# The English are not an inventive people, they do not eat enough pie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697 "2003-06-23T04:21:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/81 "2003-06-27T18:34:31Z")
Over here, a pie is the main course. If we fancy something sweet for afters we have a tart… ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/82 "2003-06-27T19:34:54Z")
Mmmm, blood pudding… [Bart] “The secret ingredient is blood.” [/Bart] Ahem. Pudding is flavored milk cooked and thickened with cornstarch. Not some steamed sheep’s intestine filled with quinces and suet. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/83 "2003-06-27T20:12:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Pudding is flavored milk cooked and thickened with cornstarch. Not some steamed sheep’s intestine filled with quinces and suet. Only in the US. In the UK “pudding” is either an alternative word for “dessert”, or a concoction (sweet _or_ savoury ;)) made with a flour-based mixture which isn’t pastry (ie sponge pudding, suet pudding). Hope this makes sense! 🙂 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/84 "2003-06-27T20:27:52Z")
So where does pizza pie fit into all of this? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/85 "2003-06-27T20:39:35Z")
In no particular order… Deep-frying pie…sounds Scottish. We do it with our bean burritos. Yew can sample them in some of our finest HEBs and gas stations. I’ve no doubt that one of the gas stations in Texas SOMEWHERE must have deep fried pizza slices now. Straight from Scotland…_shudder_ Kiwi transplant sounds painful. I’ve never had an operation on my kiwi. I may sound like a nellie (mmm, nellie) but you know how some people won’t eat anything that had a face? Bollocks, I say, but I won’t eat the face. All this conversation is making me dead hungry for some heavily-spiced pumpkin pie. 'Specially if it’s cold and just out of the fridge… _drools off in a corner_ ---
**Author:** ![sweet\_contradiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sweet\_contradiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweet_contradiction)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/86 "2003-06-27T21:01:33Z")
OMG…little plastic ninja…DON’T do NOT forget the whipped cream!!! ---
**Author:** ![sweet\_contradiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sweet\_contradiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweet_contradiction)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/87 "2003-06-27T21:02:29Z")
OMG…little plastic ninja…DON’T!! do NOT forget the whipped cream!!! ---
**Author:** ![sweet\_contradiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sweet\_contradiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweet_contradiction)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/88 "2003-06-27T21:02:29Z")
OMG…little plastic ninja…DON’T!! do NOT forget the whipped cream!!! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/89 "2003-06-27T21:33:12Z")
OMG…little plastic ninja…DON’T!! do NOT forget the whipped cream!!! ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/90 "2003-06-28T05:54:24Z")
OMG. . . . .little plastic ninja. . . . .is it just me, or are you getting a deja vu sort of feeling? ---
**Author:** ![modro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@modro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/modro)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/91 "2003-06-28T13:32:27Z")
Is anyone else wondering why with all this talk of [Merkins](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=merkin), that so many people are referring to themselves as pubic wigs? Anyone? I find it rather odd, and highly amusing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/92 "2003-06-28T16:03:16Z")
_Merkin Pie_. Yummy! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/93 "2003-06-28T17:06:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FranticMad \* > \*\*The Greeks are clearly Scots, and Pi was stolen from the Scots \*\* But little Jack Horner was English, and he worked pi down to the smallest digit. (Also, the pie in question was not plum, but rather beet; so he was also extracting roots) ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/94 "2003-06-28T20:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > **Actually, the difference between Baird’s television and Farnsworth’s television is like the difference between Babbage’s Analytical Engine and the Atanasoff-Berry computer. Baird’s was good, but Farnsworth’s is what we think of when we think of television - electronic.** Umm… and the analogy is so accurate that there are people who claim your distinction is arbitrary and babbage should get the credit. (FTR I think electricity/mechanical distinction is pointless - but you can claim the difference engine wasn’t fully programmable, and the analytical engine wasn’t actually built.) ---
**Author:** ![Warnas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b77776/32.png) [@Warnas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Warnas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/95 "2003-06-28T21:43:27Z")
Sure, brag about eating organ meat. Kidney indeed. But only we, The Dutch, can stomach a RAW HERRING! Not really fit for pies, admittedly. And we prefer to cut out the fishy-guts. But still, I assume you are all suitably impressed now? With sliced pickle, on white bread, with a cup of tea. PS There are no typos in this post, just HTML rendering errors. ---
**Author:** ![Kerchief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/77aa72/32.png) [@Kerchief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kerchief)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/96 "2003-06-29T02:52:08Z")
Leonardo Da Vinci was neither Scot, nor English. He was Italian, I mean come on. And Bell, Invented the phone in Canada, the Telegraph was first used in Canada by an italian scientist. I mean, even baseketball has it’s roots in Canada. Besides, there’s no better pie then Apple pie, and Canada’s is full of Apples! ---
**Author:** ![Kerchief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/77aa72/32.png) [@Kerchief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kerchief)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/97 "2003-06-29T02:54:26Z")
I’m sorry, I just had to correct that little historical inadequacy ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/98 "2003-06-29T12:58:25Z")
Can _anyone_, repeat _anyone_, show me a more INVENTIVE pie than the traditional ENGLISH Cornish Pasty??? “There is as much folklore around the Cornish Pasty as there are recipe variations. One such tale said it was bad luck for fishermen to take a pasty on board a boat, but then again I know a modern day skipper that ‘loves his pasties’. A very famous photograph from the Nineteenth Century shows a group of tin miners at ‘Croust Time’ , that is meal time to you and I, tucking into very large pasties. Such pasties would have **meat at one end and a fruit filling at the other**.” [link to site](http://www.cornishlight.co.uk/cornish-pasty.htm) Julie 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/99 "2003-06-29T19:53:14Z")
I’m certain to remember the whipped cream now. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697/100 "2003-06-29T20:27:48Z")
Pies, yes. But what about the variations??? Could you make a Steak and Kidney Turnover? How about Steak and Kidney Cobbler? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-english-are-not-an-inventive-people-they-do-not-eat-enough-pie/183697.md?page=6)