Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Pizza Post

My sister's wedding is this SATURDAY! Oh my goodness that snuck up on me.

Unfortunately, I can't come home. It would be too shameful. There's something I promised someone I would do, and I never came through. How can I come home now? How can I show my face?

Oh wait...why don't I just do what I said I would. Yeah! That sounds great. Yes, I am carrying on a conversation with myself...it's hereditary.

And so a long overdue tribute to the greatest pizza chef I know...

Everyone has their hobbies. Some people like to collect stamps. Others enjoy a good day of shopping. My friend Auna loves to go fishing. Some of my less sane friends really enjoy running. My hobbies revolve around the consumption of food. More specifically, pizza.

Pizza and I go back. Way back. I have been ingesting that wonderful cheesy substance since I was just a chunk of a baby. As I child growing up in a family of 7, pizza became a staple because it fed a lot of mouths quickly and cheaply. And why not pizza? Think about how many food groups it covers. It could be it's own food guide pyramid. Seriously. You get dairy, grains, meat (if you're more bold than I am and actually put some on), fruits AND vegetables (simply because the tomato is such an undecisive plant...fruit posing as a vegetable).

I've had just about every type of pizza imagineable. Chicago pizza...oh how I love you Gino's East. New York pizza...you're good, but no deep dish. Yooper pizza...no thanks, cardboard crusts are not cool. I try to be versatile and try new pizza places all the time, and so I consider myself well rounded in the pizza world. When asked which is my favorite, well I have to just say there is no pizza in the world that can surpass the deep dished goodness which is Gino's East...EXCEPT Aunt Dee Dee's.

I can't describe it. It is the single greatest pizza in the world. I love every bit of it. The crust, the sauce, and the perfectly melted cheese. It is the most perfect pizza. I can eat an entire one all by myself and still be hungry for more. Let's face it, it's just irritating to be eating a good pizza that fills you up quickly. How inconsiderate of the chef to create such a treat that cuts you off after a few slices due to the unshakeable feeling of, "Oh no, my stomach is going to explode, which might cause a scene." It is not so with Dee Dee's pizza.

I think even more than it's fantastic taste, my love for this pizza goes with the memories I associate with it. Aunt Dee Dee has been making me pizzas since I was just a gangly kid who still believed frozen pizzas were acceptable (that was a dark time). Our families used to gather once a week to have dinner together and every other week Aunt Dee Dee would make her pizza. She'd be running around like crazy pulling them out of the oven and then shoving one in right after it to keep up with my bottomless pit of a stomach, and the ravaging hunger of my four other siblings and her own four sons. I just remember thinking, "Wow, she must really love us." Even now when I head home to visit, she'll go out of her way to make it for me when I ask. How cool is that? What a great way to get my pizza fix and be reminded of the wonderful selfless people I am blessed to have in my life.

Thanks for the 1000's of pizzas you've made on my behalf. It's awesome for me to come back to school with the overwhelming feeling of, "My Aunt Dee Dee loves me a whole 3 large cheese pizzas worth!"

4 comments:

Unknown said...

So, as far as pizza is concered the pizza maker in my family is my Uncle Ted. He makes some awesome pizza as well. The great comination of suace, crust, cheese, and whatever other toppings makes his pizza a treat for your taste buds. I work at an Italian restraunt back home and the original owners are from Chicago and let me tell you how yummy that deep dish pizza is. Wow! We get people form all over the country to come try our pizza. Most people will stick to the thin crust, but they don't even have a clue what they are missing with the deep dish. So I am with you on the tribute to pizza and the many family members around the world that supply the delicious treat for the rest of their family. Thank you! Hey have fun at your sisters wedding!

Unknown said...

Oh yeah, have fun this weekend.

krustacianken said...

you haven't had pizza until you've had Fowler, Michigan's Mainstreet supreme pizza. its got ham, green peppers, pepperoni, and onions on it, not to mention that they make it bigger and better in Fowler than in other places. the crust is pretty good too. i haven't tried the main street pizza up here yet. hopefully it hasn't changed much from downstate.

Anonymous said...

I don't know Bridget. I feel as if you have thrown down some kind of pizza gauntlet. I am not trying to take anything away from Madonna, but I think that we make a pretty tasty pizza here in mid-Central Illinois. . .

Perhaps it is time to stand back to back, take 10 paces each, turn and fire, weapon of choice, pizza cutters, in hand.

Perhaps a pizza challenge would prove to be too much pizza for you. Somehow, now that OBD is a thing of the past, I predict that you are up to the challenge.