Australian Meat Pies

If only I could find a real meat pie here in Yankeeland. For a snack or a meal they are hard to beat. Every Aussie bakery, carry out, food shop, on the road petrol station, roadside food stand, etc. has meat pies for sale. They are always served hot. Occasionally you can find something without meat in them like cheese and broccoli or cheese and egg, but REAL meat pies have meat in them, like steak and kidney, mincemeat and onion, meat and mashed potatoes, meat and mashed peas, meat and mushroom, etc. All of these will have gravy in them and will have a light pastry shell. They are nothing like the pot pies in America, but are in some ways similar to a good English pastie. They still are most popular fast food in Australia. They are an Australian cultural icon and have their own reserved space in the history of Australian food.