... If one takes canned pie filling, applies it to shelf-stable pie crust and then daubs it in Cool Whip, it will certainly be gloppy, it will certainly be soggy, but it will be decidedly American. I'm pretty sure we invented all three of those. As "American as Apple Pie" is a ridiculous phrase; the Dutch were documented making them in the sixteenth century. The French tart tatin is, in my opinion, better than our own. Apples themselves are of Slavic origin and the apples Johnny Appleseed spread everywhere were cider trees, not eatin' trees or pie trees. But pies themselves can be spectacular. A well-rendered butter crust is something amazing. And fresh fruit, cooked properly, makes for a yummy fruit pie, if that's your thing. That the author actively mocks hand pies for being, well, hand pies says a lot.Pie: It's gloppy, it's soggy, it's un-american.
we need to relearn that desserts take a long time to make if one does them from scratch - not even in a Carl Sagan sort of way. And just like anything else, when one spends time, slows down and gets everything right, pies are amazing.