In Scotland, mince pies are not what they might seem. In fact if you dig about in the chiller section in Tesco, you'll find them labelled superfluously (north of the border) as 'Scotch Pies'. (I can't imagine the good Celtic folk of Cornwall ask for anything but a plain old 'pasty'.) Thus hang about in a local baker's for any length of time and the same principle applies - ask for a mince pie and they'll know exactly what you mean. I was therefore amused to hear from my pal Ken that, feeling a bit peckish, he'd popped into the nearest Gregg's and requested one of the same, only to be met with the perplexing and somewhat irate retort "Is that a mince pie or a mince pie you're wanting?" (And apparently no indication by nod, wink or well-aimed glance at any differentiating pile of comestibles.) Calling the implacable assistant's bluff, he swiftly replied "I've changed my mind - I'll have a bridie", but nevertheless was sufficiently intrigued by the exchange to relay its details onward. Okay, so Christmas approaches and no doubt festive fare is now on offer, but I did wonder how a foreign visitor would have coped with the linguistic conundrum. Oh... on the way down the street, trying to eat surreptitiously, Ken also mentioned he got a poke in the eye... but that's another one for local consumption only!
