Good to know!!
The university link mentioned possibly the cake was made with thin layers to prevent the cake from being dried out, back on the day on Smith Island, maybe before Duncan or Betty were sending mix to the island 
(Prinzregententorte could be made with yellow cake mix, too, I suppose. Dr Oetker FTW )
Iāve lived in New Zealand and Canada and spent a month in Sydney. I am still kinda flummoxed by Dr. Oetker. He/They donāt exist in America, yet they seems to be everywhere else in the Anglosphere. Is it some huge Euro-conglomerate that just has their fingers in every food category possible?
Is/was there a Dr. Oetker? Maybe heās the continental equivalent of Clarence Birdseye? Iām sure I could look all this up but asking you folks is way more fun. Should I trust a Germanic last name with my frozen pizza needs?
We have Dr Oetker pizza manufacturing in London, Ontario, halfway between Toronto and Detroit. This part of Ontario lost its 99 yo Kelloggās plant, and Heinz left Leamington, around the same time. Dr Oetker came to town around the time the others left.
The Dr Oetker baking products, bouillon, and dessert mixes imported from Germany, Poland and other parts of Europe seem to be good quality, and theyāre found at stores selling European goods.
The Canadian-made Dr Oetker frozen pizzas are okay, but not better than their competition. The pizzas arenāt German in any way. Theyāre okay for what they are. We donāt have the same type of selection of frozen pizzas found in the States, itās basically Kraft Delissio, McCain, Dr Oetker, or grocery store house labels in terms of options for frozen pizza at most of the national chain grocery stores.
I was just making a joke about the Dr Oetker yellow cake mix. I havenāt seen it for sale in Canada. We do have Dr Oetker strawberry or chocolate mousse mixes for sale, but I havenāt seen cake mix. Maybe at a Polish grocery store.
I have purchased this Kaiserschmarrn Mix in Austria. I liked it.
Smith Island cake is always a winner. But that photo from the first link looks like a terrible version.
Dr. Oetker exists in the Philadelphia area of the US. Thereās not a lot of it, but Iāve seen their frozen pizzas and have used their chocolate mousse mix as an easy dessert option.
And yes, there was a Clarence Birdseye. The History Channel has a few food-related series and I know one covered how Clarence came up with his idea for frozen foods.
I have a Dr Oetker German cookbook, written in English , from the 1970s. Itās a good cookbook!
So was he a real person? Or is it like Betty Crocker (who was also covered in one of the History Channel series)?
I guess we all owe Dr. O . . . who knew heās responsible for baking powder?
(I did 
)
Smith Island Cake tends to be very moist as it has 12 supremely thin layers with some kind of filling (cream or fruit) in between. I have had it only 3 times. It was great each time.
Good to know!! I will seek it out some day.
Atwaterās is at every farmers market in my area. Itās a fairly big operation. I have quite a few much better choices, so now itās been years sine Iāve tried anything they have.
Regardless, Smith Island Cake is a rare treat, even if you go to Smith Island. Iāve been there. Not easy to get to and not much choice if you want to stay over.
Weird, I am a MD Native and I have never seen anything but Chocolate Filling in a Smith Island Cake. 
Other flavors must be a very modern Invention.
I almost drove across the bridge to Michigan on Saturday.
Dānicioās in Kalamazoo, MI is on my list. Diner and ice cream parlour.
https://dnicioskzoo.wixsite.com/resturaunt
Boston has come a long way on the food scene, and I think there are more traditional dishes here that are better. That chop suey sandwich looks like one of the most disgusting things Iāve ever seen (sorry, old school fans) - no wonder my dear departed dad would have never told me about this, even if he did have to make one!
A few pictures online for reference:
Careful calling that sandwich (or really, any food someone else might love disgusting.
I wouldnāt eat it, tho 
I grew up in a ādonāt knock it until you try itā environment. 
The Chop Suey Sandwich is not that high on my wish list.
Iām currently thinking about a Patty Melt at a diner near Buffalo or Detroit.
A trip to the Phoenicia Diner in the Catskills, triggered by a friend who posted photos on FB today.
I think you would have to be a fan of New England style Chinese-American chop suey/chow mein (apparently, Fall River has claim to a chow mein sandwich) first and then be excited about the ācarb bomb to inevitable napā pipeline the sandwich would cause. I live here and enjoy the occasional plate of either over white rice, but Iāve never done the sandwich form.
I remember Emeril loved it, probably tasty if freshly made, hot.
