America Before Pizza

The Atlantic ^ | DECEMBER 21, 2023

[Dr. Sivana]

I’m originally from New Haven where apizza has been around for 100 years.

I miss Sally’s, Pepe’s and Modern a lot.

Great pizza if you ever get a chance to go.

Agreed, with a vote for Sally's as #1.

My father's favorite was "The Spot", which is all but forgotten, but was once part of the Wooster Street "Big Three".

[Fuzz]

Yeah. Been to the spot too. Is it no longer there?. Bar is also good, relatively new, but good. Mashed potatoes on a pizza? Actually works.

Used to eat pizza and bar hop, a little too much. 😁

[Mears]

I remember Dean’s song….forgot about that .

….

[ProtectOurFreedom]

It was Ramona’s on Birch in midtown. I just checked Yelp and it says it is closed. Palo Alto Online says it closed ten years ago. What a shame...they had GREAT pizza! It was just a small hole-in-the-wall joint.

I don’t remember Magoo’s in MP. All the great old burger & beer joints are gone. San Antonio’s Nut House, Oasis, Jans Valley Inn, Kirk’s on California Ave.

We still have Rosottis, Flea Street Cafe, and Dutch Goose, though.

[Mears]

Amazing that we lived so long without pizza……extra cheese and pepperoni is my favorite .

..

[Freest Republican]

I thought maybe I was confused but that is not case-

Why the Tomato Was Feared in Europe for More Than 200 Years

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-the-tomato-was-feared-in-europe-for-more-than-200-years-863735/

[Fuzz]

Again, depends on what you consider civilized society.

Apparently it’s Britain. Tomatoes were eaten in Italy in the 1500s. And of course in the new world for centuries before that.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I could eat pizza everyday. 😊

[nicollo]

America before pizza? How about Italian food before America?

[Liz]

Lombardi's pizza

[Does so]

“no tomatoes, of course”.

Tomatoes were a “New World” vegetable, so not found at Pompeii.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I never even heard of pizza until the 1950s.”

For me, growing up in a small farm town, I never heard of it until the ‘60s. I hated it at first; it just seemed like a weird mish-mosh of stuff.

Now it’s one of my faves.

[MayflowerMadam]

Good to know.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I think that number is a little low”

Definitely. I’d double that number.

[Dr. Sivana]

“The Spot” is owned by Pepe’s now. It changed decades ago.

[DouglasKC]

It reminded me of growing up in rural Michigan and hearing about this exotic food called TACOS on the partridge family.

[Freest Republican]

“Up until the late 1800s in cooler climates, tomatoes were solely grown for ornamental purposes in gardens rather than for eating. Smith continues:”

That sounds like Britain.

Again, I may have overstated it but w/o ac and ice the majority of civilization in 1500 lived in cooler climates.