# Where are you from? What does 'pie' mean to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2004, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826 "2004-10-06T11:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/41 "2004-10-06T14:37:26Z")
And now I’m desperately craving a steak and kidney pie, with apple pie (with a slice of cheddar!) for lunch. Anyone know where I can get a steak and kidney pie in NYC? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/42 "2004-10-06T14:38:20Z")
Oh pies are such a good subject:) Usually a mince pie is mince. But near Xmas a mince pie is a whole other thing. It is raisins and…well minced fruity stuff and ever so yummy. Xmas mince pies are generaly in short pastry though while mince pies are in flaky pastry. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/43 "2004-10-06T14:38:50Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > A shepards pie or cottage pie (same thing really) is a whole different animal. No pastry just mince and a mashed potato top. “same thing”?! That’s fighting talk! A Shepherds Pie is made from lamb mince (obvious really innit?) and Cottage pie is made with beef mince. But to be honest we’re getting into the realms of bastard pies here. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/44 "2004-10-06T14:40:39Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > “same thing”?! That’s fighting talk! A Shepherds Pie is made from lamb mince (obvious really innit?) and Cottage pie is made with beef mince. > > But to be honest we’re getting into the realms of bastard pies here. Strictly speaking **owlstretchingtime** I was always told that a true shepherds pie is made from mutton (old lamb) being that it was all the poor old shepherd could afford. No prime young lamb for him. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/45 "2004-10-06T14:41:31Z")
Ha! We colonials bastardise everything. Both are meat with mashed spuds on top (oh and a sprinkling of cheese if we like you :D) ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/46 "2004-10-06T14:43:54Z")
Must…unsubscribe…from thread. That’s it. I’m gonna go hogwild on the pies this weekend. I’m makin a sheperd’s pie (mine is truly bastard by any standard, but it’s gooooood) an apple pie, and maybe a steak and kidney pie, if I can find the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/47 "2004-10-06T14:55:43Z")
Well go the whole hog! Make Chrissy mince pies too! [http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz/pies.html](http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz/pies.html) ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/48 "2004-10-06T14:57:29Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Must…unsubscribe…from thread. > > That’s it. I’m gonna go hogwild on the pies this weekend. I’m makin a sheperd’s pie (mine is truly bastard by any standard, but it’s gooooood) an apple pie, and maybe a steak and kidney pie, if I can find the good stuff. Can you get kidney in the states? Most yanks I know would rather eat their own feet. Now for the true pie connoiseur you need a traditional London pie and mash shop. [http://www.cockney.co.uk/bills/piemash.htm](http://www.cockney.co.uk/bills/piemash.htm) You can have your pie with jellied or stewed eels. (This really is much much better than it sounds) ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/49 "2004-10-06T15:11:20Z")
Jellied eels are NOt better then they sound! I did the traditional Kiwi marmaid in London stint (I got a lil chill of absentee excitment when Londope met in a pub I worked in) but jellied eels are only friendly to Poms! 🙂 They seem to smoke them in NZ. You know how some people hate spiders…Me and eels have the same relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/50 "2004-10-06T15:14:25Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Another Hampshire boy checking in (whereabouts you from old chap? I’m a Winchester lad mesself), although currently exiled in london. Further north, almost into Berkshire. My girlfriend comes from that area though, near Stockbridge. Formerly exiled in London, but driven back again by extortionate housing prices. > [@](#): > > I like pies. Indeed I may be the man who ate all the pies. Hmm, I believe [Carter USM](http://www.carterusm.co.uk/songs/fatman.html) wrote a song about you. I’ve got the T-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/51 "2004-10-06T15:16:58Z")
It’s true that it’s mainly blokes that like eels - most bints run a mile from them. Freud would no doubt have had something to say about this. Owl - who likes eels. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/52 "2004-10-06T15:25:16Z")
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York. If you offered me pie, one of two things would happen: A) If you are 90% of the population, I ask what flavor. “Pie” doesn’t mean pizza to me except when accompanied by an indefinite article… “Pie” is sweet, “a pie” has tomato sauce and cheese. B) If you are an attractive woman smiling coyly, I assume you’re flirting. “Pie” is, of course, a euphemism for something sweet to be eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/53 "2004-10-06T15:25:47Z")
I was born and raised in the Southeast and if offered a pie, I would expect something with fruit in it. A pie with no modifiers is automatically assumed to be apple, cherry, blueberry, etc. If I was being offered chicken pot pie, steak and kidney pie, lemon meringue, cunnilingus or anything other than the default, I would assume it would be said so. ---
**Author:** ![ShakWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ShakWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShakWave)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/54 "2004-10-06T15:26:51Z")
I was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. Pie for me would be 3.141592654 x 2.7182818 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/55 "2004-10-06T15:27:09Z")
Born in New Jersey (actually Philadelphia – it was the nearest hospital), raised in Illinois, went to college in NYC, most extended family members still live on the East Coast. I’m primarily an East Coast/Midwest hybrid. “Pie” means dessert, unless preceded by a qualifier, such as “chicken pot pie,” but I take context into account. So I won’t be surprised to be offered a non-sweet pie in England. (But I will be disappointed if it contains kidneys or jellied eels.) And I love the eggplant and feta pies at the Middle Eastern bakery near my apartment. Wish I had one right now, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/56 "2004-10-06T15:29:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > What do you understand the term ‘pie’ to mean? 3.14159265… > [@](#): > > If I offered you pie (without going into any further detail), what would you expect to receive? I would expect a slice of pie: the round desert consisting of a pastry crust and fruit or cream filling. But I would be very careful about accepting, lest I be given a **pie in the face**. [A] **pot pie** , on the other hand, would have a filling of meat, vegetables, and gravy. I am aware (and even slightly jealous) that meat pies are fairly common in England, but around here (central Illinois) I’ve only ever personally seen the word “pie” without the “pot” modifier refer to the desserty kind. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/57 "2004-10-06T15:29:59Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Can you get kidney in the states? Most yanks I know would rather eat their own feet. > > Now for the true pie connoiseur you need a traditional London pie and mash shop. > > [http://www.cockney.co.uk/bills/piemash.htm](http://www.cockney.co.uk/bills/piemash.htm) > > You can have your pie with jellied or stewed eels. (This really is much much better than it sounds) You know, when I was in London, I found steak pies, and I found kidney pies, but I could not, for the life of me, find a steak AND kidney pie. But sometimes you can get lucky at a good butcher’s here and find some kidney (or at an Asian market, which will sell you just about any part of an animal you could think of). My mother (Thai) makes a killer steak and kidney pie that my bro’s grandma taught her. ---
**Author:** ![Complex\_Conjugate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Complex\_Conjugate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Complex_Conjugate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/58 "2004-10-06T15:35:59Z")
I think a pie is technically any kind of food with a ‘covered top’, no necessarily pastry. If it’s got a pastry base and top it’s apple pie, but if it’s just got a base it’s apple flan. Sheperd’s pie, fisherman’s pie, cottage pie don’t have pastry, they’re meat or fish covered with a mashed potato top. The king of pies is the steak and kidney pie (but really they should be home-cooked, if not handle with care). ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/59 "2004-10-06T15:52:02Z")
“Pie” is a pastry crust with some sort of fruit filling, with or with out a top crust. Anything else must be qualified, although in all honestly, if you offered me “pie,” I’d ask you what kind you were serving. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/60 "2004-10-06T15:55:26Z")
I’d expect a slice of fruit pie (hopefully piping hot, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream… mmmm.) A meat pie would leave me bewildered, but if it was a good meat pie, I’d eat it. 😉 Born and raised in Toronto, Canada. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826.md?page=4)