As a person who was born and raised in Louisiana I was brought up celebrating Mardi Gras. So, when I asked people where's the best place in town to get a king cake I was met with the question: "What's king cake?" Let the education begin.

My parents sent up a king cake from a hardware store in my home town. Yes, it is a little ironic, I suppose, that the hardware store has the best pastries. As I understand, they're made in house.

Let's face it, this time of year people aren't buying mowers in the state of Louisiana. So this hardware store turns into Mardi Gras headquarters from 12th Night through Fat Tuesday.

You can buy crazy beads, Cajun gifts and, of course, king cakes.

Now, what is a king cake? No, it's not Martin Luther King related. It's related to the Christian religion. There's a baby in the cake that represents the Christ child, the shape is a crown for the three kings.

To me king cake represents family. Spending a parade day at my uncle's house eating barbecue and hanging out with my cousins as we wait for the parade to start. When you During the parade, you catch as many beads and (the real prize) cups as you can. Afterwards, you're pretty much left wonder what you're going to do with all of these beads.

At my old job we would have a fresh king cake every single day, and they would be filled with flavors other than cinnamon, I've seen everything from pecan praline to chocolate.

Anyway, it was fun sharing a piece of my hometown with my coworkers.

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