4th of July American Culture Class

Hi all,

Thank you to everyone who came to American culture class yesterday to learn about the most important holiday for Americans: 4th of July or American Independence Day!

First we read short text and completed an activity on the meaning and history behind American Independence Day. Here are some vocabulary words from the text:

principles of government: princípios do governo
thirteen new states: treze novo estados 
British rule: domínio britânico
picnic: piquenique
parade: desfile
speech: discurso
fireworks: fogos de artifício
Declaration of Independence: Declaração da Independência
Revolutionary War: Guerra da Independência
Liberty Bell: Sino da Independência
Independence Day: Dia da Independência

Next we got to try some homemade American Pie (apple and cherry) that I made from scratch! Here is the recipe if you guys want to try making it at home:)

AMERICAN APPLE PIE

INGREDIENTS

Crust Ingredients

·       2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

·       16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       1 heaping teaspoon sugar

·       3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients

·       2/3 cup sugar

·       3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·       1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·       10 apples

·       1 cup cherries 

METHOD

1 Combine and mix flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse until the mixture until the butter pieces are the size of peas. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together.You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough.Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)

3 Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

5 Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together.

7 Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

As we ate our American pie, we went over some idiomatic phrases in English that use the word "pie," illustrating the importance of this dish in American culture and language. Here are the phrases we learned in case you want to review or missed class yesterday: 

1. “Easy as pie”

Ex. That homework assignment was easy as pie. I did it in 5 minutes.

2. “American as apple pie”

Ex. A small house with a white picket fence is supposed to be as American as apple pie.

3. “Eat humble pie”

Ex. I think I’m right, but if I’m wrong, I’ll eat humble pie.

4. “Shut your pie hole”

Ex. You’ve said too much, shut your pie hole!

5. “In apple pie order”

Ex. Joan cleaned her room today, so everything is in apple pie order.

6. “Have a finger in the pie”

Ex. Sally wants to be involved with the business deal. She wants to have a finger in the pie.

7. “Have one’s finger in too many pies”

Ex. I’m too busy these days. I have my finger in too many pies.

8. “Cut the pie up”

Ex. We will need to divide up the money. How should we cut the pie?

9. “Motherhood and apple pie”

Ex. Jimmy is so old-fashioned. Everything about old times is good to him. He’s all motherhood and apple pie.

10. “A piece of the pie”

Ex. Even though Richard and I made most of the money this month, Rachel keeps asking for a piece of the pie.

11. “Pie in the sky”

Ex. Our politicians need to offer more than a pie in the sky when talking about improving social conditions.

12. “She’s my cherry pie”

Ex. I’m so in love with Sherry. She’s my cherry pie.

Finally, here is the music video for the song "She's my cherry pie" by Warrant that I mentioned in class. Have you heard any other American songs that use idiomatic expressions with "pie"? 

Happy 4th of July, ya'll!