Posted by Adam Kuban, October 24, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Morrissey. If you're familiar with the man and his music, the word mope springs to mind long before mozzarella does.
Although, with nicknames like "Moz" or "Mozzer," you might be excused were you to search for a pizza connection to the former Smiths frontman and lyricist. Such was the case this morning when I plopped down at my desk after having seen the man in action at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom last night.
In fact, the evening started with a couple slices of pizza at nearby New York Pizza Suprema. Doors opened early for the show, so my fellow fans and I wanted something quick and easy as we were already a bit late. I won't go into Suprema details here; suffice it to say that the place kicks out a satisfying slice when you're hard up for good pizza near the Madison Square Garden–Penn Station area. (You can read Ed Levine's take on Suprema here.)
What I'd like to do now is connect the dots between the savory slice and the supreme Smith himself. What follows are those odd intersections where pizza meets Morrissey and Morrissey meets pizza.
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Posted by Ed Levine, September 20, 2007 at 5:05 AM
My friend and former editor, the brilliant Sam Sifton, developed the Pizza Cognition Theory, which postulates that the first pizza a person eats becomes the standard by which that person judges all pizza he or she subsequently eats.
According to Sam, "The first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes (and somehow appreciates on something more than a childlike, mmmgoood, thanks-mom level), becomes, for him, pizza. He relegates all subsequent slices, if they are different in some manner from that first triangle of dough and cheese and tomato and oil and herbs and spices, to a status that we can characterize as not pizza."
So by Sam's theory, if Pizza Hut was the pizza you first ate, every other pizza you subsequently ate would pale by comparison, because it wouldn't be Pizza Hut pizza. Sam is a smart fellow, but I believe that people ultimately understand that circumstances beyond their control dictated their initial pizza-eating experiences and preferences, namely where they lived and where their parents took them for pie. Furthermore, I believe that pizza discernment can be learned once we move away from home.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 10, 2007 at 5:44 PM
Reaching into the Slice mailbag today we find a tasty-looking photo from reader Paul Lang:
Adam,
I'm a fan of the blog and recently went to Europe for a quick trip. In Rome (Trastaverre was the specific neighborhood), my wife and I ate at Taverna della Scala Ristorante. We had a terrific pizza Margherita (photo attached) that had the perfect combination of crisp crust, appropriate amount of cheese, and fresh tomato sauce. Combined with the €9 house wine and a long day of hiking the city, this pizza really hit the spot.
I thought I would send along the pizza experience to contribute to your community. Keep up the great work!
Always,
Paul Lang
Paul,
Thanks so much for the picture and advice. Photos and tips are always welcome so that we may better promote the pizza experience among the all the homeslices out there. It's always good to have one more suggestion for ol' Roma.
Hasta la pizza,
Adam
Taverna della Scala Ristorante
Address: Piazza della Scala 19
