A Trip to Australia and New Zealand
Wellington
I'm not sure, but I think that it was the British that invented meat pie or at least perfected it. It was the Australians and New Zealanders, however, that turned it into a national dish. Most recipes for it include minced meat, onions, and gravy baked into a simple pie crust. Variations also exist and there are annual contests to determine who makes the very best meat pies in the nation. Given all of the attention that New Zealanders accord to this cuisine we had to try it at least once. We chose a small cafe in a swank old-fashioned department store and shared our lunch with a couple of friendly sparrows who apparently lived nearby. The presentation was excellent and the dish was tasty, but we have obviously been conditioned to hamburgers and fries so we found this mid-day meal less than filling. Maybe it was just that we chose the wrong place to try it. This pie may have been designed to appeal to the svelte upper middle class youngish lady on a diet who was out shopping for a new poke-a-dot bikini.
