# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/61 "2004-10-06T15:59:21Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > And I love the eggplant and feta pies at the Middle Eastern bakery near my apartment. Wish I had one right now, in fact. Technically, that’s a pastel. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/62 "2004-10-06T16:06:01Z")
Tell me more about ‘pot’ pies; do they have a top crust only (i.e. essentially a casserole in a pot, with a disc of pastry on top), or is the pot/dish lined with pastry also? ---
**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, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/63 "2004-10-06T16:10:13Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Tell me more about ‘pot’ pies; do they have a top crust only (i.e. essentially a casserole in a pot, with a disc of pastry on top), or is the pot/dish lined with pastry also? Our pot pies are pretty much like meat pies - stew in a pie crust (top and bottom) ---
**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, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/64 "2004-10-06T16:11:20Z")
Sorry - some pot pies don’t have a bottom crust (but they suck!) Boo bottomless pies! ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/65 "2004-10-06T16:55:25Z")
English, from the Berkshire. A Pie is anything that is served in a completely surrounding pastry crust. So Pot pies and shepheard pies aren’t real pies (though they contain the word pie in their names). Pies can be sweet or savoury, and should always be baked. So from where I lcome from a Pizza is not a pie, but Calzone would be considered a pizza pie. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/66 "2004-10-06T17:16:09Z")
U.S.A. here, in California. Pizza is pizza – we do not call it pie; although I have heard “pizza pie,” I don’t think I’ve ever heard it from a native. Pot pies, meat pies, and the like are always qualified. If offered plain “pie,” I expect a pastry crust filled with fruit (usually sweetened) or a flavored custard. The crust may be bottom-only or may cover the filling. If offered “a pie,” I expect an entire pie, although I suppose some people may make small pies for individual servings (I would call that a “tart”). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/67 "2004-10-06T19:45:02Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > I want to tell **Dooku** where to find a bloody good pie when he visits Auck. There will be no pea soupy mess involved. 😃 I’m looking forward to spinning the pie piece around backwards, cutting the bites away from me before eating, giving a thumbs up when finished, commenting on how stuffed I am, then sticking my arm up to signal the waiter with an inverted peace sign, and if he doesn’t arrive promptly I’ll tell him how pissed I am. 😉 > [@](#): > > Where were you born and raised? > With what distinct (sub/)culture (if any) do you identify? Born and raised in St. Louis, lived in San Francisco for the last 12 years. No sub-culture AFAIK. Pie means that flaky dessert-filled pastry. I never heard anyone refer to pizza as pie until a transplanted friend of mine from New Jersey said it. Much confusion ensued. I guess I also remember Dean Martin’s song That’s Amore: “When the Moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza-pie, that’s amore…” but I always assumed he was taking lyrical liberties. And shit-faced. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/68 "2004-10-06T19:50:20Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Sorry - some pot pies don’t have a bottom crust (but they suck!) Boo bottomless pies! I’ve never seen a bottomless pot pie. How does that work? It sounds like you’d have something with a pastry crouton thing floating on it that you’d have to eat straight from the pot. ---
**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, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/69 "2004-10-06T19:52:26Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > I’ve never seen a bottomless pot pie. How does that work? It sounds like you’d have something with a pastry crouton thing floating on it that you’d have to eat straight from the pot. The bottomless ones typically come in a mini pie tin type thing. They’re really just awful. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/70 "2004-10-06T20:02:42Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > The crust may be bottom-only or may cover the filling. If offered “a pie,” I expect an entire pie, although I suppose some people may make small pies for individual servings (I would call that a “tart”). Interesting; tart to you denotes size, rather than open-toppedness? