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Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Pizza


Pizza

I had my first slice of pizza when I was 18.  There may have been one pizza parlor in our town, but my mom did not like ordering out, and pizza was just “That ethnic food.”

I always assumed I would not like it anyway, even though when I smelled it walking the Jersey Shore boardwalks it made my mouth water. 

I assumed I would not like pizza because whenever Jackie Gleason ordered it on “The Honeymooners” he ordered it with onions, olives and anchovies along with all the regular toppings.  The thought of onions, olives and anchovies made my stomach flip-flop.

Besides the repulsive thought of anchovies on dough, my older brother was once sick on a Saturday morning.  He blamed his stomach problem on “Bad Pizza.”  I did not want bad pizza to give me such a problem.  Apparently the “Bad Pizza” was really too much beer the night before. 

My freshman year in college a bunch of guys ordered pizza.  It smelled really good.  It was plain, no onions, olives or anchovies.  I was feeling brave, I may have had a few beers to strengthen my courage.  I tried a slice.

O M G!!!

This was the best food I had ever eaten.  I wanted to order it again every night for the next week.  How could I have lived so long without ever eating a slice of pizza.

I’d have to say pizza is probably my favorite food in the world…well maybe tied with Chinese food.  And not that cardboard stuff with the dice on the box, or the crap from the “Hut.”  Might as well order from “Pizza R Us.”

My pizza has to come from someone named Mario or Nino.  Baked by someone with an accent who talks with his hands.  The crust should be thin, soft and bend in half with the tip slightly drooping over.  If a hot piece of cheese leaves a burn bubble of skin on your upper palate that is just a price that is worth paying. 

Turns out that you can order pizza with tasty toppings, not like Gleason’s “With the works.”

My favorite topping combo is sausage and mushroom.  I add copious amounts of those hot red pizza peppers.

Mmmm…Pizza!

22 comments:

  1. I must try it sometime. Seriously, I have never eaten pizza.

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  2. My favorite pizza is thick crust, cheese, ham, pineapple AND anchovies!! Dipped in Ranch. Hahaha. How's that for screwing up a perfectly good pizza?? Tied for 2nd is thin crust, plain 'ol cheese or artichoke, spinach, chicken with white sauce not red, also, thin crust. And a cheese burn is SOOO worth it!

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    1. Dipped in Ranch? Yep, that's screwed up in my opinion, but if that's how you like it, that's what you eat.

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  3. The guy in front of me waited for his pizza to be put in the box. The pizza shop owner asked, "Do you want it cut in eight or six pieces?"

    "Cut it in six," he replied, "I am not that hungry to eat eight pieces!"

    God bless.

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  4. That's a good memory. I remember my first taco in 7th grade social studies class.
    My favorite pizza is East of Chicago pan pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and banana peppers.

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  5. haha
    your description of hot pizza made my mouth water dear Joe :)


    i was just like your mom against pizza because i feared that it can harm the stomach if is not made with proper cleanliness ,specially when it comes to milk made stuff like cheese i trust less on fast food

    then my eldest son had so many times during his six years stay in Karachi and each time he said all is good and no bad affects of pizza
    to be honest i at my first pizza to please my son and i was impress with us taste :) though i tried to deny it lol
    i admit that i too like pizza :)

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  6. I can't remember a time when I didn't eat pizza! As a kid (before any pizzerias came to my small town) we either made our own (with those Cher Boy-Ar-Dee Pizza kits) or got "the real thing" at the drive-in concession stand in the summer. New York pizza, pan pizza, white pizza.. love 'em all. 6-7 years ago a Sicilian pizzeria opened up near me, those square things were perfection--the crust was so garlicky it made your eyes water. It closed a couple years ago, how I miss it... PS. I've never tasted or seen an anchovie :)

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  7. You didn't have pizza until age 18? Wherever did you live? How is that possible? I realize I grew up in an Italian American family where my father made and tossed the dough but still never in the school cafeteria? My favorite cafeteria food in 1972! And you seem to like NY style pizza. Hmm...not my fav if it bends like that but even bad pizza is good! No such thing as pizza one can't eat!

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  8. Pepperoni and mushroom pizza is my favorite. I love the hot red peppers too.

    Have a fabulous day. 😎

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  9. My mother was German and I never had pizza either, until I met my husband at age 16. He's Italian and we share your disdain for North American chains. Those little, hole-in-the-wall pizzerias are the best! ☺ Thin crust, well done is a must (no bending!). I prefer vegetarian with mushrooms and green peppers or white (oil and spices); hubby likes olives and pepperoni. Buon appetito!

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  10. Pizza is a great meal. I still remember how good the pizza tasted when I was growing up in Pennsylvania. That was around 7 years old. Never found another pizza that tasted as good as that.

    betty

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  11. I’d heard of pizza, seen a sign or two, but never had it until 1959 when a guy and his wife opened a storefront shop in my hometown.
    I ended up working for them and on my own for about 20 years.
    I learned you can have pizza just about any way you want and that a bad pizza is better than no pizza.
    I had pizza for supper last night.
    It was good.

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  12. I probably haven't eaten a whole pizza pie in my life time. I think it is the tomato sauce that turns me off. Not big on spaghetti either. I was head counselor in a camp one year. Our cook quit and an Italian cook replaced her. Everyone raved about the food and gained weight. I lost weight eating just salad and bread. I know, I am turning in my American badge as we speak:)

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    1. Patti I don't want to become a thorn in your side, but I get the biggest kick out of your comments :)

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  13. I love pizza too, but sadly my favourite "Aussie Pizza" store is now run by Asians and the crust is too oily and if you ask for extra garlic they tip on too much garlic powder instead of sprinkling on chopped up fresh garlic. So now I buy a Margherita from Romano's and take it home, add my own favourite toppings, garlic, olives, capsicum, mushroom and pineapple, a little oregano, and put it in the oven for a few minutes.

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  14. My second year of teaching, with a salary of $8,500 for the year, I lived on macaroni and cheese pizza. I don't know where I saw the recipe. Probably a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ad. I could only afford store-brand mac & cheese. To make the pizza, you greased a pizza pan with margarine, then patted out the cooked mac & cheese (single layer of noodles) on the pan, and added tomato paste. Baked it. That's all. I couldn't afford the powdered Parmesan to shake on top. It wasn't very good, but with Cream of Wheat for breakfast, and that mac & cheese pizza for supper, I survived.

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  15. Lit Pizza. You can order with anything you want, including my weird self getting the non-dairy cheese. Fabulous!

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  16. Our Saturday night dinners are usually pizza. Jack loves thin crust but I'm a Chicago gal and you know what that means...thick crust and tons of cheese with the sauce on top. Makes him gag!

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  17. I like pizza with everything/anything except those little fuzzy fish. I steer clear of bait.

    We didn’t have pizza growing up either. First time I had it was after I was drafted and sent to Ft Monmouth, New Jersey. On my first day off, I rode the bus to New York and are my first slice of pizza. That was July 4, 1971.

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  18. I love pizza too. I love a combination pizza without anchovies and I don't care for sausage. Round Table pizza here in northern california is one of the best. They make a Italian garlic pizza with a white sauce to die for. There are some smaller, pizza places that have some good pizzas.

    Now I'm craving a pizza. So fattening though...

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