Name: Tess
Home: St. Louis
The Great Pizza Divide
If you need a litmus test to separate the native St. Louisans from the transplants, pizza is as good a one as any. Some local friends and I got into a heated debate about St. Louis-style pizza. The transplants--myself included--scorn pizza from places like Imo's, calling it "fake cheese on a cracker." (The pizza has a thin, crispy crust and use provel cheese instead of mozzarella.) People who grew up in St. Louis have fond memories of eating that pizza at parties and family dinners. Personally, our family prefers New-York style pizza, which is similar to what we enjoyed in the small, family-run Italian restaurants in Philadelphia.
The pizza debate made me think about cheesesteaks--one of Philadelphia's signature foods. In 2004, John Kerry revealed how out-of-step he was with the locals by ordering fancy-shmancy Swiss cheese on his cheesesteak. What other local delicacies across the country separate the natives from the transplants?
The pizza debate made me think about cheesesteaks--one of Philadelphia's signature foods. In 2004, John Kerry revealed how out-of-step he was with the locals by ordering fancy-shmancy Swiss cheese on his cheesesteak. What other local delicacies across the country separate the natives from the transplants?
posted by Tess | 3:28 PM
4 Comments:
LOL!! Yes, Imo's pizza is definitely an acquired taste!
I'm not sure I've ever had a true Cheesesteak sandwich!
Wahoo's - fish tacos - on the west coast; you're definitely a transplant if you don't like it "as is" and have to modify your order (think Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally).
Also in Denver - if you choose Qdoba instead of Chipotle or Subway instead of Quizno's,
Tess, do you know Garcia's pizza? Yum.
Oh my gosh, I have such fond memories of the Garcia's Pizza Balloon! It was shaped like a giant tomato. Once it landed in a field near our house in Illinois. I'm sure I had their pizza when I was little, but I can't remember what it tasted like.
Or do you mean this Garcia's?
http://garciasfamouspizza.com/new/
Until this very blog, I had never heard of St. Louis style pizza. Your hatred of this cuisine has only caused it to grow stonger in infamy. So, it's an extremely crispy thin crust?
What was your fav cheesesteak house in Philly?
New Yorkers are insufferable when it comes to pizza. They seem to all believe that there is no such thing as true New York style pizza (and therefore no true pizza)outside of the borough/island that they grew up in/on.
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