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/71 "2004-10-06T20:07:21Z")
Without reading the thread: Born: California, raised: Washington State, no particular subculture. If you offered me “pie” I would ask for more information. Generally, I would expect a baked dessert. It is made by making a crust (oftentimes made of water, flour, salt, fat of some kind (I think, I don’t bake pies enough to actually know what goes in to pie crust), or sometimes crushed cookies or crackers in place of the flour. It’s rolled out, and cut into a more or less circular shape.) The crust is put into a pie pan (almost cylindrical, 8-9" diameter, 2" or so high, tapered sides). Depending on the filling, the crust is baked and then filled or filled and the baked. The filling can be fruit, nuts, batter, jello, custards, etc. Generally sweet (or sweet & sour) (which is why I would have asked for more info. There are many pie fillings I just don’t like.) Then, depending on the filling, the pie may be topped with another layer of crust, or may not. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/72 "2004-10-06T20:37:55Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > England, Hampshire. > > If you offered me “pie” I would think you mean dessert, but if you offered me “ **a** pie” I would probably think meat. That might just be me, though. Ithaca, NY, USA Same here, sort of. “A pie” to me would mean primarily a pizza, and only secondarily would I think maybe you meant a meat pie (which I would tend to call a “potpie”). Offering me “pie” would make me think you’re offering me a slice of fruit pie. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/73 "2004-10-06T20:50:52Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > …and they think that suet is bird food (really they do). So how do I get all the birdseed out when it comes time to make the pie crust? Tweezers? Let the birds peck at it awhile then take it away? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/74 "2004-10-06T20:52:56Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Pork pies are one of a few select reasons that I could never leave England. You can get pork pies in Aus in the deli. I’ve had English pork pies and I think the Aussie ones are better! 😃 One ignoramous I know didn’t like pork pie because he tried to eat it HOT! :eek: BTW, regarding the ‘pie’ question, I’m with the people who say, " ‘a pie’ means a meat pie and ‘pie’ means a sweet pie like apple or pumpkin". And I’m a first generation Aussie. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/75 "2004-10-06T20:54:32Z")
> [@One And Only Wanderers](#): > > English > > Sub Culture: Yorkshire > > A pie to me is a savoury dish consisting of pastry surrounding a filling. The filling would be meat, meat & potato, cheese & onion or something like that. > > best served with chips, gravy and beans/mushy peas 🙂 > > A good pie should cause arteries to shut just by looking at it. ditto. Except I am from the other _Red_ rose county, and my arteries don’t shut for pie. They shut for fry-ups and big piles of british chippie chips. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/76 "2004-10-06T20:56:09Z")
whoopsy. disregard ‘other’. That was part of a discarded sentence that got stuck. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/77 "2004-10-07T01:44:54Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > So how do I get all the birdseed out when it comes time to make the pie crust? > Tweezers? > Let the birds peck at it awhile then take it away? 😃 horrors…what do you put in mincemeat if not suet, and sultanas, and meat, and spices, and, and, and…damn, now i have this urge to make mincemeat for the holidays! ---
**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 7, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/78 "2004-10-07T02:04:05Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Technically, that’s a pastel. I believe if you are a Sephardic Jew, it’s a _pastel._ (I’m going on the word of Claudia Roden, author of the most amazing tome, \*The Book of Jewish Food \* - if you don’t have this book already, you _must_ lay your hands on a copy.) However, the ownders of the Middle East Bakery in Chicago are, I believe, Lebanese Muslims (definitely not Jewish, anyway). If they call them pies, I take their word for it, because they certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to dough. BTW, it’s all your fault - I just had to stop there on the way home from work and get eggplant pies and _lacmahjoun_ (sp?). It’s an Armenian thing nivolving freshly baked pita with a topping of minced lamb, tomatoes, mint, black pepper, and a few other things I can’t identify. Mmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/79 "2004-10-07T02:57:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Where were you born and raised? Born in Cleveland, Ohio – raised in the suburbs of that city. > [@](#): > > With what distinct (sub/)culture (if any) do you identify? The \*\*SDMB{/b] is as good an answer to this question as would be any other. [QUOTE}What do you understand the term ‘pie’ to mean? - If I offered you pie (without going into any further detail), what would you expect to receive?[/QUOTE] A (piece of a) pastry filled with fruit (apple, cherry, peach, strawberry, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826/80 "2004-10-07T03:13:21Z")
Wow. Nearly two pages without a single Weebl and Bob reference. I’m impressed by everyone’s restraint. I’m firmly in the “fruit unless otherwise specified” camp. mmm pie [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-you-from-what-does-pie-mean-to-you/267826.md?page=5)