Janelle Irwin Taylor
With Hurricane Dorian still a good four days out from Florida, residents are already going crazy with memes showing how little Floridians actually worry about hurricanes.
From photos of tipped over lawn chairs to people drinking beer in gale force winds, hurricanes are, in this state, something of a laughing matter.
But a PR move by Lakeland-based Publix is getting mixed reactions on the internet from folks who have a sense of humor, and some who don’t.
The supermarket chain is, at some of its locations, making Hurricane Dorian-themed cakes. One in particular on a giant cookie depicts a leafy green Florida surrounded by fluffy blue waves of icing and Hurricane Dorian approaching with its cone of uncertainty.
It’s a yummy way of saying, “Hey guys, a storm’s a brewin’!” But some people have their panties in a bunch over it.
“Ever go through a hurricane,” one Twitter user asked. “Yeah, it’s not funny. Publix should know better.”
Ever go through a hurricane?
Yeah, it’s not funny.
Publix should know better.— Beach Bum (@Lives_for_Surf) August 29, 2019
Another user accused Publix of profiting from a natural disaster.
https://twitter.com/lizadixon/status/1167084713196081152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Still, others are taking Publix’s hurricane confection with a grain of, well, sugar.
“This is prepping for Dorian like a native,” one user tweeted with a toothy grinning emoji.
https://twitter.com/upearlysunshine/status/1167053613832822784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Others called the idea genius and some were suddenly plagued with a sugar craving.
Publix isn’t new to the hurricane baking business. The company made news in 2017 too when they made cakes emblazoned with iced hurricanes surrounded by tufts of waves with the words “Go Away Irma” emblazoned on the cake platters.
So, as Floridians prepare for the approaching storm with all appropriateness, perhaps they can do so with a little Publix-inspired cake buzz. Because in the words of American philosopher Elbert Hubbard (and later Ryan Reynolds’ depiction of Van Wilder): “Don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never get out alive.”
