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Chicago Deep Dish goodness | |
If I don’t have pizza one day, I don’t think I have problems getting through the day, but when I do have it, I’m in a much better mood (unless of course it’s a bastardized version of what pizza is). Pizza has been there for me at the best of times, and the worst of times but it’ll never discriminate, and I can depend on it being there for me whenever I need it.
Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of slices from many places around the world. I actually make a point of trying pizza wherever I go, asking the locals where to get the best pizza and I probably base a lot of my opinion of a place on how good the pizza is there (and the beer for that matter). Of all the pizza I’ve had, I’d like to highlight what I’m going to call Six Savoury Slices.
Banana Pizza: You’re definitely going to find whacky combinations of
pizza with all the ‘creative minds’ that you find in Amsterdam. This
pizza caught my attention because the only topping was banana. The
banana was cut into circular thin slices with a tomato base and cheese.
Though the combination was a bit strange, it was pretty good and I’m
glad I had it.
Rassy’s BIG Slice: There’s a place in Halifax called Rassy’s. It claims
to be the biggest slice in Halifax. I’ve never found a bigger slice,
but then again, when I’m in Halifax I’ll only go to Rassy’s. I always
get the veggie (tomato, green peppers and mushroom). At one point the
guy that ran the joint thought I was from Halifax because I’d been in
there so much. What makes these slices look even bigger is they serve
them on these tiny plates, so the slice is hanging off.
So you can get the idea of how big these slices are, they take a 38” pizza and cut it into four. Let’s take a look at the math:
Circumference of a circle is measured by the diameter of a circle (38”)
multiplied by pizza pi (3.14...). If we divide this number by 4, we can
get how big the crust of this one slice would be (assuming the pizza
was cut perfectly into 4 slices, and Rassy knows how to cut a pizza so
I think we are safe.)
C = pi(d)
= 3.14(38 “)
= 119.32 inches
dividing this by 4 will get us the slice crust value (sc)
sc = 119.32/4
= 30 inches of crust.
For those who like the metric system that would be 76 cm. That’s pretty
big. If that doesn’t give you a good idea of how big these slices are,
we can talk about the area of this gigantic slice (i just like doing
math, if you don’t find this funny move onto the next slice) The
formula for area of a circle is pi multiplied by radius squared. Again
we’d divide this by 4.
A = 3.14(19)^2
= 283 square inches of pizza.
I could go on calculating the length of the other two sides of the
triangle but at this point I figure I’ve lost everyone and am the only
one amused by these fun calculations!!!
Italian Flag Pizza: If you want the best pizza, you gotta go to the
source. On my trip to Italy, I didn’t get a chance to go to Naples
(this is the birthplace of pizza!) but I ate at least one full pizza a
day, usually accompanied by a bottle of red wine. In Italy, they are
the masters of the thin crust, and don’t smother their pizzas in
cheese, it is merely another topping. My most memorable meal was the
nationalistic pizza that looked like the Italian flag. The toppings
were spinach, mushrooms and carrot, however they weren’t carelessly
sprinkled about. They were sectioned off to make distinct columns to
represent the stripes of the flag. Granted it looked a little more like
the Irish flag, but it was a good attempt and a delicious treat.
Chicago Deep Dish: The only place to get a true deep dish is in the
windy city. Pretty much any pizza place you visit will have the
deep-dish option. What separates a good and great deep dish is the
crust. It can’t be too dry or thick; you want it crisp and greasy. If
you think you can eat one of these to yourself, it better be your first
and last meal of the day. Whatever size you order, consider it two of
those pizzas. I’ll usually have it for dinner and then the leftovers
for breakfast and lunch the next day, or sometimes I can sell slices
for inflated prices to a hungry sucker in the van.
New York Greasewheel: Do you like greasy pizza? Only the greasiest
pizza can be found in NYC. I remember seeing a shirt in a magazine that
said ‘ I heart NY pizza’. The typical NY slice is usually only 1
topping but more diverse than the most popular one topping: pepperoni.
You still find pepperoni slices, but along side those will be slices
with just broccoli, just mushrooms, just spinach and some places have
penne pasta as a topping.
Pineapple w/ BBQ base: Sometimes you have to convince the maker to do
this, but if you convince them, it’s well worth it. Instead of tomato
sauce, you replace the base with BBQ sauce. This gives a sweeter
foundation to the pizza and you should choose your toppings
accordingly. Mostly everything will work, but I find if you have
pineapple on there, it complements the BBQ sauce very well. Also, mango
or tomato will work nicely on this pizza.
The following songs were collectively composed while waiting for this exact pizza.
How much is that pizza in the window? (to the tune of “How Much is that Doggie in the Window?”)
How much is that pizza in the window?
The one with the BBQ base.
How much is that pizza in the window?
I’d really like to have a taste.
Munch Away (to the tune of “Drift Away” by Uncle Cracker)
Give me some pizza, some cheese on dough
A BBQ base and some pineapple
and munch away.
Happy pie tasting!
Timmy
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