P is for the way Pizza Tastes Tonight
Share a slice but please don't break it. Pizza was made for you and me.
Hi there!
You have willingly subscribed to a weekly newsletter about pizza, so it’s clear you enjoy pizza more than the average person. Maybe you found this newsletter by searching “pizza” or “Pittsburgh pizza” or one of the many pizzerias I’ve written about in the 100+ newsletters. It doesn’t matter exactly how you got here, but I’m glad you’re here. Because pizza brings everyone together. The passion humanity has for pizza is unmatched by any other food. Hoagies is a close second, but we all know that at any given time 35-40% of the world population is thinking about pizza.
On this lovely day let’s explore the five components that make pizza the food that it is today.
Pizza is More than Just a Meal for Two
Perfection - The thing about pizza is that there is no perfect version. Yet, every pizzeria and pizza making is pursuing their own definition of the perfect pizza. Actually, this is a lesson I learned from one of my favorite films: Trolls Band Together. In Trolls Band Together the troll band, BroZone, is the hottest troll group around. And the leader, John Dorry, is obsessed with hitting the perfect family harmony. He pushes his fellow trolls to the pursuit of perfection and forces them to try their hardest. If they can hit the perfect family harmony they would be the most successful band of all time. Unfortunately they fail. The band falls apart. The pursuit of perfection leaves a wake of destruction in misfortune. Years later in their darkest hour of need, BroZone would realize that perfection is a false paradigm. There is no such thing as perfection, you simply have to do your best.
Pizza making is a lot like that which makes trying a variety of pizza shops so rewarding. It’s why the pizza industry even exists because each shop is baking a pie that is someone’s favorite.
Individualized - Pizza is a blank canvas. The challenge is to bring a delicious entity into life by mastering the craft. Balancing the portions of cheese, sauce, toppings to bring a harmonious disc to a hungry patron. A pizza has unlimited potential. And we get to customize it to align with our unique arrangement of tastebuds and preferences. In a world full of mutating foods that seem to grow larger and horrifying, pizza can easily be dialed in to satisfy any craving. Go simple with light cheese, a touch of sauce, a well cooked crust. Or ratchet up the madness by adding sausage, meatball, capicolla, hot peppers, artichoke, olives and mushroom.
Zenith - Is pizza the perfect pizza food? Yeah, I think so. In fact, the list started with perfect. But let’s explore that some more. It satisfies any scenario you’re facing in life. We’ve already talked about how it’s the perfect birthday party food and our family has pizza at most holidays. It’s the go-to food for corporate team building food and in lieu of monetary rewards sometimes you get a pizza party. Not only can it be crammed into any corner of our society, it’s a motivator. Reading literacy was at its highest during the Pizza Hut Book-It era. Soccer games and track meets are punctuated with trips to the local pizza shop. It’s peak. When you’re biting on a pizza you know in that moment you’re doing something right with your life. No matter how bad the storm may be outside.
Zeal - Early in our lives we are indoctrinated to enjoy the local pizza shop. It is woven into our life so seamlessly it’s as though it’s as natural as grabbing a crab apple off a tree branch and chucking it against a brick wall. As you grow and your world expands, you soon realize that people go to other pizza shops. And some people think that their pizza shop is better than your pizza shop. A pillar of your life shakes. The solid and smooth foundation you’ve grown up on shows a few cracks. But we can’t let go. That shop is our family. A passion ignites and battles, feuds and rivalries grow from the idea that your pizza shop is the best and you’ll defend it to the end of time when pizza no longer exists. No other food can inspire such fervor.
Accesible - Pizza does not belong on a pedestal or locked up in a tower. Pizza is the food of the common people. Dollar slices can be found sprinkled around the city. You can grab a large pizza for $10 in certain parts of town. Thanks to the ubiquity of pizza chains Dominos and Little Caesars deliver a pizza-esque food at a bottom of the barrel price. It can be tuned to anyone’s liking and has entry points for the snobs or the apathetic. It can be a calorie delivery system or a gourmet meal. No matter where you are in life, pizza will meet you there.
Heart Shaped Pizza
Don’t get your love a dozen roses for Valentine’s Day. Instead get them a dozen slices of pizza in the shape of a heart. A few spots around town will be making heart-shaped pizza for your romantic evening. Here’s a few in addition to the aforementioned Fazios.
Heart Shaped Pizza from Spak
Spak will be serving up heart shaped pizza and if you bring it over to Two Frays you’ll get a box of Sweethearts candy and a flower. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Valentine’s Day! Especially if your Valentines is a pizza!
Alta Via Pizzeria
Pizza Italia Heart Pizza
Pizza Italia is working on a new facade on Liberty Ave, but they’re still operating in Bloomfield as if they were never on fire. To me, they were one of the more prominent places in the city to advertise their pizza hearts. They even have a photo on their website year-round. Will they make this pizza for you out of season? I guess it’s worth asking.
That should get you started. If you know of any others hit me up in the comments.
Hope you’re having some great pizza with people you love this weekend!
Thanks and pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist
‘Ats amore!
Keep these up, they cheer me up. (And do let us know your thoughts re: Alta vua pizzeria. I can only see the photo.)