Tacky Tourist Photos

Yum, Yum: The Atomic Cake Under Glass

SUBMITTED BY: Debby Greenberg  LOCATION: Los Alamos, New Mexico (2011)

So uranium yellowcake is a key ingredient for developing nuclear weapons, but you’re not supposed to eat it.

That wasn’t the case with this celebratory mushroom cloud cake enjoyed by U.S. military generals after the 1946 nuclear tests at the Bikini Atoll.  A replica of the cake now sits at the Los Alamos Historical Museum in New Mexico, home of the famed Manhattan Project.  

Frosting Fallout: This Pentagon PR stunt was meant to showcase America as a nuclear superpower. No word if the cake was actually served.

Our favorite element of this surreal pop culture moment is the cake decorations, which look like the plastic parts from the Battleship board game.

Museum exhibits like this exist so we can chuckle at the dessert disasters of the past and pledge not to repeat them.

Apparently, the more appropriate way to trivialize nuclear weapons is through alcoholic beverages. Check out this atomic bomb wine stopper currently for sale at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History gift shop:

(Debby Greenberg is a health care professional who appreciates the roadside attractions that come with business travel).

Say Cheese, Gringos!

SUBMITTED BY: Margaret Ramlow   LOCATION: Nogales, Mexico (2010)

A feeble attempt by Americans to sneak across the Arizona border, blend in with the locals, and steal Mexican jobs.

(Retired registered nurse Margaret Ramlow reviews movies and writes about nature and politics on her Arizona Buddy blog.)

Facial hair is much lusher South of the Border!

SUBMITTED BY: Wendy and David LOCATION: Cancun, Mexico (mid-1990s)

If a Mexican restaurant in the United States ever tried to set up this photo booth, they’d be suffocated by protestors railing about ethnic stereotypes and/or illegal immigration policies.

In Mexico, however, anything goes.

After a few tequilas, the Gringos will dress up in any costumes put in front of them. We’re not super Purell freaks, but how many noses have touched that fake mustache?