The official cheesecake maker of Pharyngula


Here’s a new tradition I have to encourage: I was brought a cheesecake at last night’s talk at Stanford. It was fabulous: white chocolate raspberry chocolate chip. The fellow who sent it along was Victor Harris of Reuschelle’s Cheesecakes. He has a huge variety of different kinds of cheesecakes, and he ships…so if you’re sitting around somewhere far away from California, and you’ve got a craving, you can just email for a menu or to order, and the next day a lethally delicious cheesecake will magically appear at your door.

Maybe I shouldn’t encourage these kinds of gifts at my talks, though. I don’t really need more sweet rich goodies in my belly. But hey, you’re all hedonistic godless people, dig in.

Comments

  1. Jadehawk, OM says

    *groan*

    e-mail order cheesecake = me not fitting through the door-frame a few months from now.

    PZ, such evil temptations are not nice.

  2. WowbaggerOM says

    I weighed myself this morning and found that I’m almost at the (US) milestone of 180lbs – maybe a couple of those babies will get me across the line.

    The downside, of course, is the redundancy of the entire pants section of my wardrobe.

  3. Nick says

    But, think of the food miles!
    Actually, I was amazed to find out a few years ago that there is a bakery in Auckland (NZ), who export chocolate cakes to Los Angeles (US). So, any Angelians (?) who have enjoyed fantastic chocolate cake in the past, just think, it might have been made in a different hemisphere.

  4. DominEditrix says

    We’re “Angelenos”. But do the Kiwis import cakes from LA, or is the balance of trade unbalanced?

  5. Stephanie says

    Honestly, with the number of threats you’ve received, I wouldn’t recommend accepting edibles from people at speaking engagements…but I guess it WAS cheesecake.

  6. Deiloh says

    I gain 5 pounds just by reading the word cheesecake and 10 by typing it… Now that I’ve proof read this, thanks for the extra 20 pounds.

  7. llewelly says

    I don’t really need more sweet rich goodies in my belly.

    You should have put those sweet rich goodies to work. By walking home.

  8. ERV says

    Can you say fat Pharyngulites?
    Nononono! Eat cheesecake and powerlift. It works!

    …Peach Amaretto…Cherry Amaretto…Spiked Pineapple…
    DO WANT!!!

  9. reuschelle says

    THAT’S ME!!! Glad you loved the cake PZ! The turn around isn’t quite overnight, the cakes are all made to order, so you’ll have to give me a few days. Next time you or Trophy Wife™ need a fix let me know.

  10. speedweasel says

    WowbaggerOM confessed,

    I weighed myself this morning and found that I’m almost at the (US) milestone of 180lbs – maybe a couple of those babies will get me across the line.

    The downside, of course, is the redundancy of the entire pants section of my wardrobe.

    I don’t want to look like a weirdo. I’ll just go with a muumuu. – Homer Simpson

    :)

  11. Nick says

    #10
    I don’t know if there is a balance in the trade. Maybe Kiwis get Harley Davidsons in return?

  12. Bribase says

    Honestly, with the number of threats you’ve received, I wouldn’t recommend accepting edibles from people at speaking engagements…but I guess it WAS cheesecake.

    I’ve always wondered about this, as with lots of the pro science, pro rationalism guys, PZ must get lots of presents like knitted goods, desecrated bibles and squid paraphenalia. I’ve always wondered if they had been freaked out about whether a gift is safe to open or not. There are a lot of kooks out there and it isn’t beyond them to send something potentially lethal.

    No offence Reuschelle, I’m probably just a little upset that you won’t ship me a cheesecake to the UK.

    B

  13. Pacal says

    You said “it was fabulous” I now declare that you Pz Myers are an Honorary Gay person having achieved the highest standards in fabulousness in using fabulous.

  14. Athena says

    Dammit! I’ve been altering pants today to fit an everchanging waistline and you HAVE TO TELL ME ABOUT CHEESECAKES??!!! That is absolutely evil!

  15. Xenithrys says

    Well, if American TV is anything like New Zealand’s, being fat is the quickest way to get yourself on TV. You have to be grossly obese though (lots of cheesecakes), but then you could spread the message to a mass audience. Hell, you could even have your own show, and call it The Fat Atheist.

