I’ve been calling the ascendancy of pie over cupcakes for years, and whether you’re with me on that or not, you’ll have to grant pie its moment in the limelight today, pi day. In the US reckoning of dates, it’s 3/14/15 today, and those who are way way into it will no doubt be digging into some pie at 9:26, because 3.1415926, you know.
I set out this morning to get to Petsi Pies in Cambridge at 9:26 to see what, if anything, would happen. I arrived early enough and bought a slice of apple and a slice of pecan, and settled in to await the irrational minute.
The place started to fill up, probably not much more than a typical weekend morning, and at the tick of 9:26, nothing unusual happened. No countdown, no pi-themed cheers, chants, or songs. Rumor has it that fancy stuff was going on at the Somerville location, but I was happy to observe pi day quietly.
That’s what’s great about mathematics: unnoticed, unobserved, or unappreciated, it still just is. Now, where can I get some piroshki for a 9:26pm dinner?