03.15.08
Thoughts on March 14
It’s one month after Valentine’s Day. I’m struck by the ironic parallelism between Japanese tradition and American.
In Japan, Valentine’s Day focuses on the men. Women make or buy chocolate to give to the men they know. The usually fall into one of two categories. Giri-choco, or obligation chocolate is given to all a woman’s male friends and relatives. It’s a normal quality chocolate, usually pre-bought. Honmei-choco, or “true” chocolate is fancy chocolate, often handmade, given only to the man or men toward whom the woman has the greatest affection.
In return, clever marketers turned March 14 into White Day. This is the day the men reciprocate gifts to the women. “White” is to indicate that women are too “delicate” for regular chocolate, and so should be given white chocolate instead. I dislike white chocolate, finding it neither white, NOR chocolate, so I dislike that approach. However, I digress. On White Day, the men usually reciprocate a gift in excess of what they received.
In the U.S. Valentine’s Day focuses on the women. I’m not sure when that happened. I was taught that couples should equally gift one another on this day. Advertising and the zeitgeist indicate otherwise. Roses, chocolates, jewelry, and ornate valentines are the things to get. These are obviously aimed at women, since most men don’t care for such foofy things. What happened to equal exchange?
Well, in classic American crassness, it’s been fixed. March 14 is Steak and Blowjob Day. *ugh* According to the website, it was developed by a radio host several years ago, and sparked popular culture. As “payment” for the lovely gifts on Valentine’s Day, the men should get steak and fellatio from their women.
That’s the best name they could come up with? Seriously?
*WARNING!* The squeamish will want to skip the following paragraph. *WARNING*
Why not adopt the Japanese moniker of White Day, and have that stand for the creamy “foam” at the end of the act?
*WARNING* Paragraph ends. *WARNING*
Keith and I aren’t terribly romantic, so I’m the only one who managed to come up with a gift this year. Does that mean I get the blowjob? The whole thing just seems silly.
That’s why I’m going to jump on the Pi Day bandwagon. I probably don’t remember as many digits as most of my geek friends, but I do remember Pi = 3.14159. March 14 is 3/14, or 3.14, hence, Pi Day. To make it more fun, people have punned it to be Pi(e) Day. So you celebrate Pi by eating pie. I have no problem with that. How can you dislike pie? If eating pie gets you back in touch with your math, even better.
I wanted blueberry pie.
Don’t get me wrong. I love pumpkin pie, dutch apple pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, key lime pie, and others, but I love blueberry pie, and I haven’t had any in years. Also, I’m currently ill, and you tend to want the unreasonable when you are ill.
How is blueberry pie unreasonable, you ask? It’s really hard to find here in Silicon Valley. Amazingly so. When the fever had me up in the middle of the night, I went to the Baker’s Square website to find the closest one. Shiaw-Ling has bought pies there before and they are quite good.
But they don’t sell blueberry outside of the Midwest! Freaky! So I started hunting around. Most bakeries don’t even sell pies anymore, unless they are cream pies, or made to order. Marie Callender’s sells a blueberry apple, but that’s cheating. I don’t want blueberry-apple, blueberry cheesecake, blueberry-berry medley, just normal blueberry pie!
So I Google mapped “blueberry pie” in my area. Astonishingly few hits. None really local. I had coincidentally been to Heidi Pie Restaurant in San Mateo. It was a great diner with great pies. Too far to drive while I’m sick, though. (Any distance is too long, really. It’s not safe for me to drive sick.) Keith wasn’t thrilled with the idea of fetching a pie, either. “Why not just get a frozen one from the store?” he asked.
Doh. I am obviously sick. Why didn’t I think of that? Mrs. Smith’s must make a blueberry pie. I’ve eaten it in the past. So I leave it to him to pick one up on the way home from work.
I was sleeping when he got home, so when I finally woke up, I went downstairs and discovered that once again I have the Best Boyfriend Ever!
Unable to find one at the store, he bought stuff and made one for me! OMG, I know! He is just too awesome!!!
He didn’t put a traditional top crust on it, which is what I expected, but a dutch crumbled one instead. I feared it would make the pie too coffee cakey, but no.
It. Was. Delicious. He served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and yummmmmmy!
Yup. March 14 is now solidly Pi Day in my book.