Maine has been making national news in a sweet way as the whoopie pie debate continues. As Maine lawmakers deliberate between making whoopie pies the official state “treat” or “dessert,” publications such as the Wall Street Journal are taking note. The Journal’s piece explores who can rightly lay claim to the whoopie—Pennsylvania or Maine. There’s even a mysterious bakery fire, which destroyed evidence that might have put Maine in the lead. 

And where did the crazy name, “whoopie pie” come from? Nancy Griffin, a Maine writer, maintains it came from a 1928 show tune by Gus Kahn called “Makin’ Whoopee.” And Griffin knows a thing or two about whoopie pies—she’s the author of Making Whoopies: The Official Whoopie Pie Book. 

But back to the Maine Legislature. The blueberry pie contingency apparently hasn’t thrown in the dishtowel, and according to Maine Public Broadcasting, “Democratic Rep. Donald Pilon of Saco continues to argue that blueberry pies are deserving of special state recognition. ‘I just want to enter into the record Webster’s definition of pie,’ Pilon said. ‘And the definition is ‘a dessert consisting of a filling, as of fruit or custard, in a pastry shell, or topped with pastry, or both.’” 

Pilon plans to add an amendment to the whoopie-pie bill so that blueberry pie will be the state dessert. 

So it will probably come to this: Whoopie pies are likely to be the state treat, and blueberry pie the state dessert.

As for me, treat or dessert, I’ll take both, thank you very much.