a color story: pink, blue dyes and the cupcake

Mini cupcakes sat on the kitchen counter, leftovers from a tea party. They looked similar to the chocolate and vanilla varieties. I definitely ate them at school birthday celebrations. These cupcakes was, however, decorated with a pink, blue frosting swirl and pink, blue cake. I assumed that the added color alluded to a unique taste. To my disappointment, I tasted sugar.

"Why did the grocery store add colors if they didn't add any flavor?" I thought.

I should have known better. I expected a bubblegum flavor due to the similar colors. Then, my mind raced off with other color comparisons. The cupcake could taste like sour gummy worms, nerds, bottle gummies and etc.  After tasting the cupcake, it reminded me of cotton candy; it's more for show rather than taste. 

Then, I googled the relationship between the two colors, "What does blue and pink mean?" Wikipedia listed historical sources for pink and blue as gender signifiers (pink for females and blue for males). It could be the reason why parents purchase blue and pink candies. Both daughter and son could be happy with their sweets. But, the pink, blue cupcakes, with colored swirls and cake, alluded to a celebration rather than a "please don't fight kids" device. I dug deeper in the search engine and found out that the colors were important for gender reveals.  

The cupcakes were meant for baby showers.

I guess I haven't attended a gender reveal event. What bothered me wasn't the lack of invitation, but my oblivious nature towards the color relationships.

I laughed when I saw the cupcakes on the counter.

"You aren't a cupcake, you are an ornament at best."