Batman: Year Seventy

Right, so it's no real secret I like comic books, heroes, and all the trappings associated with them. It's also fairly well-known the level of detail I will put into anything I am even mildly passionate about.

So don't tell me you're shocked to learn that I celebrated Batman's 70th 'birthday'; we both know you're sitting there...rolling your eyes and/or laughing...saying 'yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing she'd do'.

It was 70 years ago that the Caped Crusader made his first appearance in Detective Comics, and that's a heck of a milestone for anyone. The sort that demands celebration.

And there's really only one way I know how to celebrate: with food.





I have had conversations with both my foodie & comic book friends about this: what do heroes eat? It's not something that's ever shown, really; ok, if you're reading the Flash, for example, you may get a scene or two where he's shoveling in large quantities of food. But that's less 'what' he's eating & more 'gotta keep up with that super-charged metabolism'.

Yes, I have my favorites in the hero world, and Batman is at the top of that list. (Technically he's tied with Wonder Woman, but that's a different post for a different day.)

I've actually given this a lot of thought (No! Really?); what exactly would Bruce Wayne eat, as Batman? He's often depicted as being too busy to bother with whatever Alfred has prepared, but the guy has to eat eventually.

Alfred's a smart man. He'd be sure whatever was on the tray he set next to 'Master Bruce', close to the computer, would be hearty, flavorful, & good for him. And most importantly, it would be something that would keep: years & years of looking after Gotham City's self-proclaimed protector meant he knew the food had to be ready & edible whenever Bats got around to it.

That ruled out a lot of options. Nothing that had to be kept hot, or might get soggy.

It also had to be easy to eat; Bruce would be working on...oh, comparing bullets, researching links between suspicious characters, or analyzing DNA samples. Any food he bothered to pick up would have to be pick up-able.

A roasted tomato basil soup, delicious both hot or cold, served in a big mug. Pick up, take a swig, go back to work.

Sandwich with nutty, multi-grain bread, toasted & brushed with olive oil (mayo would go bad before Bruce got around to it), topped with slices of Gruyere, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast & a good, crunchy lettuce.

Foods that can wait till the Batman realizes he's not eaten in more than twelve hours & had better keep up his strength, but won't slow him down in his quest to keep his city safe.

At least, that's what I like to think would happen.





And because no celebration should pass without a cake, I give you The Dark Knight Cake; a dense chocolate cake made with both cocoa & 88% dark chocolate, covered in dark chocolate ganache.

Oh, and yes...it may resemble a certain signal often seen in Gotham's night sky...

Happy Birthday, Batman.