Question about US food

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 9:35 am

I make top-crust pies (such as tamale pie) in my slow cooker...mega-yum!

When I was a kid, there was a terrible mining disaster in neighboring Idaho. An organization for the support of the wives and children of the killed and injured miners sold Cornish pasties throughout the region (seems that many of the miners in Idaho are of Cornish descent). They were a big hit while they were on sale, but sadly, once the fundraiser was over, they disappeared. I was a little surprised that no local business picked up on them, because they really were hugely popular (and not only because people wanted to support the miners' families).

Redwolf

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 11:56 am

I think old-fashioned Chicken and Dumplings comes close to the "savory pie" category, too. We make it fairly often.

But except for a handful of "British Style" pubs, I can't think of any local eating places in our area that offer pasties, much less pork pies. And I envy the easy availability of Indian food in the UK, too.

On the other hand, my part of California runs a lot stronger then anywhere in the UK (even London) when it comes to Mexican (do tamales count as "savory pies"?), Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Chinese food. Ditto for fresh fruit, vegetables, and pizza. (I've had OK pizza in the UK, but never what I'd consider a great pizza.)

As far as I know, jello salads are unknown in the UK. This probably counts in their favor, and against the US.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 8:08 pm

Plenty of pasties in Grass Valley, where the Cornishmen came to mine back in 49.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 8:09 pm

Lots of pasties in the upper penninsula of Michigan as well. Good eats.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 6:49 am

Funnily enough after I posted this thread they put an article on Pasties up on the site yesterday:
http://www.seriouseats.com/required_eat ... sties.html

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:08 pm

I wonder . . . do eggrolls count???

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:09 pm

I can only manage a few. They make me too dizzy.

djm

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:18 pm

Then avoid the kind with MSG in them.

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:17 am

Don't forget Quiche! *sluuuurrrp*

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:32 am

Can you roll quiche?

Never mind. Real men don't eat quiche.

djm

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:32 am

CountryKitty wrote:Don't forget Quiche! *sluuuurrrp*

But I wanted to.

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 11:40 am

Walden wrote:
CountryKitty wrote:Don't forget Quiche! *sluuuurrrp*
But I wanted to.

Obviously you didn't have any of mine! (pastry shell, beaten eggs, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, cheddar cheese, fresh cracked black pepper, baked til golden and done clear thru'.)

*SSSSLLLLLLUUUUURRRRRRRRRP*

The Sporting Pitchfork · Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:21 pm

Yeah, I've heard several horror stories from British & Australian friends & acquaintances about coming to the US, feeling a craving for a meat pie and going into a bakery and ordering a mince pie by accident. How "mince" in American English has come to be associated with ground-up raisins and stuff is truly a mystery...Meat pies were historically common in the US, but for some reason have been pushed out of the collective American culinary psyche for the past 100 years or so.

Well, we are admittedly deficient on pies, but we have burritos instead...Unfortunately, you pretty much have to be in California to find the real deal, but a great burrito is truly a transcedental thing of beauty...Oh, and there are a couple of Russian joints up in Portland that make great pierogis...Chilean empanadas are pretty good, too...

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:39 pm

I forgot about burritos . . . a thing of wonder they are, too. Oooh.

The problem with meat pies, I believe, may stem from the American belief that pastry crust is "too hard to make." This phenomenon began with frozen pie shells and gained momentum with all that hoo-hah about the detrimental effects of lard.

And then, of course, if we're not supposed to be eating so much meat to begin with, we wouldn't want to be making savo(u)ry meat-based delicacies wrapped in lardaceous pastry crusts, would we?

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:54 pm

Lambchop wrote:And then, of course, if we're not supposed to be eating so much meat to begin with, we wouldn't want to be making savo(u)ry meat-based delicacies wrapped in lardaceous pastry crusts, would we?

Oh, couldn't we just think about them for a while? Please? <drool>

djm