Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Happy Birdday!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009
17 comments
All hail the cherry-custard birthday pie.

Growing up in the Thompson family (even though my mom always said my "real" father was J. Paul Getty) you got to design a dinner menu of your favorite foods for your birthday dinner. Every year on my birthday for as long as I can recollect, I'd eat two of my favorite things: barbecued spare ribs and my mom's cherry-custard pie. I have been known to go to extreme lengths to eat these foods on my special natal day. Or to enjoy them as near to it as I possibly can.

Several years recently I've been in Guatemala on my birthday, birding with my friends from there and visiting from the U.S. In those years, I substituted Guatemalan food for the ribs and Gallo cerveza for the pie. As soon as I got home, we'd have the March Thompson family birthdays, and I'd get my fave foods.

This year I'll be away again, so my dear mother baked me the world's most amazing pie early, and I ate two pieces for breakfast this morning (time shift acknowledgment, I am writing this on March 1 for posting on March 3). OH MY LORDY THAT'S GOOD PIE.... and if you were here, reaching for the last piece or even for a bit of the crust left on my plate, I'd warn you about losing a limb. My mom makes the word's best pie crust, there's just no debate.

My mom sometimes burns the birthday pie to appease the dark kitchen gods.

So happy bird day to my fellow March thirders: John Kogge, Ron Tuffel, Valerie Butler, Holly Wallinger, Ton Loc, Alexander Graham Bell, Jessica Biel, Jean Harlow, Snowy White, Robyn Hitchcock, Ira Glass, Jackie Joyner-Kersee (same year!), Herschel Walker (same year!), Seomoon Tak, and L'il Flip.

And thanks to Catbird, mi madre, for the pie! I love you!

—#1 Son.

BOTB and Elsa "Catbird" Thompson

17 comments:

On March 3, 2009 at 5:50 AM cyberthrush said...

Where were the 39 candles???

On March 3, 2009 at 7:23 AM RuthieJ said...

Your Mom Rocks! That pie looks awesome!
(I suppose the pie is a secret family recipe that's never shared either, right?)

On March 3, 2009 at 7:49 AM Mike said...

Happy birthday, Bill. You were missed in Guatemala this year! We thought of you when we whooped it up in Toliman.

Hope you're having an excellent trip.

On March 3, 2009 at 8:38 AM MaineBirder said...

Happy birthday Bill!

Your moms pies sure look delicious, but I value my limbs!

On March 3, 2009 at 8:57 AM Patrick Belardo said...

That pic of your mom is amazing. Happy b-day!

On March 3, 2009 at 10:44 AM ljn12208 said...

Do I dare ask where the "Catbird" nickname comes from?

...and Happy B-Day!

On March 3, 2009 at 11:31 AM Jeanne said...

The pie looks great, cherry is one of my favorites also, but I've never had a cherry custard sounds great. Hope you can share the recipe with all, Leslie's Mom

On March 3, 2009 at 11:57 AM Anonymous said...

Many Birthday WISHES Just For You!!

On March 3, 2009 at 12:07 PM littleorangeguy said...

I've always thought cherry pie was the perfect breakfast food but now I may have to branch further afield to custard. That looks like good squishy.

On March 3, 2009 at 6:35 PM NatureWoman said...

Happy Birthday Bill!!

On March 3, 2009 at 7:29 PM KGMom said...

Wow--that cherry pie looks wonderful!
Happy Birthday, Bill Thompson III. And many many more!

On March 3, 2009 at 7:42 PM Laura said...

Feliz cumpleaƱos, BOTB! Did you know today is also Square Root Day? Yep, 3-3-09. I hope that adds a little extra special-ness to your day. :)

Love the pics of your mom, btw!

On March 3, 2009 at 10:30 PM Mary said...

Sweet! Catbird, thank you.

On March 3, 2009 at 11:30 PM Janet Creamer said...

Happy Birthday Bill! I always ask for cobbler on my birthday. This year my sister made my favorite- blackberry.

On March 4, 2009 at 7:34 PM Heron said...

RuthieJ is right, "Your Mom Rocks !"
Happy Birthday BOTB ! Rockin' on to many more.

On March 5, 2009 at 6:48 AM Kelly said...

Happy Birthday! I get cherry pie every year on my birthday also. My mom started the tradition because I was born on George Washington's birthday, and we all know about George and his cherry tree...


[BACK TO TOP]