Within my circle of hometown friends, there is often a discussion, while looking back on our growing up years, of where things were located and what's there now. One of the most popular subjects to discuss is pizza places, and who made the best pizza pies back in the day. I've yet to discover who is the 'winner' in each of these debates, and it really doesn't make a lot of difference to me at this point.
But, to say "Pizza is pizza" would be a terrible mistake. That just isn't true at all! {Frozen pizza doesn't ever enter into these conversations because it's no where near 'real' pizza, however palettable it may be. ) I'm not sure that there can be a 'real winner' in this discussion, because each of the pizza joints made/makes it differently somehow, and one's own personal tastes are not the same as another's. While some sauces are thick, others are not, some are acid-y, others are sweet. Some pizza makers add a lot of cheese, others are skimpy in their offerings. Crusts may be thick or thin, crunchy or bready. I think it all depends on what combination is best to satisfy you.
I'm a lover of most things Italian. I've often said that if it has red sauce, and white stretchy cheese, I'm good with it. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. I am a little more fussy about my pizza, however, especially since we moved away from what places I knew to be the best ones. Arriving in the south, I knew I had to explore them, to locate a favorite. I asked my 20 yr veteran to southern living where we could get his idea of the 'best.' Ironically enough, his answer was "New York Pizza." We discovered that the Italian owners were from NY city, and boy! did they know their stuff! It became an immediate favorite.
Unfortunately, the closest of their two places closed, and in order to get one of their delicious pies, we have to travel 12 miles (20 min.) each way. We've decided that with gas prices as high as they've become, the only way we'll get a NY Pizza is to buy one while we're already in the vicinity. We've even been known to buy a couple at the same time, eating one and freezing the others.
When NY Pizza closed, another took it's place, but it wasn't very good, and we abandoned it after two or three good tries. It soon sold out to another ...a Greek man runs it. It's fairly good, but we still hunted for a replacement that might be better. We found it. It's called Real Pizza, and believe me, it is real, as well as really good. It's only about 4.2 miles from us. The offerings are multiple, the sizes are too, and the prices are better than average. We've got it made now!
We had take out from there last night. I wish I'd opted for pizza, as my husband did. I chose a 'sub' of chicken, bacon and mozzerella cheese with ranch dressing, which has been different each time I've had it, depending upon who makes it. Last night it was disappointing. Mike had chosen Hawaiian pizza, which was quite tasty, with its ham and pineapple. (somehow, it seems strange to me to see that combination on a pizza, even though whenever I've had it, I've always liked it. ) While we were waiting for things to warm, our neighbors popped in, and we got into a discussion about pizza. They raved about one they had back home in Iowa. It was made with the usual ingredients, but then Canadian bacon and rinsed and dried sauerkraut were placed on the top before baking. I'm sorry....but that's criminal! I like sauerkraut, but cannot fathom ruining a pizza with it!
To say that 'Pizza is pizza' is definitely a mistake. What say YOU about pizza?
