THE PERFECT PIE

Warsaw is full of pie...

My goodness, can you believe this weather?, the butcher said, handing over my chicken breast, his resigned voice giving the impression of someone who has been tricked by cruel life into living in Brussels, the one city in the world Summer Fairy has entirely forgotten. I know, it's unbelievable!, I nodded my head in understanding, thinking I myself was one of those people. Yes, it's been rainy and grey forever, and I have already given up hope that things would get any better before May 2012. Worse still, Jandro is away right now, going to the beach (yes, to the beach, my friends!) and generally enjoying the fiesta, while I have to put up with 13 to 17 degrees, and work. 

Now it is clear to you that anyone in my position would have resigned themselves to sobbing into the pillow. And yet I have more spirit than I myself imagined. Obviously, I am a fighter, a survivor... a warrior, if you will. I decided not to give in to the omnipresent Weltschmerz. I picked up my new Paul Auster book, an umbrella and some cash, and hopped on the bus which was supposed to take me to our newly-discovered paradise on earth: Tea for Two, also known as The Absolutely Best Pie in Brussels. They have a wide range of teas as well of course, but who cares about the tea when there is Pie. The Absolutely Best Pie in Brussels, mind you.

15h43. I get off the bus. I ignore the infernal drizzle (I'm not entirely sure there is drizzle in hell... but you know what I mean), skip happily towards the house of pie and... find out it's closed for the long weekend. My smile fades, the drizzle becomes annoying, and I utter an unbecoming word. I stop skipping and start thinking. I notice I'm much better at the former.

16h00. I arrive at Le Pain Cotidien, not far away from my original destination. Even though it's a chain, it has always looked cosy to me from the outside, and the pies are generally well-reputed. I walk in, the place seems awful, and so I decide to keep looking. My friend the drizzle envelops me in a welcoming cloud of dampness.

16h25. After wondering aimlessly around Ma Campagne, hoping for a Tea for Two twin to magically appear, I arrive at rue de Bailly. Surprised to see a place I recognise, I stand on the corner, trying to figure out which way is more pie-probable. I turn left, check out an ice-cream place for pies (none), and then walk right, towards Louise. I become hopeful upon noticing a big sign which says Le Chocolatier, but it turns out to be a chocolate shop. Drizzle drizzles and I continue my search.

16h40. I stumble upon another Pain Cotidien. This one looks much better, and, feeling desperate, I enter, pushed in by the rain, which is becoming stronger now. I'm not convinced but I sit down, take out my book and order a green tea and a cherry pie with crumble. The place seems all right but I get a chain feeling from it. The tea is fine but the pie is mediocre. I eat it anyway because it will cost me a lot of money. Disappointed, I leave soon after I finish the pie, even though the original plan was to spend a lazy afternoon, having tea and enjoying the goodies and the atmosphere of a nice tea house. No goodies and even less atmosphere push me back into the rain.

17h45. I get back home and hang out my clothes to dry. The only thing that can save me now is jasmin tea, chocolate biscuits and a good film. The steaming cup of tea is already waiting. Do excuse me, I really must go and watch Singing in the Rain to stop myself from getting a clinical depression.

And who says only pregnant women have cravings.