pizza

When I came to Amherst, pressing questions needed to be asked. "How do I find my apartment?" No. "When do I start teaching?" Not quite. "When do I get my first pay cheque?" Forget it. Answers were desperately needed to questions (rhetorically) asked with a greater urgency than the one Regis asked in that obnoxious game show.

"Where is the good pizza?"

Why this crust with sauce phenomenon is still culturally relevant, if not the epitome of anything related to Earth is beyond me. Recipe card break down: dough, sauce, cheese depending on the region. The basics, right? Of course there are the variations on the theme, as in the increasingly popular chicken wing pizza. Or, the exotic flavours of the ['they don't really eat this do they?'] Hawaiian pizza. Thin slice. Deep dish. Sauce on top/Sausage on Bottom. Utica's tomato pie. White sauce. Pesto sauce. No sauce. No veggies or all veggies.

Any way you slice it.

Since I have been alive pizza is the miracle food. Cibo miaracolo Unifying cuisine; bringing together friends and enemies alike. The common day Communion if a good Pinot Noir is chosen with it. Was it the culture wars between major cities like New York and Chicago? Was it the strengthening Italian-American influence in this country? Or is pizza the culinary lowest common denominator and is only microcosmic of our societies larger scale 'easy way out' behaviourism? Was it the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Either way, pizza at its simplest is delicious and anyone who disagrees with that must be some sort of robot or must enjoy the taste of topsoil better.

I am not a snob about food but I can taste the difference if I know it. Recognizable are both the delicious and the artisanal craft in food if the attention has been paid to it, be it high dining or spins on American favourites (Gerald Gray's take on macaroni and cheese is a perfect example of this). Fresh ingredients and hidden intricacies in recipes are something my palette has a ever-developing affinity for. Pizza, however, is something that could be absolutely horrible and still be somewhat satisfying. It's almost like chocolate. If Belgian chocolate is out of reach, a Dove bar would be acceptable.

The other night while in Northampton I ate unsatisfying sushi. I amended my latent state of hunger by finding Mimmo's. I kid you not, this regular slice needed to be supported by TWO paper plates next to each other. It took me approximately twenty minutes to finish the one foot slice of behemoth pizza. Aside from being large and in charge the sauce was passable but the crust had a perfect balance of textures and slighty-charred flavour.

The next night I experienced Antonio's on North Pleasant in Amherst. No pictures were taken because the pizza was so delicious I neither had the time or inspiration to interrupt the devouring. Antonio's is a local legend type establishment which boasts eccentric toppings and great specials. I kept it pretty conservative- a slice of mushroom and a pesto/mozzarella/basil/tomato slice that was to die for. But honey mustard chicken pizza? These concoctions are obviously for the Five College's finest weekend drunkards.

Being an area whose economy and identity is predominately collegiate, Western Massachusetts may be this country's hidden hotbed for this ubiquitous provision. And amidst the area's Berkshire-runoff fine dining and caterwauling Kappas there is a culture of bread and sauce that is worthy of exploration.

According to the Yellow Pages, Amherst and its surrounding communities contains a total of one hundred and fifty one pizza restaurants, with assuredly a handful of dining establishments that makes their own pizza but doesn't specialize in it. In two years, can every pie be tasted before another one propagates? That could send one into a pizza-coma. Pizza overload or obsession.

But is an alcoholic can love the sauce why can't a cheap graduate student love the sauce...on toasted flour?

Now, that's amore.