We admitted we were powerless over frosting, and that our lives had become unmanageable

So there is this bakery in Chicago that makes literally the best baked goods I have ever had. Old fashioned and novelty baked goods - the best cakes, and by far, without a doubt, the best frosting I've ever tasted. My cousin is experiencing the greatness of this bakery as we speak. She is licking the vanilla butter cream frosting out from the edges of two large chocolate chip cookies. She keeps putting the cookie away and then getting it back out every ten minutes. Actually - she is alternating between the cookie and an orange cream sickle cupcake. She sits back down on the couch and tells me that in between bites, she is contemplating which baked good to lick the frosting off of next. Sadly, she is not even hungry, and keeps questioning whether she might actually enjoy this experience more if she could just get herself to wait until a little bit later.

No one believes me when I tell them how amazing this place is - until they actually experience it. What could possibly be so amazing about this frosting? Truthfully, I can't even explain it. Let's just say - we have been there twice today. We went back so that my cousin could get some treats for her family - though she just told me that she might not make it home with any of them still intact. For a brief period I was driving out of my way to go past this bakery every single day - I had to cut myself off. This was true unmanageability. Much like admitting complete defeat and utter powerlessness, I had to work step one around frosting (as you know, I have also worked step one around chai tea lattes and email). It is literally impossible to have just a little bit of anything from this place. The compulsion for more kicks in - as my cousin can attest to. She is spinning in circles right now between the kitchen and the bathroom - trying to decide whether to get in the tub - or take another lick first.

Eating these baked goods requires endurance. It is literally impossible to eat an entire dessert - yet at the same time, it is literally impossible not to. So inevitably - you put it away, get it back out, put it away, get it back out and so on and so on - until an hour or so later, you have finally finished one. You feel sick - but it's so worth it. My favorite treat is two chocolate chip cookies, with a giant blob of vanilla butter cream frosting in between. We brought them home this afternoon and decided to wrap them up and save them for later...we took a bite...wrapped them in saran wrap and then wrapped them back up in the paper bag. My cousin, in all seriousness - out of real concern for the fate of her cookie turns to me and says, "is the kitty going to get it?" (I laugh at her) She says, "I only had two bites - I'll be upset if the cat eats it." As if my cat has the ability to open up bags and remove saran wrap!!!!!!!

My cousin though, for the first time, actually gets what I am talking about when I talk about the compulsion to drink or the mental obsession. She is experiencing this very same thing as we speak - about frosting.