New York or Chicago Style?

[stromboli]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/1 ... 01400.html

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is no stranger to controversial rulings, and he's just issued an opinion that might be his most divisive yet: Chicago deep-dish shouldn't be called pizza.

"It's very tasty, but it's not pizza," he said Friday night in the Windy City, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Don't worry, Chicago. Scalia's opinion, delivered at the Union League Club of Chicago's 126th annual George Washington's Birthday celebration, is non-binding and doesn't carry the full weight of the court (or even the weight of a deep dish from Uno or Lou Malnati's).

But it's clear Scalia is an originalist in more ways than one. Back in 2011, he explained why he believes a Chicago deep dish should be called "a tomato pie" and not pizza.

"Real pizza is Neapolitan [from Naples, Italy] It is thin," he was quoted as saying. "It is chewy and crispy, OK?"

Scalia has also called New York pizza "infinitely better" than Chicago's, but we should note he may be suffering from a bit of judicial bias. He was born in New Jersey and moved to New York at the age of 6, where he remained through high school.

But even without Scalia's opinion, deep-dish pizza has been hitting hard times. In December, a survey by the online ordering website GrubHub found that only 9 percent of all orders in Chicago are for deep-dish pizza.

And last year, 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart railed against deep dish.

"Let me explain something, deep-dish pizza is not only not better than New York pizza. It's not pizza," Stewart explained in perhaps the only example of him agreeing with Scalia on anything. "It's a f***ing casserole!"

When Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent the 'Daily Show' crew some deep dish, Stewart released a video showing that even a dog wouldn't eat it.

I, Stromboli, have made many pizzas. I am sad to say I agree with Scalia. I am also sad to report that this is the single biggest-and most divisive- argument among Pastafarians. Let the forum decide.  :-k

[Plu]

Judging by the images I found, it doesn't look like pizza to me. How do you even bake something that thick? It looks more like some sort of hearty-oven-cake (I have no idea what the proper English word for that would be). But those have to bake for close to an hour, not 15 minutes like a pizza, and they taste completely different (for many obvious reasons)

[GrinningYMIR]

I prefer a more authentic style Italian pizza, with thin crust but thick handle crust (best word I could think of) With delicious sauce and some pepperoni. However I don't consider myself a pizza connoisseur so I can't quite categorize the pizzas themselves


Either way, pizza is terrible for you, BUT IT IS SO DELICIOUS

[stromboli]

I believe that technically it is really, as Scalia said, tomato pie. I have made a lot of pizza. It is far easier to make a thin crust than a deep dish.

[GrinningYMIR]

As a side note; I really want some pizza now

[stromboli]

As a side note; I really want some pizza now

Then the FSM is with you, my brother.  :-D

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Deep Dish and Chicago Style are NOT the same thing.  The way the poll is set up, Chicago can't get any votes.

Which is as it should be.

[stromboli]

Deep Dish and Chicago Style are NOT the same thing.  The way the poll is set up, Chicago can't get any votes.

Which is as it should be.

Yeah, I admit- it is biased.

[stromboli]

Being a true FSM believer, I was looking more at the religious aspects of this.

[The Skeletal Atheist]

Gotta agree with Scalia on this one. Chicago style "pizza" is not pizza, and calling it pizza is blasphemy of the highest order.

[Jason78]

Thin base.  Possibly a stuffed crust if I'm feeling decadent.

[aitm]

pizza...meh.

[SGOS]

Damn!  I hate to agree with Scalia on anything, but I agree that deep dish pizza misses the point of pizza.  But as someone already pointed out, identifying deep dish as Chicago pizza is a bit misleading.  I grew up in Chicago.  There was only one place I knew of back then that served something like today's deep dish.  It had a few devoted fans, but nowhere near enough to warrant describing deep dish as Chicago's pizza.  I never even heard the term "deep dish" until I was living in the Pacific Northwest and Pizza Hut started making a big deal about it.  Hell, Pizza Hut isn't even Italian.

And that to my mind is the most important factor in good pizza.  Drive past the pizza chains, and find a pizza joint run by an Italian family, a family who hasn't been in the US long enough to think Pizza Hut defines pizza.  I've never had New York Pizza, but I'd love to try it.  Put me in a place surrounded by heavy Italian accents and a lot of commotion in the kitchen, and I'll at least be willing to hope for a good pizza.

Unfortunately, any schmuck can open a pizza place, and name it Tony's Pizza, and people will go there, but that doesn't mean it's good pizza.

[SGOS]

I think another defining characteristic of good pizza is the smell.  When it arrives at your table, if the aroma doesn't set you back on your heels, it might be just some ingredients that are smashed down on a platter that the proprietor expects you eat.  

Also, after you take a bite, there should be a long tendril of cheese stretching back to the slice.  It's hard to find that in most pizza anymore, but I remember that about the Chicago pizza I grew up with.  I'll guess that kind of cheese is probably too expensive of an ingredient for most profit orientated chains.

[EntirelyOfThisWorld]

There are way more then two types of pizza, including that "stuff from Shakeys that has stuff on it that never belonged on a pizza in the first place and this fake, kinda plastic like cheese"*

On a side note; how many New Yorkers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None o yer fuckin' bizness, pal.

*Frank Zappa (Not sure of exact wording)