Slices of Pi

According to the American Pie Council, January 23rd is National Pie Day, on which date the eating of pies and “Random Acts of Pieness” are encouraged.

I am not generally in favour of the National This, That or the Other Days that various commercial bodies promote in order to make us buy their wares, but I do like pies. Especially homemade ones with apples and blackberries in them. Of course I am located on an entirely different continent to the American Pie Council, but I decided not to let that tiny geographical detail stand in the way of my enjoyment of National American Pie Day.

By the time I had discovered that today was devoted to the purchase consumption of pies, I had already committed two Random Acts of Pieness, so I may manage a slightly contrived total of 3.142 (approximately) by the end of the day:

(1) Gastronomical Pieness

I have consumed a pie, or at least a goats’ cheese and tomato tart, as part of the very excellent lunch that I was lucky to be invited to. I also ate a very nice crumble for dessert, but I’m not sure whether a crumble can be considered to be a pie or not. Congratulations to the chefs – a group of Y11 catering students at the school where I work – who produced and served a superb meal.

Whilst writing this, I found myself unable to make a decision about the apostrophe in goats/goat’s/goats’ cheese. Is there one? Should I consider that the cheese I ate came from a goat (singular) or goats (plural)? Does anyone out there know the answer?

(2) Experimental Pi-ness

I have discovered pi, aided by a class of Y8 students, a box of scruffy cylinders and some bendy rulers that are, apparently, “cool”. The bendy rulers are a bit odd: they are just photocopies of actual rulers, which have been cut up and laminated; but they are the cheapest and most durable tape measures ever.

Despite the low-tech equipment we arrived at a figure of 3.1, which is pretty good, but unfortunately we will not profit from our discovery, which is of course slightly lacking in originality.

(3) Comical Pieness

I have cracked a bad joke about pie/pi:

What do you get if you divide the circumference of an apple by the diameter of the apple?
Apple Pi.

(3.142) Partial Pieness

I have acquired all the ingredients needed to make an apple pie, but since I have not yet actually made the pie, I will use this as an excuse to number this item in a rather contrived way to denote its unfinished status.

2 comments to Slices of Pi

  • I checked as I read and I can confirm that as it is ‘the cheese of goats’, the Apostrophe Police commend you 🙂

    That idea of laminating photocopied rules is excellent, thank you – I shall keep it in mind for the next teacher who tells me that x hits other pupils with his ruler therefore isn’t allowed one, therefore gets into trouble for not underlining titles neatly.

  • Thank you! I am relieved at the news that I can sleep without fear of a visit from the Apostrophe Police.