Thin crust pizza knife and fork, or fold and eat??

[Kayelle]

I don't know about the rest of the country, but we were regulars at a place whose name I can't recall somewhere around 1956. I knew it was a GOOD place because we lived on the east side of Cleveland and Dad would drive ALL the way to the west side to get our pizza. We'd have that treat every couple of months.

Here is an interesting history of pizza: A Slice of Heaven: A History of Pizza in America | Serious Eats
1905: First sold in a New York City grocery store (Gennaro Lombardi)
1912: Trenton, NJ (Joes' Tomato Pies)
1924: Coney Island (Totonno's)
1925: New Haven, CT (Frank Pepe's)
1929: Greenwich Village (John's Pizza)
1933: Boston (Santarpio's)
1934: San Francisco (Tommaso's) and Perth Amboy NJ (Sciortino's)
1936: Boonton, NJ (Reservoir Tavern)
1943: Chicago (Uno's)
1958: The first of the chains, Pizza Hut, debuted and neighborhood pizza shops started to compete with them, and sometimes lost out.

Let's not forget those box mix pizza kits our Moms could buy. The first mix on the market debuted in in 1948, "Roman Pizza Mix" by a Worcester, MA businessman, Frank A. Fiorello. (Pizza, History and Legends of Pizza, Whats Cooking America) The most enduring of the mixes was by Chef Boyardee, a Cleveland restaurateur.

Thanks for that interesting research CG, and I think most of us knew USA pizza didn't start in Boston.

1950s - It wasn't until the 1950s that Americans really started noticing pizza. Celebrities of Italian origin, such as Jerry Colonna, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and baseball star Joe DiMaggio all devoured pizzas. It is also said that the line from the song by famous singer, Dean Martin; "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that amore" set America singing and eating pizzas.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/vide...a&sigb=136di94n5&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

 

[Cheryl J]

That was an interesting read, CG, thanks for sharing. It seems like pizza has been around forever here in the states, but it really hasn't - this topic really made me think of that. Kind of like sub sandwiches...I remember corner sub shops near the beach growing up, but that's a whole 'nuther topic!

 

[Addie]

That was an interesting read, CG, thanks for sharing. It seems like pizza has been around forever here in the states, but it really hasn't - this topic really made me think of that. Kind of like sub sandwiches...I remember corner sub shops near the beach growing up, but that's a whole 'nuther topic!

Then start a post about your favorite sub shops. Like you said, another whole subject. But worth posting about.

 

[di reston]

Thin crust pizza knife and fork or fold and eat

In Italy where I live, we cut a manageable slice from the pizza and eat it with our fingers. Always.

Happy Easter

Di Reston

 

[RPCookin]

In Italy where I live, we cut a manageable slice from the pizza and eat it with our fingers. Always.

Happy Easter

Di Reston

That's how it was when I had pizza in the home of an Italian friend near Varese.

 

[Dawgluver]

We had a similar pizza in the school cafeteria, but it had chunks of ground beef on top, and mozzarella cheese. I liked it. But then again, up until I had Square Pan pizza, in San Diego, Ca. Sadly, the place no longer exists.



I loved Chef Boyardee pizza kits. I used to make them with my dad, and then with teenage friends. I tried one a couple weeks back, just for old-times sake, and was appalled at both the flavor and texture.I believe that what we grew up with plays a huge part in what we like and dislike as an adult. Me, I've always been an adventurist eater, always yearning for something new. But there are still some things, like a thick, yeasty crust that I prefer.



RP, Minnesota, Michigan, we probably ate very similar foods.



Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

We had squares of pizza in the school cafeteria too. Where I grew up, we had lunch ladies who could really cook. And while working in schools for many years, the pizza was always pretty decent. OK, at least edible.

As a child, I used to make the Chef Boyardee pizza kits with my great aunt too, and it was a real treat. Now I'm not sure I'd like it anymore either.

 

[Addie]

In Italy where I live, we cut a manageable slice from the pizza and eat it with our fingers. Always.

