Ray LaVoie
I admit to loving pizza. Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., has enabled me to declare myself a pizza maven, or at least I believe so. With pizza shops on what appears to be every street corner, I was able to hone in on the appropriate technique for consuming each slice.
I folded each slice which led excess oil on its surface to meander down its path of least resistance beginning its exit from the crevice of the fold on the crust to where it would take up residence on my hand and arm. Concurrently, my outstretched right hand, able to be maximized with locked elbow helped further the distance of the slice from my mouth so that the elongated string of mozzarella would finally allow itself to separate from its base thus enabling me to savor a mouthful of joy.
Over time, I realized that pizza encompassed more than a technique of consumption and a harbinger of cheese and tomato-based sauce over a well-baked crust. Elliot Fryman’s article, Pizza Time helped me realize that pizza can be a component of one’s lifestyle.
Pizza can be customized for health. Pizza can be as nutritious as one wants it to be. My kids taught me this when one evening at a sleepover, they ordered in pizza for dinner minus the cheese but with an assortment of veggies. Since that time, whole grain and cauliflower crusts have become popular healthful options. The number of different toppings seems endless.
Pizza can be an affordable meal option. With affordability a concern for many families, pizza, especially prepared at home, offers an opportunity to dine healthfully for less. Further, a family can enjoy quality time together engaged in preparing pizza accompanied with a side salad.
Pizza can accommodate a picky eater. Imagine disguising pizza with ingredients that may not be detectable and yet more likely to be eaten than if the food were served independently. For example, why not rice cauliflower and spread it around the surface of the pizza.
Pizza is convenient. Imagine having a busy and hectic schedule and then faced with the task of preparing a meal. Buying a pizza or perhaps freezing a pizza for later consumption provides a quick and easy way to enjoy a meal without much effort.
Pizza can be eaten at any meal. Yes, pizza can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Pizza can be adapted to different cultural norms. For example, Paratha is an Indian flatbread that is very similar to the classic Neapolitan pizza base. It is thin and crispy and can be prepared in a variety of ways with traditional pizza-style ingredients like meats, vegetables and egg that can be placed on top or cooked inside this flatbread.
A lifestyle is defined as a way of life. For a myriad of reasons, some of which are described above, pizza can be seen as an integral component of one’s lifestyle. Long live pizza!
