3.14 + Darth Vader = Nerd

Poor Vader can't eat pie because of his helmet. (Art by Tim Kreider)

Usually I hate math. I hate it with a burning passion because math could only have been created as a torture device. There really is no other explanation for Calculus or the existence of imaginary numbers. 

Yet, one of my favorite teachers at Uni has been my math teacher, Mr. Buck. He's taught me more about math than anyone else. Even though math doesn't always make sense, Mr. Buck is nice enough to be patient in his explanations. It sure takes a lot of patience to try and teach me any kind of math concept.

Mr. Buck isn't just a great math teacher, but he's a pretty cool person too. I remember subbie year vividly. It was March 14, pi day. Pi day in Mr. Buck's class was quite memorable because Mr. Buck brought in an actual pie. Each student in the class savored a sliver of his famous French Silk Pie as we learned about the number pi. Pi is probably the best number because it gives you an excuse to eat pie during math class. 

Freshman year a group of friends and I started a Star Wars Club, and Mr. Buck was our sponsor. Our goal as a club? To get through all of the Star Wars films by the end of the year. Even though we only got through three films, we had a blast. We competed in Star Wars Quizbowls, planned glorious lightsaber fights, and argued over the acting in the films. Our club also celebrated May the 4th, national Star Wars day. (Get it? May the fourth be with you? It's a pun.) To celebrate we held a club potluck where everyone brought something sweet to eat. The highlight of the party was the fact that Mr. Buck brought his French Silk Pie.

(On a slightly related tangent, I heard they're making more Star Wars films?)

Whenever I eat this pie, I'll remember the fun times we had in math class as we debated the legitimacy of certain math puns, ate French Silk Pie, and practiced saying "Euler" correctly -- it's pronounced "Oiler." I'll remember our beloved Star Wars Club, and I'll remember my favorite math teacher -- Mr. Buck.

So in conclusion, I'll say what any good Star Wars nerd would: 

May the force be with you. And may you always enjoy your pi. 



Mr. Buck's French Silk Pie
(Recipe courtesy of Mr. Buck)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 sticks butter or margarine
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• A baked pie crust

Notes: 

• Before you make this pie make sure that all of the ingredients are room temperature. If the ingredients are not at room temperature then there is more chance that the eggs will curdle, and that would not look or taste good in a pie. Set out the butter and the eggs at least two hours in advance, and do not melt the butter. 
• If you want to make more than one pie, make the batches of filling one at a time. This reduces the amount of eggs mixed in and also reduces the chance of the eggs curdling. 

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Then mix in the butter.
 

2. After the butter is mixed in add the eggs one at a time. Every time an egg is added, beat the filling for at least two minutes. Finally, mix in the vanilla.

3. Pour the filling into the crust and freeze the pie for at least three hours. I froze my pie overnight. 








4. Thaw the pie at room temperature before serving. Be careful not to leave it out too long, though, since the filling might melt and become pudding.