Thursday, July 23, 2009

An Oven-fed Heated Battle

It's no doubt that the hot slice has spread to the far reaches of the globe (which is totally awesome).


(Courtesy of Slice)


(Courtesy of Foodco Holding)


(Courtesy of Japan Probe)

Wait, is that a 'pigs in a blanket' crust? Woof.

I think it's fascinating that a cuisine can be so international but so regional simultaneously. Clam pizza in Massachusetts? Shrimp & squid toppings in Japan? The possibilities are endless (unless of course you're a Neapolitan snob).

Regardless, no regional pizza rivalry holds a candle to the New York v. Chicago contention. Personally, I think the 'Chicago-style' deep dish pizza and world-renowned 'NY slice' is like comparing apples and oranges, but that isn't stopping New Yorkers and Chicagoans from getting pissy and territorial.

Here are some Amazon.com reader review excerpts from NY Times contributor Ed Levine's book Slice of Heaven:

  • "Chicago pizza isn't pizza? It's a casserole? There are millions in Chicago and lines outside our pizza spots that say he's wrong. Don't waste your money on this garbage. This guy has no clue."
  • "As a Chicago native, I've no choice but to lean my support to my home town and our pies, both deep dish and thin crust. However, Levine's critiques of our pizzas are not only far from flattering, they're practically insulting. We put too much cheese on our pizzas!?! Since when did anyone EVER complain about having too much when having it matched with a healthy dab of sauce. Our deep dish is more like a casserole!?! How does he figure? Because it's more of a layered affair and not the standard flat crust? Well, god forbid, that we Chicagoans try to set ourselves apart from NYC."
  • "Chicago has the best pizza in the world, period. If you want pizza that tastes like Dominoes or Little Caesars, go to New York. A New York style pizza joint wouldn't last 2 days in Chicago, where people have come to expect excellence, heaping toppings, carmelized cheese covered crust, and tangy sauce. Some restaurants in Chicago even buy their meat from the top butchers in the city, places where a filet would set you back $35. I lived in both New York and Chicago, and believe me, the crap they serve in New York isn't pizza, it's carboard with cheeze whiz on top."
Yikes. Them is fightin' words! To be fair, the traditional Chicago deep dish really puts the 'pie' in 'pizza pie.'


(Courtesy of Passion 4 Pizza)

C'mon, that looks amazing. LOOK AT THAT MOZZARELLA, are you kidding me?

On the other hand, I can see how Chicagoans have a hard time shifting to a thinner, less bulky slice. But can you really say no to a John's pie?

(Courtesy of Slice)

Fuhgeddaboudit.

Sure I may be a little biased on the NY side (though I'm mid-western born), but calling NY pizza 'cardboard with cheese whiz on top?'

My stomach just growled, and it's not from hunger.

2 comments:

  1. Alright this is too much. Chicago pizza is great if you like bread. A shit-ton of bread. If, however, you prefer your pizza with a more balanced flavor (rather than tasting like half a loaf of pizza-flavored bread), New York pizza has the obviously superior ingredient ratio. Forget the crispy vs. soft thing, it's generally a matter of ingredient proportions, and Chicago's backin' the wrong pony on that one.

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