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If you know me, you know of my affinity for Great Britain and downright obsession with her masterful reality TV show: The Great British Bakeoff. I have seen every episode countless times—crying, smiling, laughing, and cheering just as heartily on my fifth watch as my first. There is something special about the show that just seems to reach in and touch my heart.
In this time, when our national and world is lamenting injustice, suffering through a global pandemic, and mourning loss—of lives, normalcy, and community—I think there are two lessons this show can teach us, if we could humble ourselves and receive wisdom from reality TV.
1. We are in this together.
The 12 contestants in the Great British Bakeoff come from all over the British Isles for the chance to win the show and be named Britain’s best amateur baker. Only one of them can win, and one would think that this fact would breed fierce competition among the cohort. (But remember, this is the Great British Bakeoff, not the Great American Bakeoff.)
If time is running out, and one baker has already arranged the bake on the platter, he or she runs to the other bakers’ benches to help them get muffins out of tins, take biscuits off of trays, and make things look presentable for Paul and Mary. When one baker receives the “Hollywood handshake” for a spectacular bake, the camera pans around the tent to show all the other bakers smiling and giving their warmest congratulations. They cry when other bakers go home. They cheer when other bakers are crowned that week’s “star baker.” How is this possible? Aren’t they better off when other bakers fail? Aren’t they worse off when other bakers succeed?
The bakers in the show do not think in these “zero-sum” terms. The show is more than a competition: it is an experience. The bakers make lifelong friends through their “time in the tent.” Performing well is important, but what makes their experience life changing is not success. It is the things they learn from other bakers, the bonds they forge through the nerve-racking challenges, the laughs they share, the hugs they give, and the friendships they make.
In these times, we could learn to put the partisanship aside. It doesn’t matter who wins each challenge. We should think about what the conditions would have to be like for us to rejoice even when our side loses. We should ask ourselves why we instead rejoice in the suffering of our opponents and curse their success. We should think about improving our experience, not winning the competition.
2. “Crack on”
“Crack on” is my favorite British idiom. The bakers use it often when things don’t go as planned, but they can’t afford to toss their bakes in the “bin” because time is short, and something must be presented to Paul and Mary.
Genoise came out flat? Crack on. Shortbread’s overworked? Crack on. Crème pat didn’t thicken? Crack on. Caramel crystalized? Crack on. Every imaginable mishap happens in the tent, but the bakers make do with it, because something must go on the platter and sit before the judges.
Our lives right now are filled with flat genoises, overworked shortbreads, slack crème pats, and crystalized caramels. But as much as we’d like to, we can’t throw them in the bin. We must “crack on.” The world is still turning, and we have judges to impress. Because, as any baker knows, sometimes things don’t look good and the texture is all wrong, but it can still taste amazing. We have flavor to impart in these times, no matter how messy our vessels. Crack on.
Emily Davis, of Morganfield, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2022. She is pursuing a major in business economics with minors in math, political science and PPE (philosophy, politics and economics).