Turning strangers into neighbors, one pie at a time.
Get involved
Mission
Turn strangers into neighbors, one pie at a time.
Pie as Resistance is about rejecting the idea that there is more that divides us than unites us. You may have noticed that, when you take a moment to turn off the news or to log off social media, the world you step into is much friendlier than the one portrayed on the screen. The cashier at the pet store may remember your dog and gush over how cute she is, the local coffee shop may start preparing your order the moment you walk through the door and your barber may remember the same story you always tell when getting a haircut, but be polite enough not to say anything.
Each of us was taught to love our neighbor, but it’s easy to forget that even our closest relationships are with those that were once strangers. If there was never a connection, those relationships wouldn’t exist.
Take action
Every Saturday, I deliver a pie to a stranger’s home, introduce myself and try to learn something about them before parting as neighbors. I invite you to do the same.
Getting started is simple.
Step 1: Get a pie.
I usually buy mine from The West Side Bakery in Akron, but there are almost limitless ways that you can acquire a pie: bake one from scratch; bake a frozen pie from a grocery store; buy a fresh pie from the same grocery store; buy one from a bakery; pay a neighbor or relative to bake a pie; buy one from a diner. The list can and does go on, so be creative!
Step 2: Deliver your pie.
Pie in-hand, pick a house that looks friendly, or interesting, and knock on the door. If someone answers, introduce yourself and hand them the pie. Don’t forget to smile! Chances are they’ll have something to say back. It’s true that could always be something like ‘get off of my lawn’, but more than likely it will be something much friendlier. If no one answers you can come back later, leave the pie with a note, find another house or just eat pie for dinner and try again next week.
Congratulations! At this point, you either have a new neighbor or you’re eating pie. It’s a win-win!
About
Pies are tradition in my family.
As long as I can remember, pie has been central to human connection. At picnics, there was pie. At holiday gatherings, there was also pie. Even at funerals, my family still has always managed to find room for a pie or two, strategically placed between the coffee urns and remembrance cards.
As a boy I witnessed my mother and late Aunt Marcia in heated debate over the proper ratio of ingredients for the perfect crust. This was so serious that, when visiting from college over a decade later, my aunt made sure I knew how to easily improve on my mother’s recipe.
My Uncle Al, on the other hand, wrote extensively about pie in the diary he kept during WWI. He ate pie morning, noon and night; from basic training at Fort Meade, to crossing the Atlantic on the USS Leviathan and finally in trenches at Verdun. You would think that he had no other care in world, because all the man talked about was pie, pie, pie! He was obsessed!
Pie has provided for us. If not for the pies my mother baked and sold at our semi-annual garage sales, I probably would have never owned a new winter coat prior to my early twenties. Those same pies helped provide a foundation for community, turning strangers into neighbors one pie at a time, as new faces were welcomed and familiar faces were sometimes, often suddenly, absent.
This is where the story of Pies as Resistance began.
Show your support
Pie as Resistance is a family endeavor!
My kids designed and helped make some fancy buttons so that new neighbors could show their support. If you’re interested in one so that you too can show support, drop me a note!