A Conceit about a Cliche (or, Humble Pie)

My neighbor Vi is the consummate country cook. Tonight she gifted us with another one of her apple pies, overall excellent but exceptional in the crust. I think crust is the essence of any pie, as of any life--what we are at bottom, what our boundaries are like (and who sets them--are they pre-made or of our own composing?), and whether kids enjoy us for what we are at the first point of contact (that outermost being that they suffer every day) rather than our intentions.