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Americans don't seem to know how to eat Australian meat pies

It's difficult, we get it.

Johnny Lieu

on November 20, 2017

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While sinking your teeth into a hot dog at the game is a tradition as old as the hills, Australians prefer to tuck into a meat pie while watching sport.

For those yet to try one, the Australian version of the meat pie is a buttery, flaky pie crust filled with beef and gravy that can be held with one hand.

It's a much-loved food that's made limited inroads into the U.S. (save for a few trendy Aussie cafes and the failed Pie Face chain in NYC), but now it's set to try its luck in the NBA.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed a partnership with Four'N Twenty pies, which will allow the piemaker to sell its food at Wells Fargo Center's concession stands in the 2017-18 season.

It makes sense, given that Sixers point guard/forward Ben Simmons hails from Melbourne, and the team's coach Brett Brown spent more than a decade coaching in Australia.

The only problem is, Americans seem to have no clue how to eat a meat pie. Here's ESPN's Darren Rovell, savaging a pie with a knife. Blasphemy.

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Look America, your president was mean to Australia's prime minister on the phone. Don't make this worse.

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At least Rovell was apologetic.

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NBC's Christina Betz tried her hand at a (microwaved) meat pie, but questioned the "actual feasibility of eating it during a game," even though it was "delicious."

Microwaving meat pies is generally a bad idea, unless they're one of those mini/party pies — they don't fall apart under their own weight.

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To be fair, eating a meat pie with both hands requires skill, practice, and burnt tongues.

There are various eating techniques, like removing the top of the pie crust and putting sauce inside to cool down the scalding interior, then putting the top back when ready. Or one slow bite at a time, avoiding the filling in early stages to ensure you don't get burnt.

But if you can't manage, Australians don't really care if you eat it with cutlery, especially when the filling is thermonuclear hot, or you're eating it as part of a pie floater. It's like the debate over eating pizza with knife and fork.

Here's also a quick tip on eating them from New Zealand, who too have good pies. Enjoy.