This is a chapter from my sixth book called Alphabet Soup - A different kind of cook book
What makes a good pie? Not the typical American apple pie for example but more like the Trinidadian aloo pie. Something that I can relate to and easily talk about. Aloo pie was created by the descendents of Indentured laborers on the island of Trinidad. We start with basic ingredients which are flour, potato and oil. We mash and season the boiled potato. We put enough filling and we fry the pie to a crispy texture to a medium browness on high heat. We serve with chutney and other sauces. The aloo pie can often be found with doubles at many street food vendor stalls. Aloo pie is for everyone like many other street foods that you can think of. Words that come to mind when thinking about the aloo pie. Basic, common, accessible, simple, traditional, filling, affordable and comforting. It is a humble pie of sorts. That is how I think about humble pie and aloo pie. If someone told me to eat humble pie, I would go eat an aloo pie. Typically we say boil down like bhagi but I guess we could say boil down like aloo (mashed potato). My friend Gemini tells me that mash and humble are similar in that sense. Mash implies breaking something down, reducing it to a simpler form. Humble suggests reducing one's ego or pride, lowering oneself. While different contexts, both involve a form of reduction or simplification.
Now the origin of the term humble pie paints a quite different picture from the appetizing aloo pie. My friend Gemini tells me that humble pie originates from umble pie, a medieval dish made from the offal of a deer. Considered inferior to pies made with prime cuts, it was typically served to lower-class individuals. The similar sounds of "humble" and "umble" led to the phrase "eat humble pie" meaning to be humiliated or forced to apologize, reflecting the lower social status associated with the dish. The history buff in me is happy to learn of this origin but now the math geek in me is thinking about humble pi. What is the ideal circumference of a pizza pie? Not too big and not small but just right. While we are here and speaking of humble pi, I found a book with the title that seems like an interesting read. Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker. Described as the book length answer to anyone who ever put their hand up in Maths class and asked, "When am I ever going to use this in the real world."
Here is something you learn in the real world. They say you are what you eat. I have had to eat my share of humble pies over the years. I am thankful that I can look back with gratitude at the lessons that life has taught me. Maybe if it was not for these lessons I would not be the writer I am today. From fumble to tumble to humble. I went Googling for humble pie recipes and stumbled on this quote by Carl Jung, "The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases." This is a timely and important reminder. So while we might be inspired by others and their recipes we have to create our own recipes that fit our circumstances just right. This book is merely inspiration and learning and thought provoking. I would have to say that my recipe for humble pie is to be love. To be guided by love. To do things with love. To say things with love. To have empathy for others. To put myself in the shoes of others. Mix in a bit of humour. If we do not laugh we will cry. Humble = humour + be love. I love equations and here is a math joke for good measure. Why was the equal sign so humble? Because he knew that he was not greater than or less than anyone else.
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