One of the regional food items in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is the Cornish pasty. Miners from England who worked the copper mines here brought this traditional British meat and vegetable staple with them; once heated, they are a warming and welcome lunch during brutal winter days.
When I worked at
Zug Island in Lower Michigan, the workers would heat pasties, as well as other home cooking, by placing them on the fire brick or next to steam pipes. The comfort of a hot lunch on a freezing day can not be overestimated, and pasties doubled as hand warmers too.
If you have never had an authentic pasty, don't worry, they are relatively easy to make and they store well in the freezer for later use.
Sometimes, they are served with gravy if you are eating them on a plate. But if you are eating them with your hands, like the working men did, ketchup is less messy. Traditionally, they were eaten plain.
The link below includes a free recipe from a Cornish woman, and attached to that is a video which shows the proper pasty preparation technique. Enjoy!
http://www.picturebritain.com/2012/03/cornish-pasties.html
