In spite of the mild sun-stroke I incurred during the sweltering afternoon heat at a recent country pie festival, it was all worth it. It happened in a lush field at the lovely McCully’s Hill Farm located a short drive from my part-time home of Stratford, Ont.

Here, I witnessed my first pie-eating contest up close and personal, something I would not have thought would be any fun until I experienced it. In general, I’m against eating competitions which I find gross and unappetizing, especially when people are ramming hot dogs or spaghetti with meatballs down their gullets. However, eating one pie – and that was the challenge in this case – does not seem over-the-top. To boot, pies have a reputation as an in-your-face food (remember Jean Chretien) and are among my favourite foods both to make and eat.

There were several eating styles among the six contestants: the two-handed approach, the full pie-in-the-face modus operandi, the one-handed scoop and even a drink-the-filling style adopted by one fellow whose blueberry pie was quite runny. Read more…