Celebrating Pi Day

It’s Pi Day!  No, not pie, the food—pi, the Greek letter.

March 14th of every year has become a celebration of the Greek letter “π”, used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter (which is approximately 3.14 and some change).

Since we’re a technology company (translation: there are a lot of self-described nerds and geeks around here), we are pretty big fans of this no-so-serious holiday. It’s a moment to appreciate the contribution math has made to the world—and a great excuse to eat pie and all things round.

How are you going to celebrate? We’ve got a few ideas for you along with a roundup of a few Pi Day deals:

1. Make a Pi Day playlist! Pop Dust gathered 15 pie-related songs you should put on while you eat pie. There’s American Pie (of course) but did you consider Frank Sinatra’s High Hopes (high apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes)? Or Destiny’s Child’s Apple Pie a la Mode? Check out the full list and maybe add one more—Kate Bush has a song called Pi that includes many, many, many decimals of the number.

2. Meet for pie at 3:14. It’s the perfect afternoon snack—a least that’s what our IT department thinks. They’re hosting a pie tasting, but you could also do a pie bake-off or pie-eating competition too.

If you’re looking for recipes, no worries—we’ve got you covered:

And don’t dismiss buying a pie to enjoy. Lots of stores are offering Pi Day specials including national chains like Whole Foods ($3.14 off sweet pies) and Krogers ($3.14 pies). Odds are your local store or chain is also getting in the Pi Day spirit with some deals, too.

3. Pi, it’s what’s for dinner. Here we’re not talking sweet pie as much as savory (although if you want to eat fruit pie for dessert, you do you!).

Consider, for example, a classic Shepherd’s Pie. If you like to cook, try Alton Brown’s fan favorite recipe. If you’re not huge into cooking, go with an Easy Shepherd’s Pie or go reeeeaaaalllllyy easy and pick up a pre-made one at your local Costco, if they have them.

Or how about a pot pie? And let’s not forget about the always-popular pizza pie (#lazyforthewin).

Again, don’t think you have do all the heavy lifting—feel free to use Pi Day as an excuse to grab some take out. In fact, lots of restaurants are offering Pi Day specials. Here’s a quick list of what we found:

  • Boston Market: Buy a pot pie and a drink and get a pot pie free. Just print off a coupon from com.
  • Whole Foods Market will be offering $2 off take-and-bake pizzas.
  • Pizza Hut is offering three medium, one-topping pizzas for $5 each.
  • Domino’s is extending the holiday by doing a buy one pizza at menu price and get another for free until March 18.
  • Papa Murphy’s will give you one large pizza for $3.14 when you buy a large pizza at regular price—and, bonus, if the 14th is your birthday you can have a large pizza for free.

RetailMeNot has more, so check out the full list with offer links.

4. Think outside the box. Pi is about circles, so any round food is appropriate. Grab some cookies, make some pancakes for breakfast (or dinner!), and cakes (and cupcakes) are also perfectly fine.

If you’re not into sweets or have diet restrictions, bring some pineapple to a Pi Day gathering. You could also set out a dish of pine nuts for everyone to enjoy.

5. Dress up like Albert Einstein. Pi Day happens to also be Einstein’s birthday. Feel free to offer some Einstein trivia or play some other party games like a pi recitation contest, or pin the top on π.

However you decide to celebrate—or not—if you’re looking for a little distraction today, spend a few moments and check out Lauren Ko’s Instagram account. She makes some of the most gorgeous, creative, and geometric pies you’ve probably ever seen.

UPDATE: Have you seen The Pieous’ Instagram account too? Seriously, these out. A Captain Marvel pie? A Lorax pie? A fairy pie? These are unbelievable.

Image by Flickr user Koka Sexton.

Missy works on the Corporate Communications team and reports stories to TDS employees and customers. This is right up her alley because she’s an extrovert and also a big fan of research (really, she’ll look up just about anything that strikes her interest). Missy is a native of Madison, Wis. with an undergraduate in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Life Sciences Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her interest in the Internet as a mass media shaped her work towards a PhD in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s also worked as an editorial assistant, copywriter, and production artist. In her off hours, Missy is a crafter, Pinterest addict, reader, wife, and mom of two kids.

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