Happy Easter

Di Reston

Well folks you have heard it from a native pizza eater. Do you fold the pie slice so the end doesn't droop downward? We usually get eight to ten pieces for a large pizza. The slices are rather large in that the end will droop when you go to put it in your mouth. So we fold it in half lengthwise and go to town on that slice of heaven.

 

[CraigC]

Well folks you have heard it from a native pizza eater. Do you fold the pie slice so the end doesn't droop downward? We usually get eight to ten pieces for a large pizza. The slices are rather large in that the end will droop when you go to put it in your mouth. So we fold it in half lengthwise and go to town on that slice of heaven.

I can't eat that many pieces so I make sure they cut it into six pieces.

 

[RPCookin]

I can't eat that many pieces so I make sure they cut it into six pieces.

Good one Craig!

 

[di reston]

In response to Addie's question, Italians are not messy eaters. They like things neat, and they don't like 'la brutta figura' - to look bad. Anything that is difficult to eat is taboo. You simply wouldn't have a piece of pizza that 'drooped' at the pointed end. Not elegant to eat. So you cut pieces that are manageable and easy to eat in an elegant fashion. Italians are masters of style, and style matters everywhere you go.

 

[RPCookin]

In response to Addie's question, Italians are not messy eaters. They like things neat, and they don't like 'la brutta figura' - to look bad. Anything that is difficult to eat is taboo. You simply wouldn't have a piece of pizza that 'drooped' at the pointed end. Not elegant to eat. So you cut pieces that are manageable and easy to eat in an elegant fashion. Italians are masters of style, and style matters everywhere you go.

I know that the pizzas Alberto cooked for us were only about 8" across, and baked in a 650° wood fired oven on his balcony. Took about 1½ minutes, turn 180°, then 1½ minutes again and they were done (and he was cooking for a group of about 12 people - 1 pizza per person). They were cut 4 or 6 ways and had no droop at all. It was from this that I decided to follow his lead and make small personal size pizzas when I have them for guests. That way everyone gets to customize it his own way, and the pieces are easily manageable by hand.

This works well if you have some nice wine to keep folks occupied while cooking.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I know that the pizzas Alberto cooked for us were only about 8" across, and baked in a 650° wood fired oven on his balcony. Took about 1½ minutes, turn 180°, then 1½ minutes again and they were done (and he was cooking for a group of about 12 people - 1 pizza per person). They were cut 4 or 6 ways and had no droop at all. It was from this that I decided to follow his lead and make small personal size pizzas when I have them for guests. That way everyone gets to customize it his own way, and the pieces are easily manageable by hand.

This works well if you have some nice wine to keep folks occupied while cooking.

But I want Root Beer, or Cream Soda. Doesn't anyone have any rootbeer, or cream soda?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Zagut]

But I want Root Beer, or Cream Soda. Doesn't anyone have any rootbeer, or cream soda?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Chief, The Rolling Stones are crossing the pond for a tour in the States. From what I gather the tickets are about $400 a pop.

I only mention this because I'm using there words.

"You can't always get what you want."




And I'd like Cream Soda too.

 

[RPCookin]

But I want Root Beer, or Cream Soda. Doesn't anyone have any rootbeer, or cream soda?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Well, since I experienced that party in an Italian household, the wine was a given. They had a big gallon jug of red and a couple of bottles of white, and a couple of the guests brought more, so we had no fear of running dry. The 2 adolescent kids were drinking soft drinks, but with the pizza they were allowed one glass of watered down wine, fairly common practice in that part of Europe.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Well, since I experienced that party in an Italian household, the wine was a given. They had a big gallon jug of red and a couple of bottles of white, and a couple of the guests brought more, so we had no fear of running dry. The 2 adolescent kids were drinking soft drinks, but with the pizza they were allowed one glass of watered down wine, fairly common practice in that part of Europe.

Yeh, it's just me. I can't handle the flavor of any alcoholic beverages. It's just the way my tongue is built. NOw give me a good and refreshing drink, like sweetened pumpkin juice, with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, ice-cold, or a great cream soda, and I'm enjoying hte beverage. A cold glass of whole milk works as well.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief longwind of the North