Cakes

[mother]

What is the origin of the proverb - "you can't have your cake and eat it" ?

[Jaelor]

I reckon it has something to do with Mary Antoinette i.e. 'Let them eat cake' when she was talking about the poor - this was a short term solution to a long-term problem, so I've always assumed that this is where that saying came from i.e. for a poor person, just because you eat cake, does not mean you can have the lifestyle that goes with it.

[SIMONGR]

There's an article on cakes in sayings and proverbs at article 1074