As evidenced by a recent Talk thread, people have various styles of handling pizza crust. Herewith, a glossary of crust eaters:
No Matter What: They always eat it, good or bad. It's part of the pizza package deal. Or maybe Mom and Dad just taught them to clean their plates
If It's Good: These people judge on a case-by-case basis. But what is good? This depends, which makes for subgroups such as chewy-selective, crispy-selective, and so on
Ladylike: Please don't turn this into a sexist thing, this just means eating with silverware. (Though most silverware users just pick up the darn thing once they hit the crust)
Will I Break My Teeth? If it's too rock hard, forget it. They would rather save the dental bills
Dippers: Where's the ranch dressing? Extra tomato sauce? Olive oil? God forbid eating a naked crust!
Moody: Whenever I feel like it, OK? Leave me alone
Crust Haters: Never!
Crust Non-Believers: Per real St. Louis–style pizza, there should be no crust Says a reader: "The biggest local chain has ads poking fun at what people do with their pizza edges—wreaths for the front door, art-gallery-style jewelry, 'rings' around Saturn in kids’ science projects and so on"
I am not a "crust hater". That seems so harsh! I just don't "like" the pizza dough edge. I would totally dig a crustless pizza! I don't know of such a place where I live.
* The 'I don't want left overs' group. They eat the crusts of the first 1-2 slices but then leave the rest on their plates so they can finish the whole pie. I'm in this group
* 'My dog like the crusts' group as well.
After every mention in the press our leftover crusts on the plates rises substantially, depresses the heck out of us.....sometimes I clear plates before I get to the kitchen just so the boh won't see them.
I used to be in the crust haters group. Why would I eat the bones? Now I eat them on a case by case basis taking into account tastiness of crust and relative hungriness in light of how many slices of pie are left.
The crust is my favorite part! I put up with the rest of the pizza for the reward of the crust at the end. I'll look for the pieces that have the biggest crust, it's even better when there's those crust bubbles that have just a little bit of char on the top. Yum!
I like my pizza hot. As hot as possible. So I eat my slices while they are still hot but leave the crust (bones) until later. And eat them plain. I'll even wrap them up in a napkin and eat them the next day.
But all this applies to good pizzas. If the crust is doughy I don't eat it. Crispy, brown or charred yes.
I used to be the anticrust when it came to pizza. Now I usually eat any crust that comes along, though I actually fold the last inch or so of regular sauced/cheesed pie over the crust if it looks dry
I am of the crust-eating category--One slice, crust to tip. If the crust sucks, ergo the stuff on the bottom sucks and I don't eat the pizza.
But you did forget one category that I suggested: "My dogs like the crust!" Actually, if I am at home I will give some of the crust to my dog, not because I dislike crust but because I love her and like to share. :) Sometimes she gets the real part too...
Justin--milk dunkin' ? Wow, that sounds like a pretty 'Leave it to Beaver' school lunchroom method.
The honey is the way to go...Beau Jo's is in Idaho Springs, CO but they also have a Fort Collins and used to have a South Denver location...their whole wheat crust with the honey is drool worthy, especially after a day of skiing/snowshoeing/hiking in the mtns
;0)
ALWAYS! Whenever I go to 2 Amys, it makes me want to cry when I see people (usually women, I sadly have to say) send back plates with the pizza crust left untouched.
don't know what to call my category. i scoop the doughy insides out of my crusts, and my husband's. only with regular ol' pizza. it doesn't work with the fancy napoli-certified pizzas or ny slices.
Years ago my friend Brian and I would always have a large pizza at his apartment and he would always eat the outside slices and leave the wonderful edge crust on the plate. He'd NEVER eat the inside squares without the crust, leaving them for me who totally was into the crust.
One night I wrapped up all the uneaten crust he'd left, put it under his pillow and left the following note: "The next time you don't eat this part of the crust I will be your worst nightmare" signed The Pizza Fairie.
Needless to say, there was never a crust problem again.
My GF taught me a new way to eat pizza. She'll roll the whole pizza into a roll from the crust down to the tip, and eat from the side. that way, she'll always have a good crust to cheese/sauce ratio throughout the whole slice.
I'm still a folder, but I respect her method for her ingenuity.
You forgot about the ECFers (eat crust first-ers). I eat the crust first...not because it's my fav, but because I like to save the best for last...the last bite MUST be the wonderful tomatoey-cheesey bite.
There is definitely a "Prefer the Crust to the Pizza (PCPers?)" group.
I'm on the phone with a colleague from the West Coast and she rips the pizza from the crust to eat the crust first AND actively seeks to sit next to other people whom she knows won't eat the crust.