  16. 'Tis Himself, OM says

    Blessed are the cheesemakers.

    Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.

  17. Bribase says

    Hello, my name is Kent Hovind

    Be warned, I might just expand my Erasmus Darwin was fat, therefore evolution is a lie hypothesis to all atheists.

    KH

  18. The Pint says

    Sweet smiling Buddha. That Chocolate Chili cheesecake idea isn’t WTF – it’s fucking GENIUS!! I’ll likely be in the Bay Area this spring for a fire dance expo and if it happens, I’m so putting in an order for a cake during that trip. But since patience is definitely not one of my virtues, I may have to do some experimenting on my own to satisfy the cravings in the meantime. Pardon me…

    *runs into kitchen*

  19. masksoferis says

    @GregGorey in #26:

    From a godless food critic site:

    “This cake proves there is no god. No pastry-loving god anyway.”

    “With this recipe, no matter its age and fame, a literal interpretation may not be a good way to go. In fact it may be ‘a way to go’ in the necrological meaning of the phrase, which is rarely a distinction to be desired.”

    “…and, to paraphrase Epicurus, if it is neither all-tasty, all-sweet nor all-nice, then why call it a cake?”

    “The service was terrible. The wafers were tasteless. There was not enough wine. And, by Richard, the music!

  20. feegz says

    We had a haiti fundraising morning tea at work.

    Someone made Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies.

    Cheesecake… on brownies.

    Wow. Just… Wow.

  21. John Morales says

    Bribase,

    I wouldn’t recommend accepting edibles from people at speaking engagements.

    Maybe PZ needs a coterie of food-tasters during his travels, just to be on the safe side.

    Any volunteers? :)

  22. David Marjanović says

    Cheesecake? What an appalling waste of perfectly good cake.

    “…and, to paraphrase Epicurus, if it is neither all-tasty, all-sweet nor all-nice, then why call it a cake?”

    ^_^

  23. 'Tis Himself, OM says

    Just yesterday my cardiologist told me to cut down on fat in my diet. So cheesecake is off the menu.

    Curls up in corner and cries.

  24. Fred The Hun says

    Wow, first a disclaimer, I love cheesecake! Second I wish any entrepeneur such as Victor only the best.

    …so if you’re sitting around somewhere far away from California, and you’ve got a craving, you can just email for a menu or to order, and the next day a lethally delicious cheesecake will magically appear at your door.

    So I have to say I am deeply torn about making this comment. This whole concept is on its way to becoming completely unsustainable, it actually already is. We need to seriously reconsider the consequences of a lifestyle that depends on cheap fossil fuels.

    Here is some food for thought:

    http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6140
    The Food System and Resilience

    Posted by Jason Bradford on January 26, 2010 – 9:10am
    Topic: Environment/Sustainability
    Tags: agriculture [list all tags]

  25. bbgunn071679 says

    @39 “Just yesterday my cardiologist told me to cut down on fat in my diet.”

    My wife’s cardiologist just told her to cut down on fat, especially eating out. She’s decided to just leave me at home when she goes out to eat.

  26. mlee97ibm says

    Ah yes, PZ, but will our alimentary system evolve to where we can enjoy cheesecake and not suffer the undesired effects?

    Answer me that!

  27. realinterrobang says

    I just want to say, I’ve never been so glad in all my life to be both lactose intolerant and allergic to casein! I am immune to the evils of fattening cheesecakes! Immune! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I sneer at your pathetic cravings! *sneer sneer sneer* Your fat-containing, potbelly-enhancing sweetness is no match for my…hideously compromised GI system… Hah!

  28. Rorschach says

    ‘Tis @ 39,

    Just yesterday my cardiologist told me to cut down on fat in my diet. So cheesecake is off the menu.

    While it would appear wise for anyone who doesn’t want to look like the Blob to abolish cheesecake from their regular menu, I read your comments about sailing and the stable angina, the magic word here being “stable”.
    Why dont you get a stress test done to see what your exercise tolerance actually is, and then make an assessment for yourself whether you think a long-distance sailing race would be something you can muster, or not….
    That’s what I would recommend to someone with “stable” angina, which essentially means, angina at reproducable exercise levels.

    Just a thought.

