Thursday, March 17, 2005

Irishness, meat pies and something about Mary

Sorry, all you anonymous commenters out there - I've changed my blog settings so that only registered users (registered with Blogger, that is) can comment. You can blame that Mary woman/person/organisation and her useless space-wasting penis pill comment. There's enough junk out there in cyberspace already, what with my spending all my free time blogging, without the addition of unproductive comment spam.

So it's St Patrick's Day today. Excuse my lack of St Patrick's spirit, but what a big commercial con. And I'm not just saying this because my alcohol tolerance has decreased from drunk-on-a-double-gin to zero, nor because I've never liked Guinness.

There's just this big image of the Irish as somehow cooler than everyone else. I have nothing against them as individuals - I've never met one I didn't like. But I do get sick of yet another Hollywood movie about charmingly alcoholic Irish people (from The Commitments to Road to Perdition). I vaguely remember a comedic song I once heard which basically said that as long as you can pass yourself off as Irish there'll always be film work (and bar work) for you. I think it's utterly true. Bah humbug, I say.

On a more positive note, I came across a really nice steak pie today. Americans will no doubt think that the very idea of a pie with a savoury filling is about as familiar and appealing as say, putting barbegue sauce on your ice cream. The rest of us know better. Meat pie quality varies from yummy to nasty, from a product which is little more than a pastry pocket full of gravy to the meaty, tasty item I had for lunch today. Among other things, it depends on the filling/gravy ratio, and whether any rodent bits have slipped in unawares. The latter isn't just a joke you know - back in the Seventies it was a running joke that a buying a certain brand would just about guarantee you a chance to taste stewed mouse (which sorta reminds me of that Buffy episode, Doublemeat Palace - "It's not meat, it's people!").

12 comments:

Frally said...

I was once told the filling in pies is "lips and arseholes". Tasty!

Watson Woodworth said...

The closest thing we have to meat pies are Pot Pies, which have no weed in them and Hot Pockets. A product I've renamed "Bachelor Chow".
St.P's Day, New Years Eve and the day before Thanksgiving are the 3 days the intelligent among us stay off the road.

flying kiwi said...

Well, I'm going to celebrate St Paddy's anyway. As a cultural experiment, mind you, to try and figure out why it's such a big deal in America when it isn't even such a big deal in Ireland. Plus, I can pass for Irish here cos most Americans wouldn't have a clue where my accent is from anyway. Plus, I kinda like Guinness.

Violet said...

Frally: oriface pie? yum!

Nigel: Staying off the road would be a good idea, esp. if you'll be partaking.

Flying Kiwi: plus, you have an Irish surname and therefore some Irish genes in you...

darth said...

a couple british expatriates opened an authentic cornish meat pie take out place here in california for a while...changed the fillings every day...mmmmmmmmmmmm...the steak ones were the best!

i think the pie crusts were 50% lard or butter tho...

Jon said...

Not a big fan of meat pies, though Shepard's pie is alright on occasion....

and I hate St Patrick' Day! Irish Americans take being Irish way too seriously- it's lame

Jon said...

Not a big fan of meat pies, though Shepard's pie is alright on occasion....

and I hate St Patrick' Day! Irish Americans take being Irish way too seriously- it's lame

glomgold said...

I see recipes for meat pies from the southern US states. Up here we's too busy with the pizza pies! I once received some spam post from 'Betty' about a free Plasma TV. Damn that trollop for tempting me so!

Happy and Blue 2 said...

I eat meat pies. Well I used to but now I'll always think of the mouse thing..Thanks..
I sure miss that Mary lady and her insightful comments.

Violet said...

Darth: that percentage is probably about right - similar to the pastry used in apple pie...

Jon: you would probably like potato-top pie then. It's just like shepherd's pie, except with a pastry base and without the peas and carrots.

Jon: you would probably like potato-top pie then. It's just like shepherd's pie, except with a pastry base and without the peas and carrots.

I hate spam of any kind, esp. the kind that tells me I've just won millions of dollars in a lottery - because I wish it were true.

Onanymous said...

Hmmmm. Pies are a very important part of the takeaway culture here - available at any school tuckshop, petrol station or corner kafee(I think Americans might call it a drugstore)- cheap, filling and (usually) very tasty, if you know where to go.

But you are correct about the quality - it can get quite nasty if all you get is one sad little piece of meat in a rubbery gravy.

But it doesn't neccesarily need meat to be tasty - spinach and feta or cheese and potato are my favourites at the moment.

Violet said...

Probably the best meat-based pie I've ever tried was lamb and kumara (sweet potato), but I do love a good spanikopita, those Greek spinach and feta filled pastries (like the ones you're talking about?).