Demel: A Tale of Two Sweets

“There’s a different layer in the stomach,” my brother said. “One’s for food, it gets full quickly, the other is for dessert. You’re never too full for dessert.” Looking back on this conversation with my little bro, who was seven at the time, I couldn’t help but think: homeboy has a point.

No one is every truly too full for desserts. I’ve only met one person who’s been “sick” of desserts. That man is my husband:

A long time ago, when Frank was a kid, his dad used to come home with goodies from a bakery. Being the sweet doctor that he was, the baker next door gave all his unsold sweets to Frank’s dad. Every day was like a very happy un-birthday in that household. Heaps of cake, cookies and other sucrose’d concoctions were available for immediate devouring … so long as it didn’t spoil anyone’s appetite for dinner (apparently, nobody had heard of my brother’s double-layered stomach theory).

Yes, things were quite good in the house of Lin. Until one day, Frank had had too many desserts. Even writing that sentence, I thought: “but how could that be? How can you have too many desserts?” The answer to that paradox is that I still don’t know. But, my husband had reached the point of no return when he went in for a sweet bite of cake and it all came back up. Out of his mouth. In the form of barf. From that point on, he has been off the sweet stuff for good.

I, on the other hand, had a very a different childhood. My dad didn’t work next to a bakery. Save for a few candy bars here and there or a birthday cake, I wasn’t really allowed to have sweets. As you can imagine, these days, I’m kind of addicted to sugar.

There is no sweet I won’t try. I will not turn down a candy or dessert that is presented to me. And yes, I am that person who hogs all the desserts in the buffet line (and no, I’m not sorry). There is no sweet that is too sweet for me. But, look at the stock I come from: my little brother is coming up with excuses to eat more sugar. Biologists should really look in to this, there may actually be a second layer of the stomach made solely for desserts.

Demel

Demel in Vienna is probably the only place that has tested my love for sweets. The boulangerie was established during the realm of kings. Their Rose Macaron, was a succulent concoction of a giant pink cookie with raspberries on top. Lychee were mixed in with the creamy part of the center. It was just short of “to die for” (because no dessert is worth dying for…except the St. Eve, I might die for that). With just enough sweet, the macaron was probably perfection and it was a pretty pink.

Rose Macaron

The Elizabethschotter, on the other hand, was more like a: “I’m here, I’m sweet, and I don’t care if you lose teeth” flavor that left little to the imagination. I mean, there’s no sense in complicating the delicacies of cake. The damn thing is made of sugar. But, the sweetened strawberry creme middle was just too sugary.

So sweet, yeah it hurts.

Frank struggled to finish the too-sweet cake, which, perhaps unsurprisingly opened the floodgates of memories when he swore off sweets for good.

“I can’t finish this, it’s too sweet,” he said, guzzling down water to counteract the sweetness.

“It’s ok, dear, I’m American, we invented the twinkie,” and I motioned for him to hand it over.

Alas, he was right. The Elizabethschotter was, in fact, too sweet. Even for me. The girl who will have her cake and eat yours too.

All was not lost, though. The experience of watching the chefs make their creations behind an open glass window was amazing. The way they paid attention to even the slightest detail, eying every dessert for perfection before they sent it along to the patron was a fascinating sight. Sitting among people from all around the globe, who have heard of Demel, a place that has thrived over the centuries was a treat in and of itself.

You know what, my second layer is rumbling just thinking of Demel.

What has been your favorite dessert experience on your travels? You think my brother deserves a Nobel prize for his discovery?

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