  29. GregGorey says

    @masksoferis lol. This thread is win.

    Atheist Cooking > Christian Cooking, because we embrace reality for what is and don’t appeal to supernatural explanations for the existence of fondue.

    PZ, you need to post a good calamari recipe. yum.

  30. Carlie says

    Just yesterday my cardiologist told me to cut down on fat in my diet. So cheesecake is off the menu.

    Off the daily menu sure, but a sliver once a month or so?

    Cheesecake? What an appalling waste of perfectly good cake.

    “…and, to paraphrase Epicurus, if it is neither all-tasty, all-sweet nor all-nice, then why call it a cake?”

    Heretic. Cheesecake, although tasting neither like cheese nor cake, is one of the most divine foods mankind has created.

  31. negentropyeater says

    Cheesecake, although tasting neither like cheese nor cake, is one of the most divine foods mankind has created.

    Count me as one of the worshippers of the CheescakeGod.
    But when the cheesecake is really good, what’s the need for all these 50 varieties of flavourings ?
    Plain and simple, that’s how I like it best.

  32. cypress says

    My psychic senses are detecting an increase in orders for Reuschelle and another free cheesecake in P.Z.’s future…
    And a bent fork.

  33. Moggie says

    #46:

    Heretic. Cheesecake, although tasting neither like cheese nor cake, is one of the most divine foods mankind has created.

    Hmm. I haven’t eaten regular cheesecake in years, but I could be tempted by a cheesecake which tasted like Roquefort.

  34. colonel cocoa says

    Moggie, you’re nuts. Only God could create this cheesecake. There’s no way that mankind could do this.

  35. Moggie says

    Nuts, am I? Those fools at the academy said the same! “Man was not meant to meddle with such things”, they said, when I unveiled my bacon and banana slurpee. But soon, soon… we’ll see who is nuts when my bluecheesecake is perfected and capable of clogging an aorta with a single bite! Muahahahaha!

  36. https://me.yahoo.com/a/SaqGVG0xvJEQVwURVamS3DTCdvov0BLhXK1jOsYPPJQ-#b4893 says

    Dammit, I wish I’d known you could be this easily bought. You were within 3/4 mile of easily the best bakery in Sacramento, Freeport Bakery.

    Oh well, at least you now have a reason to come back.

  37. musicant says

    For those readers who are diabetic, I just got a note from Victor indicating that he makes a very large assortment of sugar-free cheesecakes. Good news, indeed, for the pancreas, if not for the waistline!

  38. Jadehawk, OM says

    Cheesecake? What an appalling waste of perfectly good cake.
    “…and, to paraphrase Epicurus, if it is neither all-tasty, all-sweet nor all-nice, then why call it a cake?”

    Heretic. Cheesecake, although tasting neither like cheese nor cake, is one of the most divine foods mankind has created.

    Heretic, indeed.

    I can forgive not liking squash; I can forgive not liking whipped cream; I can forgive not liking apples.

    I can not forgive this vile slander against the awesomeness that is cheesecake.

    If cheesecake didn’t make me fat, it would be better than snow!

  39. Carlie says

    ‘Tis, could you handle cheesecake made from neufchatel (the bastardized American version that is nothing but simply lower-fat cream cheese)? If you do homemade, you could cut the fat considerably with the type of cream cheese used. I make one that calls for 24 oz of cream cheese, make it with 16 of neufchatel and 8 of fat-free cream cheese, and it turns out fine.

  40. Dahan says

    Lucky for me, my cousin is a potter and made me some magic desert plates which negate all calories and fat when you use them. The only trick is, you REALLY have to believe in them or they won’t work.

    If you see me ballooning out, you’ll know it’s my fault and NOT the fault to the magic plates.

  41. Nerd of Redhead, OM says

    Hmm…Some super tasty cheesecake might get PZ off the hook for not being around when the TW got stranded. That depends on her desires, of course.

  42. anna.yeung213 says

    PZed when you come down to Melbourne for the convention, I’ll take you to Brunetti’s. Serious food porn. My favourite place in the city.

  43. David Marjanović says

    I can not forgive this vile slander against the awesomeness that is cheesecake.

    Why don’t you look at it this way: this leaves more for you…?