Dessert Wars is Coming to Lansing – Here’s the Story of the REAL Dessert War

The 2014 Pink Dessert Wars are coming to the University Club at MSU on October 14th. To find out more, click here.

But did you know, there was a REAL Dessert War? It's officially known as the "Pastry War", it took place from November 1838 to March 1839 and it involved France and Mexico.

For history teachers interested in how to explain this event to the youth of America - here's the Wikipedia link to find out more - and here's how I would lecture about it in class:

The "Pastry War" between France and Mexico happened because a French pastry chef claimed Mexican soldiers had looted his shop in Mexico City, in 1828, during riots brought on by an unstable government. The chef appealed to King Louis-Philippe of France TEN YEARS LATER (?) to ask the Mexican government to pay 600,000 pesos for the damages. Mexico ignored France. France told Mexico, "Hey, you also owe us for  millions of dollars in loans we gave you." Mexico ignored them and pretended they weren't home. France sent some ships to Mexico to block their ports and bomb one of their forts. Mexico un-friended France on Facebook and declared war. They shot at each other for three months and then Great Britain saw a good reason to go to Mexico and got them both together during Spring Break '39. Mexico paid the 600,000 pesos for the damage, but everybody was still a little bitter about the whole "loan" thing. France actually came back and took over Mexico in the 1860s, but then the United States told France - "not cool". So France went home. But now they have embassies in each other's country and nobody brings up the "Pastry War" anymore.

You're welcome.

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 – 10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.