crazy for cupcakes?

i will tell you upfront that i am not a fan of cupcakes. out of all the sweets, i am more inclined to the ice cream cones, ice cream shakes, ice cream sundaes, a la modes and...well you get the picture. but you would be very oblivious if you did not notice that the past couple years cupcakes have been popping up everywhere. housewives have started creating delectable treats made of flavors such as red velvet, carrot cream cheese, and the ever so popular monkey love. since i'm not personally a fan of cupcakes, i always thought that it was just a fad and it would be quick to pass just like i thought reality tv, facebook, and the jonas brothers would. but here we are in 2009 and i feel like i'm surrounded by the cupcake mecca of the world. not only do ny'ers love cupcakes, but it seems like all bakeries have to make them overly extravagant in order to be the best of the best. today we got cupcakes at work from crumbs bakery during a meeting. as i listened to the sales rep talk about why we should buy their inventory i couldn't help but sit and stare at these round balls of colorful lard. they were all the size of my fist with another fistful of frosting on top. but that's not it...here in ny, there's an extra layer of whatever goodies you want. for example, picture one is with M&Ms sprinkled all over the top. picture 2...in case you forget to eat that nutritious snack of oreos you could get one with oreos on top. no cupcake in ny is too small for extra few layers of sweetness. but this is where the irony of the cupcake lies. cupcakes are supposed to be a miniature version of a 'normal sized' cake. but here in the big apple cupcakes are no longer miniature cakes. they have taken their own identity and are no longer associated with bite sized treats. here in the big apple you must ask for a knife and fork to indulge in the chocolate peanut butter oreo cookie on top of the red velvet caramel cake topped with raspberry vanilla frosting. and before long...the cycle will be complete and cupcakes will only be known as cakes...bon apetit!