But the topic has been brought up so often during their daily walks, that it has taken on a dimension heretofore reserved for the Iran Nuclear Deal, gay marriage and the price of corn.
We're talking Sour Cream Raisin pie.
Stan's walking partner, Matt Drees, loves Sour Cream Raisin pie. As they circle the track, he regularly laments its absence from his life and from the menus of restaurants he frequents, and the fact that his wife, Anne, just doesn't bake much anymore. Matt's unending search for a slice of Sour Cream Raisin pie comes up more often than you would think.
Stan, who has never tasted a Sour Cream Raisin pie nor would ever think to try one, found it hard to empathize with his partner and sought professional help from a pie counselor at Martha's Eats and Treats in Dundas, Minnesota. Martha got out her big book and promised she would give it a try sometime soon. "Money is no object," she was told.
But Martha's busy and is only open on weekends, so it appeared Matt would have to go without for a while. That's when Stan, Googling "Sour Cream Raisin" pie, hit the Baker's Square site, where, after an unknown hiatus, the item has reappeared on its menu of the popular and arcane choices of its pie-eating demographic.Stan ordered one immediately, Kathleen picked it up, and this morning the pie was rushed to Matt's breakfast table, where he promptly cut into it.
Matt got suspicious when Stan called yesterday to reserve a mysterious 9 a.m. appointment, so he had skipped breakfast in anticipation of a possible rich and tasty treat.
(Matt is trying to work off the eight pounds he gained during a two-week fishing trip to Canada earlier this month. This gift will not be helpful.)
When the pie arrived unboxed, Stan lied and said he had baked it, but Matt just figured it came from Dundas.
It is true that the pie wasn't homemade, wasn't made by Martha, and it wasn't made with the same ingredient mix Matt favors. It is, after all, a commercial product designed for a finicky mainstream and devoid of anything risky. This is simply a stop-gap measure. Matt will have to continue his wait for the real thing. But he wasn't at all disappointed, he was delighted with the commercial substitute, got his fix, and happily slid the remains into the fridge.
Maybe now they can talk about something else.
