The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01
The Pie Social.

Readers of the Indiana county press can
not fail to note the prevalence and popu-
larity OF a certain form of festivity known
as pie social" The pie social is heard of
in all quarters of the State, from Steuben
to Posey, and from the very suburbs of
Chicago to the Ohio river. 1t is COM
monty held in schoolhouses, and the par
Elephants seem for the most part to be
young people, but record is often made Of
the attendance of the elders of the COM
munity, and the invariable report is that
"a good time was had" But notwithstand-
ing the frequency of the event and the
evident fact that it is cherished institu-
ton. nowhere can the uninitiated city read
er find any intimation as to the exact char
acter Of the affair. He is familiar with
the strawberry festival and the oyster sup
per, having been inveigled into them in
unwary moments when they were held in
the parlors Of his church If he be so well
regulated as TO have a church he can call
his" or when they were conducted in
some good cause in which the lady he
most wished to please was interested. He
has there reluctantly consumed strawber-
ries of quality so acidulous as to set his
teeth on edge, and has bravely smiled in so
doing; he has eaten the lonely oyster
served to him by fair hands and has wished
for more, but not at the same price. But
he has no acquaintance with the pie So
cial
Obviously. pie social is a place where
friends and neighbors assemble to eat pie,
but this bare statement needs light thrown
on 1T. Is each patron expected to eat
one pie or more pies? May he be allowed
segments Of several pies in order that he
may enjoy variety, and may he choose
those pies that seem the most toothsome,
or must me take what is offered him? Is
there but one kind of pie at a social, or
are there many? Most important of all,
are they all made by one cook or are all
the cooks of the community contributors?
1t Is, of course, not conceivable that the
pies Of the pie social are OF bakery origin,
for the social, by it's very name. indicates
that the occasion Is meant for one Of
gayety and enjoyment. But promiscuous
pie has also it's risks. 1t is far from the
| Journals intention to cast any doubt or
| any slurs upon pie as pie. 1t takes no
| stock In the modern hygienio reform move
| ment so-called, that looks to the abolish
ment of this once unquestioned staple. Good
| pie brings joy, not sadness, to the con-
| sumner; pie in its perfection, with light and
/ fiaky crust and well seasoned interior, is
| a triumph of culinary art and is not only
| a delight to. the palate, but affords susie
| nance to the body and exhilaration to the
| spirit. Good pie and dyspepsia have no at
finity. Nevertheless, there is pie and pie.
| The casual pie, the pie found in, alas, too
many kitchens, the pie which has given a
bad name to the entire product, is thing
| open to suspicion, an edible to be APP
| preached with care. It's under crust may
| be soggy, it's upper crust clammy, its COM
| plexion pallid and uninviting, its inside
! mysterious. Do such pies appear at the
socials? If they do they must be eaten
| with the rest, there must be no discrimina-
| ton against them, else the donors will be
| offended and there will be trouble in the
| neighborhood. What the city dweller would
! like to know before he attends pie social
| is how he may be sure Of being served only
| with good pie For that he will be willing
| to pay the cost of admission, but he wishes
| to take no chances on miscellaneous pie
Some one who is informed should unfold
the secrets of the pie social In order that
its attractions may become even more
| widely known. For to encourage the con.
sumption Of pie that is pie Is to do good
| work.