Little Italy north/pizza pie

[Mike Salovesh]

"Paul M. Johnson" wrote:
>
> Grew up in Chicago, and in the '40's and 50's it was called pizza pie,
> slowly morphed into pizza and once in a great while "pie"  As in "I'll
> have a medium sausage pie"
> Laurence Horn wrote:
> >
> > (I love the nostalgic value of "pizza pie"--was this largely a New
> > York designation, or do others remember this as standard mid-century
> > (or later) usage elsewhere?)

I'll confirm Paul's report.  My first pizza pies came from a Hyde Park bar
in  1947-48 (academic year reference). If it matters, I think the bar was
called Ken and Jock's, at 56th Street and Stony Island Avenue. Pizza pies
were relatively new to the University of Chicago crowd at the time.

Those  pizza pies had a very soft crust, by today's standards.
Sophisticated pizza pie eaters showed their superior knowledge by teaching
the inexperienced  to pick up a wedge and bend the outer edge in half with
a finger pointed toward the center section of the pie.  This provided a
backbone that kept the really soft end -- from the center of the pie --
from folding down and dribbling over your chin, shirt, pants, or whatever.

Just as pasta is supposed to be best if served al dente, you knew your
pizza pie was at exactly the right temperature when your first slice burned
the roof of your mouth.

-- mike salovesh   <m-salovesh-9 at alumni.uchicago.edu>   PEACE !!!

        IN MEMORIAM:     Peggy Salovesh
        25 January 1932 -- 3 March 2001