Meat Pies, Take Two

It’s not often that I get asked whether or not I have ever eaten camel.  Today during another morning tea at work, that precise question was posed to me, as a trick.  As discussed in an earlier entry, meat pies can contain camel (as well as kangaroo, goat, etc.) and one of my colleagues thought that he could shock me into learning that I had indeed eaten camel, although unknowingly, through my consumption of meat pies, the national favorite food.

But the joke was on him when I shocked him by stating that no, I have never eaten a meat pie, and yes, I did in fact know that they can contain camel (as well as snouts, ears, tendons, blood vessels, etc.).  So appetizing, especially at ten o’clock in the morning!  That definitely wasn’t the best lead in to the rest of my colleagues attempting to goad me into finally trying a meat pie.  They even offered up the vegetarian option but I refused to trust that they would actually point me towards a vegetable one since they all look the same to me and my colleagues all act like it is a grave offense to never have tasted a meat pie.

And then the vegetarian of the group arrived and immediately plucked a vegetarian pie from the plate.  Trusting her (and being overwhelmingly hungry), I caved and sampled a vegetarian pie.  It was fine, but I definitely prefer Middle Eastern and Greek versions of the same.  Particularly when half an hour later it had me running to the bathroom.  Could this possibly account for the popularity of pies here???  So just to combine two Australian favorites, how about: meat pies, they give bowels a fair go!