OK, I'm with ESNY1077 . The crust is the handle like the hard bits at the edge of a cornish pasty, so miners could eat the rest of it and throw the dirty bit away.
If the crust isn't good enough to eat, than the same holds true for the rest of the pie (in my opinion). Bread is bread. It's either good, or it sucks. There's a picture a couple stories back (story about packin a pie on the train). Anybody who would leave that crust sitting on their plate needs their head checked.
You left out the pizza crust eaters in my office. There is one who eats other people's crust when they don't want it. There is another... who may or may not be me... who dips my crust in my soda, which, really, I don't think is the same as the general "dipping" category. Or so I've been told.
Sometimes I eat the piece crust first, leaving the good stuff for last. Or if it's thin pizza, I'll roll it up crust first so that the crust mixes in with everything else.
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39 Comments:
Just look at the waste on that plate!!! There are people starving in front of my TV set, for Pete Za's sake.
Yup, you got me snack dab in the middle, but no dipping for me. How weird is that?
(getting progressively louder as I rant). I 'm a lady, but not "ladylike" when it just isn't called for people.
Ok, calmer now.
Fold and eat, then repeat. How hard is that? I'm going back to my cave to enjoy my perfectly delicious as is crust. ;0
PerkyMac at 7:58PM on 10/23/08
I love when Perky gets excited.
Ok, I'm in the... "If It's Good" category... "Chewy-Selective" subgroup.
FastFoodCritic at 8:09PM on 10/23/08
I am not a "crust hater". That seems so harsh! I just don't "like" the pizza dough edge. I would totally dig a crustless pizza! I don't know of such a place where I live.
izatryt at 8:32PM on 10/23/08
Excuse me? What? uh...leave it on your plate? What is that?
Unless it's that dry, no flavor, nasty sort of like Tombstone type of bone, it's considered part of the pie as is gone.
I like places like Beau Jo's in Golden (?) that has turned the bone into dessert with the simple addition of a "honey bear" on each table....slurp.
DeaconVolker at 8:37PM on 10/23/08
* The 'I don't want left overs' group. They eat the crusts of the first 1-2 slices but then leave the rest on their plates so they can finish the whole pie. I'm in this group
* 'My dog like the crusts' group as well.
After every mention in the press our leftover crusts on the plates rises substantially, depresses the heck out of us.....sometimes I clear plates before I get to the kitchen just so the boh won't see them.
Kim Nyland at 8:38PM on 10/23/08
I used to be in the crust haters group. Why would I eat the bones? Now I eat them on a case by case basis taking into account tastiness of crust and relative hungriness in light of how many slices of pie are left.
BrooklynBrownie at 9:13PM on 10/23/08
I'm with FFC on this one.
buffy at 9:17PM on 10/23/08
The crust is my favorite part! I put up with the rest of the pizza for the reward of the crust at the end. I'll look for the pieces that have the biggest crust, it's even better when there's those crust bubbles that have just a little bit of char on the top. Yum!
RossS at 10:33PM on 10/23/08
I'm definitely a "no matter what" kind of gal. It freaks me out when someone has pizza bones on their plate.
sharsd at 10:45PM on 10/23/08
I like my pizza hot. As hot as possible. So I eat my slices while they are still hot but leave the crust (bones) until later. And eat them plain. I'll even wrap them up in a napkin and eat them the next day.
But all this applies to good pizzas. If the crust is doughy I don't eat it. Crispy, brown or charred yes.
gaffer at 11:51PM on 10/23/08
I love all crusts, except Dominos - ew. I love the hard crusts too because it's nice gnawing away at it like a dog >.>
Tahitinova at 12:28AM on 10/24/08
Only if there is honey for dippin' ... yummm!
fiveforefun at 1:44AM on 10/24/08
I love all chewy crusts. They might be the best part of a pizza!
akrishna at 2:19AM on 10/24/08
Never a pizza bone on my plate...I like them all...plus...my dogs like them too :-)
pamelakrest at 3:40AM on 10/24/08
I used to be the anticrust when it came to pizza. Now I usually eat any crust that comes along, though I actually fold the last inch or so of regular sauced/cheesed pie over the crust if it looks dry
jfournier at 6:44AM on 10/24/08
As kids we used to dunk it them in milk. I thought this was normal until a few years ago.
JustinH at 8:20AM on 10/24/08
I'm a dipper! But I'll eat it plain if it's really good.
Junie at 9:03AM on 10/24/08
I am of the crust-eating category--One slice, crust to tip. If the crust sucks, ergo the stuff on the bottom sucks and I don't eat the pizza.
But you did forget one category that I suggested: "My dogs like the crust!" Actually, if I am at home I will give some of the crust to my dog, not because I dislike crust but because I love her and like to share. :) Sometimes she gets the real part too...
