Happy Pie Day!

Pi and Pie - a quick greeting on this special day

Today is March 14th and it is Tuesday. Tuesday always feels like the best day for March 14th. I can’t explain why because I don’t really know - it’s just a feeling.

I also can’t explain Pi. I mean, I know Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, or approximately 3.14, but how that is calculated, I have no idea. Hey, I’m a Humanities major. STEM subjects are largely outside my understanding. But just like March 14 on a Tuesday, pie on Pi Day feels right.

Two homemade pies. Honestly, I only make pie around Thanksgiving. I swear there is pie under all that whipped cream!

Pie is definitely something I can wrap my head around. Bad analogy but what I really want to say might sound scandalous. Pie is yummy. Who doesn’t like pie? You may have your preferences but pie is so universal and has so many variations, surely there is some pie that you like. Perhaps a traditional American sweet pie or some hand-held savory pie. Every culture has one of these. Pie is international.

Today is also my mom’s birthday, which, coincidentally, she shares with Albert Einstein. She left her body before this holiday caught on* but if she was still around, I know she’d love it. My mom wasn’t much of a baker (or a cook, for that matter), but one of the few things she would make is pie. Her peach pie was my favorite, largely because I enjoyed eating the warm skins as she peeled the peaches. But lemon meringue was her favorite. And meringue can be tricky, so I give her extra credit for this.

If you’re in the Boise area, check out Pie Addict. My friend and former colleague, David Lawyer is a master pie maker and I’m thrilled that he finally opened his own store! Blueberry Lemon and Bourbon Peach hand pies? Oh my! Yes, please!

You also might want to check out Kate McDermott’s newsletter, formerly known as The Art of the Pie, which was the name of her best-selling book that received a James Beard nomination. If you love making pie, you might want to sign up for one of her Pie Camps - come on, that’s gotta be fun!

These are Kate McDermott pies and the photo is her own. They can be found in her post Gluten Free Pie Dough

The point is, whatever you do today, enjoy some pie.

Pi Day = Happy Day!

* The first Pi Day was celebrated in 1988 at San Francisco’s Exploratorium and conceived of by physicist Larry Shaw. Then (amazingly), in 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing Pi Day. Hah! How about that?

Happy Birthday, Mom! Yes, this is a cake but if she were here, I’m sure she’d enjoy a pie.