Ever since Mohammad bin Rashid took over the reins of Dubai, the country has been soaring the skies in terms of both height (skyscrapers) and economics (enormous GDP). People from all over the world are relocating to what once was just a barren desert. Tourists enter in troves and the rich vie each other to purchase beach front property. But the result of all this influx of wealth is extravagant spending, from gold laden cars to million dollar bridal cakes, it seems there is no end to their sporadic spending spree.
A London based artist, Debbie Wingham known for making beautiful cakes is the brains behind the world's most expensive cake. It was sculpted to look like a woman about to get married. It took her 5 days to complete it.
Apart from all the branding and marketing that goes into the making of this cake, there are five sparkling diamonds attached on it worth $200,000 each. The total adds up to about a million, not including the craftsmanship of Debbie Wingham.
"Diamonds are the material of choice and I constantly look for inventive ways to use them," says baker Debbie. "I am a big fan of the Arabian culture and want to somehow incorporate this into the designing of my cake."
Debbie claims that she sourced the diamonds from one of her UAE based clients who were more than happy to loan them to her. Aside from the diamonds, even the pearls encrusted on the cake are edible.
The cake was prebaked in Raffles Dubai and then turned into a life sized Arabic model. "I call her Lulwa" says the proud creator Debbie, "She is as good as a living being for me." Lulwa means 'pearls' in Arabic.
While this is supposed to be her best work yet, it isn't the first time that Debbie has experimented with life-sized premium cakes. She created a black diamond dress worth $4 million, a pair of shoes at $12 million and a diamond abaya at $4 million.
It would be rather inappropriate to use the term 'the bride's specifications', but in this case, it is just a cake, so hopefully we're not trampling upon fragile egos. The height of the cake is 182 cm (6 feet) and weighs about 120 kg.
Imagine a bride that weighs in at 264 pounds. That would make for an interesting story right? Well this bride is packed to the brim with fats, carbohydrates and lots of sugars, all of which contribute to her 'fat'.
This cake required 1000 eggs and 20 kg of chocolate to prepare. Keeping mind that somber fact that chocolate is going extinct in about 40 years, we feel this is wanton waste. Or maybe not, if you're eating it instead of throwing it away.
The entire cake, with the exception of the diamonds, is edible. This also includes the dress which is made up of confectionary. Imagine how awkward it would feel to sink your teeth into the cake. We shudder at the thought of cannibalism.
We do wonder if there is some hint of cannibalism implied. By eating the cake, the guests are getting a taste of what it feels like to eat a human being. But someone has to eat it or else it would go to waste.
This cake inadvertently gives feminists plenty of fodder to beef about. Why is it a 'female' sculpture? Why isn't it a male instead? Could it be objectifying women? Could it be demeaning to the bride herself? Lots of controversial material here.
A few attendees who attended the marriage exhibition in Dubai got a bit lucky when they were given the chance to 'taste' the million dollar bride cake. We wonder if the taste is as good as the price is.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to this question: is it worth it? Apparently for some people, yes it is. After all, it is their money and their life. They are free to spend their money as they please.
We certainly hope this doesn't mutate into a cultural norm in Dubai. Because people like spending beyond their means and end up in crippling debts. Life shouldn't be about boasting and showing off your riches, it should be about living it to your fullest.
