How Eating Cake Off The Floor Led This M*A*S*H Star To His Soul Mate
Alan Alda has had the kind of Hollywood career that wannabe and rising stars only dream about. Alda made a name for himself playing everyone's favorite fictional military surgeon, Hawkeye Pierce, on the television show "M*A*S*H," which made its debut in 1972, per Biography. The "M*A*S*H" star went on to appear in plenty of other successful shows and movies, including playing Arnold Vinick in "The West Wing." According to the Emmys website, Alda has received 34 nominations, six Emmys, and one honor. But the accolades don't end there. He is also a six-time Golden Globe winner and was nominated for an Academy Award. Alda has done it all and is beyond talented. But perhaps his greatest achievement is his partnership with his wife, Arlene Weiss.
Let's face it: Hollywood is better known for all of its celebrity break-ups rather than relationships with longevity. So, when we hear a good love story, we have to share. And Alda and Weiss, who have been married for 64 years, per Food & Wine, have just that story. What we love most about their relationship is the sweet way it began, and we mean that literally. Alda and Weiss were brought together by a traditional Caribbean dessert, two forks, and of course, kismet.
Rum cake brought Alda and his wife together
Food & Wine did a deep dive into Alda's Wikipedia page, which states that the actor crossed paths with his future wife in 1956 while they were attending separate colleges. Sparks and spirits flew at a party that featured rum cake. That cake fatefully fell on the floor, and Alda and Weiss were apparently the only people who "did hesitate to eat it." A year later, they were husband and wife.
Before you scream, "Don't take Wikipedia's word for it!" don't worry: We don't have to. Alda confirmed the validity of this Wiki-tale via Twitter, writing, "We did eat the rum cake off the floor and were inseparable after that. But I was captivated by her even earlier in the meal when I heard her at the end of the table laughing at my jokes. She had me at Ha." So sweet, right? The Twitterverse probably couldn't agree more, liking the tweet almost 180,000 times and retweeting it well over 17,400 times. One follower wrote, "Since reading this story years ago I've been throwing cakes on the floor at dinner parties ever since. Haven't had a single date." While another echoed the sentiment, replying, "Yeah same, apparently I ruined my nephew's 1st birthday." Perhaps you have to mash the cake on the floor. But just please stay away from our cake.