Monday, 3/14

And happy Pi Day, a perfect day to discuss this particular topic--

Just what's wrong with you people???

And by “you people”, I don't mean the fine, intelligent, and tasteful group that reads this on a daily basis and goes about leading upstanding lives. Nope; I'm instead referring to the people who, in a survey by the American Pie Council, left blueberry pie off the list of the five favorite pie flavors in this fine country of ours.

Once again, what's wrong with you people????

I'm serious here. One of my “Weird Facts” on the air last week was how the American Pie Council & Crisco did a survey that found out 92% of Americans enjoy eating pie. That in itself is not cause for any concern, unless you're like me and wonder why 8 percent of the country doesn't like pie (that, though, may be a pondering for another day). The survey then went on to survey the five favorite pies of Americans. To perhaps no one's surprise apple topped the list followed by another solid choice, pumpkin.

It's then that it started to get weird.

Pies number three through five were, in order, pecan, sweet potato, and chocolate. And while I applaud the concept of pie number five, how could any of those rate ahead of blueberry? Blueberry pie is, like, one of the gifts we're given for being human and being able to combine ingredients together so that the sum is waaaaay more than the whole of the parts. It turns a bad day good, and a good day even better. It's nothing short of manna from the heavens.

And yet it didn't even make the top five.

I don't know if this survey was skewed toward people living in the southern US, where pecan and sweet potato pies are popular, or if (once again) I'm just so far out of the norm that when I like is what no one else would like. But to only have one fruit pie—apple--in the top five (and yes, I know pumpkins technically are fruit, but that's not the point here) just doesn't seem right. Even if you don't think blueberry pie should make the list, what about cherry pie, or raspberry pie, or strawberry pie, or key lime pie?

Fruit and pies go together. Don't believe me? Ask a company like Hostess. You don't see them selling sweet potato pies in their collection of hand-held fruit pies, do you? Nope. You see apple, you see blueberry, you see cherry, and, at least according to Google you also see lemon. But sweet potato? Pecan? Nope.

Hostess obviously knows something about pies. So what's wrong with the rest of the country?

(jim@wmqt.com), firm believer in (and lover of) blueberry pie.