Holiday I Can Dig

Celebrating The Pies Of March
by Doreen McCallister

It's March, and you know what that means.

No, I'm not talking about March Madness.

I'm not referring to Mardi Gras.

I'm certainly not talking about the Ides of March. (Sorry, Caesar.)

I don't even mean St. Patrick's Day — so I won't be sharing recipes for Irish soda bread or scones, or tips on how to get beer just the right color of green.

I am, however, talking about a different celebration involving food. Get ready to roll out some dough, because it's almost Pi Day.

Yes, I've spelled it right — think back to geometry class. Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (the distance across it). It's been represented by the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet since the 1700s.
Pi plates, T-shirts and other retail items are helping Pi Day supporters take their math-themed celebration mainstream.
Doreen McCallister/NPR

Pi plates, T-shirts and other retail items are helping Pi Day supporters take their math-themed celebration mainstream.

For the math challenged, think of something that's round. Might I suggest pie? It's the perfect example because, in addition to being round (and popular — pie is the new cupcake, after all), it's pronounced the same way as pi.

Now, it's been a long time since I sat in math class and learned about pi. I do remember that everyone in the class, including the smart kids, had a snicker when the teacher introduced the word.

"Mmmm ... pie," we all said aloud and in unison. Mind you, this was pre-Homer Simpson and his infamous utterances. If only we had thought of it then, we could have had pie at our own Pi Day party.

Full story and picture are found here.