Louisiana TikToker Shuts Down Debate Over Knife in King Cake Box

New Orleans, LA (KPEL News) - Any true Louisiana native expects that there will be a knife in a king cake box that's already been opened. No Boot State folks know exactly why. There shouldn't be any debate, and we will defend it to our last breath. The sun rises in the east, the sky is blue, and the knife stays in the box.

Still, the rationale has been questioned, but the practice remains, as this young lady who still doesn't know says.

Posts populate social media with clever, funny defenses about the knife and the box, but one TikToker shuts them all down.

Is it for convenience? Maybe. When you need a piece of king cake (and I do mean "need"), having the knife handy means that you satisfy that urge without delay.

Users participating in Reddit thread about the knife in the box illustrate our lack of concern for cleanliness. A king cake doesn't (or shouldn't) last a day, particularly those brought to the office to share. ImpressiveVictory951 summed the reasoning up in one comment:

Ain't no self respecting king cake gonna last a full day at the office.

The Saints Report decided to ask users whether the knife should stay or go. Nearly 96% of respondents said leave the knife in the box unless, of course, there's no more cake left to enjoy. One commenter solves the problem like this:

Eat the whole king cake.
No knife required.

I can almost guarantee you that a Louisianan worth their colored sugar will be extremely skeptical if they open a box with king cake left in it, and there's no knife.

Alas, one TikToker from New Orleans has done us the service of offering valid reasons that justify the knife phenomenon that may also help you feel better for doing it.

Nola Lifestyle posits:

Leaving a stainless steel knife in the box helps to decrease the moisture and keep the cake fresh. Something about alloys, but I'm ready to believe him.
The knife with the left-over icing on it helps with portion control. You just gotta see it.
Using the same knife alleviates the need for washing it, thereby decreasing water usage and saving endangered pelicans.

Check out the video and you, too, will be a believer. At least now we have a few reasons and, if we say them with conviction, people may actually believe us. If they don't, who cares! Just leave the knife in the box, unless it's a nasty king cake. Then remove it to save your fellow man from bad juju.

Happy Mardi Gras!