Man Derided for Asking for Fruitcake for Christmas

Dec. 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Jackson, Michigan resident David W. King simply cannot imagine a Christmas without fruitcake.

"It is something I have enjoyed my whole life." says King.

But when he asked his wife for a fruitcake for Christmas, more specifically a rum or bourbon flavored fruitcake she said, "Yeech!" (Most commercially produced fruitcakes in this country are produced without liquor.)

His wife Jody does not share his delight for this seasonal fare. Says she, "I don't know why they even make those things. Nobody likes them."

In her opinion fruitcakes are simply given at Christmas as a joke gift. According to her, they are like putting a lump of coal in someone's stocking.

When he was originally asked what he wanted for Christmas, his reply was simple. But his wife's response was one of disgust. He has since become the butt of his wife's jokes and derision. This she has shared with relatives and girlfriends.

One of her friends, a professional baker and cake decorator, has even threatened to make one, freeze it and throw it frozen through the front window of his house.

Does it have to be this way? Why is it so hard to understand a taste for candied fruits and nuts in a liquor spiked, spice flavored cake?

The earliest known fruitcakes date back to ancient Rome. A Roman recipe lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added.

Says King, "I have checked around locally and most stores do not even offer them. The closest I have found is a small one produced by Hostess. These I do not like as they are made with chemicals and preservatives. But in my opinion, there is nothing that tastes as good as a fresh made fruit cake."

His wife thinks he is "really pathetic."

Is this request truly "nutty as a fruitcake"?

If you know where he may get a fruitcake, a rum or bourbon flavored fruitcake made with real candied fruits and nuts and lightly sprinkled with confectionery sugar,  in time for Christmas, which as it happens is only two days away, please email him.

This has been the only thing he has asked for Christmas, and he is serious. It would truly brighten his holiday.

December 27 is National Fruitcake Day and December is National Fruitcake Month (December is considered National Eggnog Month, as well.