My blog on Sunday focused on the new book “50 Pies, 50 States.” The book, by author Stacy Mei Yan Fong, focuses on pies which she felt were appropriate for each state based on history, locally sourced ingredients, state culture and other factors.
The New Mexico pie, as I mentioned, looked rather unappetizing. It had a blue corn meal crust hiding what were ingredients from a more or less traditional green chile stew.
I rambled off in another direction and said that if promoters wanted to shoot these pies into the stands at a football game, it would be a messy proposition. I had said that Runzas, a popular local food in Nebraska, are shot into the crowds at University of Nebraska football games using one of those t-shirt or hot-dog cannons. The pie in the “50 Pies, 50 States” for Nebraska was based on a Runza.
Well, my Nebraska born and midwestern rule-following wife, called me out on that report. She said Runzas were NOT shot into the crowd at Nebraska football games. I thought I had read or seen that somewhere, so I did some more research and found… zip, zero, nada on the internet about my claim.
I honestly think I remembered seeing or hearing about that. And why not? Runzas are the perfect shape for blasting out of a t-shirt or hot dog cannon. If Husker promoters are not doing it, they should.
When I began my blog more than three years ago, I said that I might occasionally bend the truth in favor of telling a good story. But because of my journalistic background, I will have to retract my Runza blasting report, thanks to my wife’s diligence.
Which brings me to another question raised about my pie story. My good friend who recently moved to Montana asked me what the pie was for that state in the “50 Pies, 50 States” book.
Well, Don, it’s about as unappetizing as it gets.
Here’s the description from the book:
“The pie for this state is a pasty inspired pie. It’s dinner and desert in one with a buffalo & root vegetable and cherry filling to finish and is served with a brown gravy in a crust with the state seal painted on.”
I think I’ll pass on serving up that pie with ice cream on top and ask Don to join me in Nebraska for a Runza.
And if you want to find out what pie goes with your state, here’s a link:
aero-cordero.com 