Where does the best Pizza come from?

[King Postwhore]

The wife also grows 4 different mints,  rosemary,  chives, lavender, sage, tyme and oregano.

[Prog Snob]

My father is the green thumb in the family. I'll probably wind up like that, too.

[Sycsa]

I ate about two dozen pizzas in Italy in the past decade, everywhere from Milan to Palermo and they were mostly "meh". One in Venice was exceptionally good, the rest were mediocre, and a couple of them were bad (as in, I only ate a couple of slices to satisfy my hunger and asked for the check). I tried fancy restaurants as well as small family joints. I gave up on the whole thing, these days, I only order pizza in Italy as a last resort.

[Adami]

I ate about two dozen pizzas in Italy in the past decade, everywhere from Milan to Palermo and they were mostly "meh". One in Venice was exceptionally good, the rest were mediocre, and a couple of them were bad (as in, I only ate a couple of slices to satisfy my hunger and asked for the check). I tried fancy restaurants as well as small family joints. I gave up on the whole thing, these days, I only order pizza in Italy as a last resort.

Do you live in Italy?

I think a lot of it has to do with what you grew up with. Like Chinese food. I grew up with American Chinese food. I doubt I'd care much for authentic stuff. Similarly if I grew up on NY pizza (I wish) there's a good chance that authentic Italian pizza might not do much for me.

I dunno.

[Prog Snob]

I ate about two dozen pizzas in Italy in the past decade, everywhere from Milan to Palermo and they were mostly "meh". One in Venice was exceptionally good, the rest were mediocre, and a couple of them were bad (as in, I only ate a couple of slices to satisfy my hunger and asked for the check). I tried fancy restaurants as well as small family joints. I gave up on the whole thing, these days, I only order pizza in Italy as a last resort.

Do you live in Italy?

I think a lot of it has to do with what you grew up with. Like Chinese food. I grew up with American Chinese food. I doubt I'd care much for authentic stuff. Similarly if I grew up on NY pizza (I wish) there's a good chance that authentic Italian pizza might not do much for me.

I dunno.

Pizza from Italy is exceedingly different from it's  American counterpart. In Italy, it's actually made to be healthy in most cases. A couple of the authentic recipes I've tried were pretty good, but the taste is quite different from what we're used to.

[Sycsa]

I ate about two dozen pizzas in Italy in the past decade, everywhere from Milan to Palermo and they were mostly "meh". One in Venice was exceptionally good, the rest were mediocre, and a couple of them were bad (as in, I only ate a couple of slices to satisfy my hunger and asked for the check). I tried fancy restaurants as well as small family joints. I gave up on the whole thing, these days, I only order pizza in Italy as a last resort.

Do you live in Italy?

I think a lot of it has to do with what you grew up with. Like Chinese food. I grew up with American Chinese food. I doubt I'd care much for authentic stuff. Similarly if I grew up on NY pizza (I wish) there's a good chance that authentic Italian pizza might not do much for me.

I dunno.

I don't live in Italy, but I don't subscribe to the idea that you "like the food you grew up with" at all. Make no mistake, I love my parents' cooking and the pizza in my hometown is great, but all my pivotal culinary experiences occurred when I tried a new type of food in a foreign country. The best meal I ever had was grilled feta cheese with grilled eggplant in Greece, in a small family restaurant on the beach. Never had any of those before and it tasted so good that it actually shocked me. It was like an orgasm. The second place goes to the fondue I ate in the French Alps. And so on...

[Adami]

Oh I didn't mean to imply that we only like what we grew up with. But a lot of times, it plays a big role.

We attach memories and emotions to that food that can't be found elsewhere. It's not always, but it does play some role. I can assure you that there are plenty of foods that you prefer the one you grew up with, only for that reason.

I didn't grow up with Israeli food, but I definitely prefer it. However, I grew up with a certain style of peanut butter sandwiches (breads/peanut butter type, etc) and prefer that to all others for just that reason.

[Prog Snob]

Oh I didn't mean to imply that we only like what we grew up with. But a lot of times, it plays a big role.

We attach memories and emotions to that food that can't be found elsewhere. It's not always, but it does play some role. I can assure you that there are plenty of foods that you prefer the one you grew up with, only for that reason.

Exactly. There are certain things I eat that bring back some overwhelming memories. It's interesting just how much your senses can be triggered by the simplest things. It's like having eidetic memory.

[hefdaddy42]

Yep.  For example, I compare all collard greens to my grandmother's recipe.  Most fall short to my taste buds, even though I know there is nothing wrong with them.

[cramx3]

Yea I definitely think there is something to the "food you grew up on" vs. "same dish somewhere else" But I think comparing authentic chinese to American chinese foods is not the same comparison as they really aren't the same dish.

[Adami]

Yea I definitely think there is something to the "food you grew up on" vs. "same dish somewhere else" But I think comparing authentic chinese to American chinese foods is not the same comparison as they really aren't the same dish.

Well, not all of it. But for a guy like me, who eats fried rice and noodles, it's not a totally unrelated thing.

[King Postwhore]

We just bought the thin rice noodles and steamed vegetables and added a ginger soy based sauce. It was yummy.

[cramx3]

Yea I definitely think there is something to the "food you grew up on" vs. "same dish somewhere else" But I think comparing authentic chinese to American chinese foods is not the same comparison as they really aren't the same dish.

Well, not all of it. But for a guy like me, who eats fried rice and noodles, it's not a totally unrelated thing.

I guess. I've never actually eaten authentic Chinese so I'm going off what my Chinese coworker tells me, which is that there is no similarity besides rice   

[Adami]

Yea, obviously their fried rice and noodles will be a bit different, but I unlike things like Orange Chicken or whatever, it's just a different way of preparing an actual dish, as opposed to being totally unrelated.

[Stadler]

I ate about two dozen pizzas in Italy in the past decade, everywhere from Milan to Palermo and they were mostly "meh". One in Venice was exceptionally good, the rest were mediocre, and a couple of them were bad (as in, I only ate a couple of slices to satisfy my hunger and asked for the check). I tried fancy restaurants as well as small family joints. I gave up on the whole thing, these days, I only order pizza in Italy as a last resort.

I've heard this same thing more times than I can count.

I do think there is something to the familiarity thing though; I'm from a very eastern European family, and the things I had as a kid - golumpki (stuffed cabbage), pierogi, beef stroganoff - all have a flavor that I go back to when trying it again today.

[cramx3]

I love love love pierogis!

[pogoowner]

I love love love pierogis!

They're awesome. I'm glad I grew up in Western Pennsylvania where they're plentiful.

[Prog Snob]

I love love love pierogis!

They're awesome. I'm glad I grew up in Western Pennsylvania where they're plentiful.

Pierogi plants?

[cramx3]

I love love love pierogis!

They're awesome. I'm glad I grew up in Western Pennsylvania where they're plentiful.

My mother's side of the family is polish so we always ate them growing up, traditonally just the stuff you get at the super market.  But there is one spot in Brooklyn near where my father grew up that sells homemade ones from a polish spot that are fantastic.  I haven't had them since I was a kid though.  I probably have at least 6 boxes of frozen pierogis in my basement freezer though.