King cake at Carnival time — it’s instinctual in New Orleans. And yet this year much is different. Parades are canceled and many of the places where we find king cake have changed, from schools to offices. But the spirit of Carnival season persists in many other facets of local culture, and king cakes represent one edible, readily accessible example. This one also has a social ritual built right in. How people adapt these in a time of social distancing could be an early barometer for a season that must proceed off its normal script. As the start of this year’s Carnival approached, I heard many people vow that king cake would be one of their anchors of the season unmoored for so much else that we usually expect. And on Twelfth Night, sure enough, those first official king cakes of the season were everywhere. Will it hold up in the weeks to follow, without big parties and parades? If the king cake doesn’t magically appear, but you have to decide to get one yourself, will you still be on