YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodles for you on your birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday. Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting  . It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to the classroom to celebrate their child's birthday. But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity. Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering   with American culture. The cupcake is seen as American as apple pie -- only prettier. According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, the cupcake is the most democratic   of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don't have to share your cupcake with anyone -- it's all yours. They are also all the same size, so there can't be any cries of "she got the bigger piece!" Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self-determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, others have it all in just one bite. In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as _ as having a cup of Starbucks coffee. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, she would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday. Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going back to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. "People want to think about when they and their country were innocent," she said. Why did the writer mention Hillary Clinton and Ruth Reichl?
To arouse the readers' attention. To show that cupcakes are becoming a popular to   show kindness and comfort. To make a comparison between them. To give readers a general idea of cupcakes.