I once bought a friend a pineapple pizza that he didn't eat at all, because he hated the stuff. I meant it kindly.
This happened in Iraq, in 2008 or 2009. My friend was a Warrant Officer in the US Army, and I had recently observed him -- on a trip to Victory Base Complex, where there were multiple Pizza Hut trailers as well as a real-life pizza restaurant on the west side -- to bring back several pizzas, including a Hawaiian pizza. This kind of pizza is not really Hawaiian. It's actually Canadian.
Anyway, I assumed he wouldn't have bought the thing if he didn't like it, so the next time I got over there I brought one back for him. He thanked me very kindly, and never once mentioned that he hated the idea of pineapple on pizza. I only found that out later. I felt bad at the time, although the only sad thing was that I guess the pizza was wasted. He appreciated that I'd tried to do something nice for him, and that was the really important thing.
I personally like very many things on pizza. This attitude is described by the author from the first link as proper to "[o]thers from pizza wastelands such as Australia and Atlanta [who] extolled the virtues of complementing pineapple and ham with even more revolting toppings such as... jalapenos." Why, yes, I would also like jalapenos on that pizza.
I mean, where pizza is concerned, I'm fairly broad-minded.
In any case, I didn't bring this up to offer a binding opinion on the question of what ought to be on a pizza. I was just appreciative of the occasion to remember a friend I haven't ever seen since he boarded a helicopter on FOB Falcon, to rotate back to Germany after a long and honorable service in Iraq. I hope he's doing well.
I'm told pizza in Japan is an interesting experience if you're into atypical toppings...
ReplyDeleteAye, I imagine the Japanese could test my limits for innovation. They've their own thing, they have.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a notable hater of pineapple on pizza—indeed, of any fruit in savory dishes—I can say that it is not hard to pick the pineapple off the pizza and have a tasty Canadian bacon or ham pizza. So it likely didn't go to waste after all. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBringing food to a friend is always a sweet thing to do. I associate it mostly with women—as something women do to show love—so it seems especially notable and praiseworthy to me when men do it.
Cinnamon Sprinkle with toasted almonds makes a great addition to a ham and pineapple pizza..
ReplyDelete-Mississippi
One of our favorite dishes is a Mexican stew with pork, plantains, raisins, nuts, jalapenos, and pineapple. So I don't object at all to the idea of meat and fruit--but I'd never heard of pineapple on pizza until we were out camping with some people in Wyoming about 25 years ago, and the camp cook suggested pineapple for that evening's pizza. We laughed, assuming she was making a wry comment on the limited packed foods that were the only remaining barrier between us and starvation. I didn't realize that pineapple on pizza was fashionable in the western part of the country. At least I assume it started out there? It wasn't a thing in Houston, to my knowledge. It was like being asked if I'd like buttermilk in my coffee.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm willing to try anything on a pizza and no doubt would enjoy some of those startling Japanese offerings. My ideal pizza has about 20 different things on it, basically everything the establishment offers. My husband considers my palate barbaric.
My wife, like jaed, hates it when I mix sweet and savory in any context. She would not accept pineapple on pizza, which is fine -- you can get pizza in halves. What's more sad for me is that she also rejects a lot of Medieval recipes, which frequently do mix the flavors that way (as coq au vin does, in a mild way).
ReplyDeleteI first had a pineapple pizza in Colombia, in the '70s. Liked it. IIRC, it used blue cheese. Like Texan99, I like fruit added to hot, and like Texan99, Mexican cooking exposed me to it.
ReplyDeleteIn Guatemala there is a good day hike from a town to some falls and back. Lot of up and down hiking. After I returned to the town from the hike, I liked quenching my thirst with an entire pineapple, purchased for the grand sum of around 25 cents US. Safer than the water supply.
http://bin.staticlocal.ch/website-content/b0/b049925636c9fdd5060f7f8e96ea7c1da0687e73/pizza%20doro.pdf
ReplyDeleteHaving dined on pizza in Japan on a number of occasions, I can confirm they have some very interesting toppings. Beyond just the expected wide variety of seafood (octopus, for example) and things like corn and seaweed, they are fond of squeezing a loose grid of mayonnaise on top.
ReplyDeleteHere are some photos:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/10/27/10-crazy-pizzas-from-japan/
Pineapple and spices are pretty good on pizza. I suppose this divide will never be crossed.
ReplyDeleteTom, Japan's appropriation of food traditions from other countries has resulted in food that is, to most Americans, rather interesting. Consider vermont apple curry. I wonder what the SJWs think of such cultural appropriation on the part of Japan. Japanese cultural appropriation extends even to baseball. The horror!
ReplyDeleteSweet and spicy actually go very well together. Consider curry with chutney. Actually, my favorite lamb curry recipe has apples in it, and they make the dish.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite vegetarian curry dish has sweet corn in it - and without the corn, it's a far more boring, one dimensional dish.
So, while I'm not a pineapple pizza fan, I say - "Go for it!"
Gringo, they do have some pretty odd cuisine. Natto, for example, I never did get used to. However, overall, I really miss it.
ReplyDeleteAnd, since the Japanese aren't white, the SJWs will let them appropriate anything they want.
Cass, you've made me hungry for curry.
The SJWs were kicked out of Japan by the same time the Americans were falling prey to free love and sex, via Lucifer.
ReplyDeleteForeigners, especially Islamic or strange bs religions, are not particularly welcome in Japan. There is always a barrier that tells the natives from the foreigners, so that people know their place and will act accordingly.
It might be easier for an American to think of it as the Old South, back when Demoncrats ruled. Any time a foreigner stepped on the soil and tried to change the Old South using foreign methods, the expected would happen.
Heh :) I'm a curry fiend!
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