Justin--milk dunkin' ? Wow, that sounds like a pretty 'Leave it to Beaver' school lunchroom method.
HeartofGlass at 9:05AM on 10/24/08
I'm a no matter what!
When I was younger my dad wouldn't let us have another slice until the crust was gone!
I really do enjoy crust though
carolinemarie at 9:48AM on 10/24/08
Crust is just a disposable handle to get the real pizza into my mouth without dirtying up my hands up too much.
ESNY1077 at 9:50AM on 10/24/08
You forgot the recyclers: Those people that either hand over the crust to their spouse or dog.
harryhoody at 10:00AM on 10/24/08
You left my category out: will eat other people's crust if they don't, rather than see them thrown out. "Are you gonna eat that?"
Also, I eat the corner of crust where the fold is first, before eating the rest of the slice. I like how it collects a little pool of orange grease.
simon at 11:23AM on 10/24/08
The honey is the way to go...Beau Jo's is in Idaho Springs, CO but they also have a Fort Collins and used to have a South Denver location...their whole wheat crust with the honey is drool worthy, especially after a day of skiing/snowshoeing/hiking in the mtns
;0)
rckymtn1 at 11:28AM on 10/24/08
I always just let the slice decide... I rarely, if ever, even think about it.
jaysus at 12:55PM on 10/24/08
ALWAYS! Whenever I go to 2 Amys, it makes me want to cry when I see people (usually women, I sadly have to say) send back plates with the pizza crust left untouched.
ChristineB at 1:10PM on 10/24/08
I always eat the crust. I think my mother would have slapped me if I didn't!
O_Leaozinho at 1:28PM on 10/24/08
always! unless it's rock solid and inedible, i am eating that crust!
megannesta at 2:28PM on 10/24/08
don't know what to call my category. i scoop the doughy insides out of my crusts, and my husband's. only with regular ol' pizza. it doesn't work with the fancy napoli-certified pizzas or ny slices.
dmarina at 2:33PM on 10/24/08
Years ago my friend Brian and I would always have a large pizza at his apartment and he would always eat the outside slices and leave the wonderful edge crust on the plate. He'd NEVER eat the inside squares without the crust, leaving them for me who totally was into the crust.
One night I wrapped up all the uneaten crust he'd left, put it under his pillow and left the following note: "The next time you don't eat this part of the crust I will be your worst nightmare" signed The Pizza Fairie.
Needless to say, there was never a crust problem again.
bessfour at 3:20PM on 10/24/08
eat the crust! st. louis is nuts!
tonecapo at 12:41AM on 10/25/08
My GF taught me a new way to eat pizza. She'll roll the whole pizza into a roll from the crust down to the tip, and eat from the side. that way, she'll always have a good crust to cheese/sauce ratio throughout the whole slice.
I'm still a folder, but I respect her method for her ingenuity.
attgig at 6:03PM on 10/25/08
and I'll always eat the crust no matter what
attgig at 6:04PM on 10/25/08
You forgot about the ECFers (eat crust first-ers). I eat the crust first...not because it's my fav, but because I like to save the best for last...the last bite MUST be the wonderful tomatoey-cheesey bite.
ChicagoPizzaBurgersHotDogs at 7:00PM on 10/26/08
I always eat the crust.
I remember the first time I ate pizza with my wife's family. None of them eats the crust and felt it was their duty to save it for the dog.
eatorama at 1:09AM on 10/27/08
There is definitely a "Prefer the Crust to the Pizza (PCPers?)" group.
I'm on the phone with a colleague from the West Coast and she rips the pizza from the crust to eat the crust first AND actively seeks to sit next to other people whom she knows won't eat the crust.
Midtown East at 2:13PM on 10/27/08
OK, I'm with ESNY1077 . The crust is the handle like the hard bits at the edge of a cornish pasty, so miners could eat the rest of it and throw the dirty bit away.
snowmoonelk at 2:29PM on 10/27/08
If the crust isn't good enough to eat, than the same holds true for the rest of the pie (in my opinion). Bread is bread. It's either good, or it sucks.
There's a picture a couple stories back (story about packin a pie on the train). Anybody who would leave that crust sitting on their plate needs their head checked.
beeee at 11:13PM on 10/27/08
You left out the pizza crust eaters in my office. There is one who eats other people's crust when they don't want it. There is another... who may or may not be me... who dips my crust in my soda, which, really, I don't think is the same as the general "dipping" category. Or so I've been told.
StickersAndDonuts at 9:06AM on 10/29/08
Sometimes I eat the piece crust first, leaving the good stuff for last. Or if it's thin pizza, I'll roll it up crust first so that the crust mixes in with everything else.
aharste at 11:38AM on 10/29/08