I was watching tv the other night, and David Letterman's show came on. He was interviewing the ever provocative Madonna, and started asking her what she liked on her 'pie'. Cheese?...No, it's bad for you...Olives?...No, I don't like them....Salami?.... No, it's full of fat....Anchovies?... No, they're too salty.....(no wonder Guy Ritchie gave up)..anyway,I was thinking 'what's he talking about, it sounds like he's describing a pizza too me'. So it turned out he was describing a pizza which, you guessed it, is also called a 'pie' in American speak.

Well, a pie from New Zealand, Australia, and I think England too (they invented the pork pie) is not a Pizza. It's a hand held morsel, eaten on the run, chomped down in the thousands every single day of the year. Indeed everyone is a pie connoisseur. There are chicken pies, beef pies, seafood pies, venison pies, vegetarian pies...all with different condiments and toppings.I once had a pie for xmas dinner. Yes, I did....not by choice. I was living away from home and forlornly meandered down to the local service station to buy a pie for Xmas lunch. I think I may have bought two.

Probably, the best 'pie cart' I've ever been to is a famous little caravan, parked outside a flash hotel on Sydney's waterfront, where you can have mashed potatoes and beetroot smothered on top. Mmmmmm now ya talkin.

So, this episode is a wee look at the 'pie', including some cultural definitions, a recipe, and 20 or so idioms derived from the humble pie. The idioms by the way are more commonly used in British rather than American English, although they may be universal, I couldn't be sure.