As I’ve turned 32 today, I have unearthed the earliest birthday cake photos of myself and Mike. Interestingly, we haven’t been able to find any birthday cake photos for previous generations in either of our families.
The first picture is of myself aged 6, anticipating blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. This was most likely taken in the living room of my great-grandparents’ apartment in Kiev. On the left is my great-grandmother Tamara (Konovalova) Larina, wearing a somewhat psychedelic apron, who is putting down a tray with a Napoleon cake (one of my childhood favorites). I vividly remember the UFO-shaped drinking cup with a straw, and the jug behind it. The shelf on the right holds my books.
Mike’s earliest birthday cake photo is rather different. For reasons unknown he’s standing on the chair and looking down in consternation at what, to be fair, is not the most attractive cake this world has ever seen. His friend on the right appears less displeased, but is also studying the cake, perhaps trying to figure out why one of the candles is brown. Mike recalls that this picture would have been taken in the dining room of his parents’ home in Winnipeg.
