Bienenstich

Bienenstich or Bee sting cake is a German dessert made of a sweet yeast dough with a baked-on topping of caramelized almonds and filled with a vanilla custard, buttercream or cream. The cake may have earned its name from its honey topping: according to one legend, a bee was attracted to it, and the baker who invented the cake was stung.

I was out weeding the garden last weekend when I got a sharp searing pain on my pinkie finger of my right hand. I noticed a yellow jacket stinging me repeatedly.  I tried to shake it off, but to no avail.  I swatted it with my left hand.  I suddenly had a sharp searing pain on my pinkie finger of my left hand.  I hit the ground with both hands to get rid of the wasp.  My fingers swelled immediately.  I washed the wounds, soaked in vinegar to neutralize the venom, and took Benadryl.  The pain subsided within a couple of hours, the swelling took about a week to lessen.

I went to Art Beat, a local art fair with Shane, Beth, and Ken this past Sunday.  We stopped at one of our favorite places for snacks and drinks.  We sat outside on the patio.  While deep in conversation, a hornet flew up to my mouth and strung me on my lower lip.  It swelled up rather quickly.  I got some ice cubes and vinegar from the wait staff.  Ken went to the first aid station to see if they had anything. A kind citizen overheard him speaking to the paramedics and provided him with some Benadryl. Thank you kind stranger!  She told him she had been stung the week before and now carries it with her wherever she goes.  The swelling went down considerably within the first hour, but minimal swelling still persists.  I guess I will be taking more doses of Benadryl through the week.  What a pain.

I have only been stung four times in my life.  Three of them in the last week.  I much prefer the Bienenstich.