American Pie: How a Neapolitan street food became the most successful immigrant of all.
This is a really interesting look at the history of pizza in America. I had no idea that it was essentially unknown in the 40s before becoming immensely popular in the 1950s. There were some growing pains - thank goodness the Good Housekeeping version referenced didn’t become popular (though it does have its heir in the nasty Chef Boyardee pizza kits). The article talks about how pizza started here in New York City then was customized to the Midwestern palate in Chicago. It does not mention the unique abomination that is St. Louis-style pizza, which is probably a good thing.
As a side note, this bit at the ending made me smile:
Both spontaneous and economical, ordering pizza remains a signifier of carefree camaraderie; pizza seems to automatically make any event a little more fun. “We will have pizza(!),” the Carleton College history department announced last year in a memo meant to lure students to a meeting. It’s hard to imagine fried chicken or tofu having the same drawing power.
My med school comrades and I have learned that it is in fact possible to get sick of pizza, even if it’s free. Our most successful talks advertise “Free (non-pizza!) lunch!” these days. It’s true that fried chicken doesn’t go over well, though - our biggest draw is Indian food.