple of blocks further down Ipswich Rd. I know there was also a good one at the Gabba, right where we used to catch the trolley-bus to my aunt's place at Norman Park, and I think there was also one at Stones Corner. It seemed that every suburb had its own cake shop or bakery. And as for the city, well there was selection aplenty. The Shingle Inn in Edward St, my mum's favourite. Adams Cakes in the Brisbane Arcade. Here's a photo of the staff at one of the Adam's shops - they were scattered all over the place - that was taken in about 1938.
(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #10342)
I think that George E Adams Rich Cakes originated in Sydney, but there was no State of Origin sentiment about cakes. Take a look at the front display cabinet from their Brisbane Arcade store, absolutely jam-packed (sorry!) with tasty goodies, and tell me where you can see that sort of thing now. Just click on the photo if you need to examine this bounty more closely :-)
Of course, there are coffee shops everywhere now, but to my mind they all seem to serve the same generic carrot cake and muffins. The Shingle Inn still exists in a couple of locations, but I hear that they no longer have the same selection of mouth-watering delicacies that used to have women queuing up. When I worked in the city, a birthday or similar celebration meant a trip to the Shingle Inn to buy a cake for your colleagues to share at morning tea. I wonder what happens now? In France, you don't have to walk too far to see a patisserie, and the French are reputed to have a healthier diet than we do. It must be because they still value cooking at home, and generally abhor the fast food chains.
(Photo: © 2009 the foto fanatic)As for the Brisbane Arcade (see photo above) which was built on the site of the former residence of Patrick Mayne and still is property of the estate of his children, it is still a stylish place for specialty shops, but no cake shop. It's a shame really.
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tff
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