Pie is the perfect breakfast food. And lunch dessert. And supper dessert. And snack, as far as that goes. Not necessarily for its health benefits; I don’t mean it’s the best for your physical health. You’ll have to apply elsewhere for that—to fresh vegetables and herbs, especially. But pie may be the best food for your emotional health—your state of mind; for it is the ultimate comfort food.
We need to start off by agreeing on terminology. What do I mean by “pie”? What I don’t mean is meat pie. And I don’t mean pie that you can buy at a store or restaurant. I mean homemade fruit pie, whether it be Apple, Blackberry, Cherry, Gooseberry, Peach, Pumpkin, Strawberry-Rhubarb, or something else—even a Banana Cream or Lemon Meringue.
Many people say they don’t care much for pie; they prefer cake. Of course, it’s just my opinion that pie is the best; others, with less refined taste and discernment, may think otherwise. But I ask those who are not enthused about pie: Have you ever had a real (homemade) pie? If they say they have, I may wonder about the ability of the piemaker, but primarily I wonder if they got their tastebuds scorched out of their head by smoking or something. Maybe, as some people are born tone-deaf and thus cannot appreciate music, they were born tastebud-dull and cannot appreciate food. Comparing a good pie, a good homemade pie, and a cake (which is pretty much the same, whether homemade or storebought) is like comparing a redwood to a rhododendron.
Cake is OK. But pie is supreme.
Pie is a family tradition with us. Baking it, and eating it.
Several members of the family were out to dinner at a place which had a reputaton for real good, family-style food. We ordered pie for dessert. After we had a chance to try it, the waitress came back and asked how we liked it. She seemed confident that our reviews of the pie would be extravagantly positive. Most of us said nothing, a couple of us just made ambiguous grunts, but my uncle—never one to mince words—gave a straightforward reply: “Lousy!”
The pie was OK. It was probably even slightly better than average—for restaurant pie. But it did not compare favorably to what we were accustomed to.
When I was a kid, a common expression was, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” In Mark Twain’s day, the boys said, “I wouldn’t do that for pie!”
Pie is mostly an American thing. In the Spanish translaton of Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Saywer, the word “pie” is translated as “pasteles” (cakes).
It is not just the mouth-watering appearance, or tantalizing aroma, or even the delectable taste of homemade pie that is most important. It is the fact that it was made with love.
For me, pie represents love.
Benton, regardless of the dogmatic view I presented in the post, there actually are some cafe-style places where good pie can be found. Probably some roadside stands that sell pie are good, too. The one I have in mind in particular is Sweet Elena's Bakery in Sand City, a couple of miles from where I live in Monterey. If you ever get out here ...
I loved your observations and home style humor. But now I’m interested in finding some high quality pie around here. :)