Party Time

Parties are an effective way for people to socialise in the Little House series. They help to show off social status and the food is a great indication of this. Whether it be the ingredients used or how “exotic” it is, they emphasise how wealthy a family is and where they come from, though this has no effect on how enjoyable the party itself is.
 

In On the Banks of Plum Creek, Ma makes vanity cakes for the party that the Ingalls family host, with the preparation being described in great detail. When asked about the name by the children, she says that “they are all puffed up, like vanity, with nothing solid inside”. Vanity was a trait that was frowned upon by the Ingalls family and in this scene, not only does the food emphasise their negative view on vanity, but it also serves as a storytelling device to ridicule Nellie Olson, who earlier had been tricked into going into a leech-infested lake and in the previous chapter, had held a more extravagant party during which she ridiculed Laura. We can contrast this with something like Nigel Slater's Toast, which is written as a factual memoir rather than historical fiction. Therefore, food mainly represents a moment in the narrator Nigel's life rather than a theme such as family or arrogance like in the Little House books, though family is just as important in Toast and due to the writer Slater being a chef and interested in food, it also features intricate descriptions of food like you would expect from Laura Ingalls Wilder.
 

The cakes have very few ingredients in them and consist of a very thick batter made from egg and flour. When recreating them I chose to use sunflower oil instead of lard for health reasons. They did not have “nothing solid inside” like Ma's description suggested, but that could have been because of how I chose to cook them. Other people have stated that they have had trouble making the vanity cakes exactly how they were portrayed in the book and as Laura stated that she'd never learnt to bake them herself, the description may have been an example of artistic licence in order to compare it to Nellie's vanity. A book like Toast on the other hand may have tried to provide a more accurate description of the food or thoughts on the food that the child narrator had at the time. Nevertheless, they were extremely tasty and I could easily put myself in the shoes of the children who ate them at the party, who had a positive response to them.


A plate of vanity cakes.

The food consumed at the country party contrasts with the food eaten in the town party. Nellie Olson's party features a fancy marble cake with white sugar as one of the ingredients, something that would have only been used for special occasions by the Ingalls family who usually cooked with brown sugar. Of course, this has changed in current times, with brown sugar being seen as more desirable due to being healthier. In the book however, it helps to show off the wealth of the Olsons and how they are richer than the Ingalls. The cake is served with lemonade, something that Laura would not have drunk at home. When they eat the cake, it causes the lemonade to taste sour. This contrasts with the cold, creamy milk in tin cups and the vanity cakes. The children say they have "never tasted anything so good" (p. 117) therefore showing that Laura's party is superior despite the lack of luxuries. Similarly, Ben Woodworth's party in Little Town on the Prairie features oranges, an exotic fruit that the Ingalls could not grow on their own land. Therefore, the contrast between food is also used to show the contrast of social class between the people from the country and the people from the town, with the townspeople having well-paid jobs and being able to afford more expensive food.

Ultimately, Nellie's party does not seem to be an enjoyable one despite the luxurious food, although the children are polite about it anyway. In contrast, Laura's simpler country party is enjoyed by everyone apart from Nellie and the vanity cakes are particular popular with the children. It shows how Ma can make a delicious treat from only a few ingredient with great skill, something that even the Olsons cannot buy with their money.