While growing up decades ago in small town Saskatchewan, my group of friends was never exposed to anything resembling pizza.
No one of us ever said, “let’s drive to Moose Jaw to pick up a pizza.”
Instead we agreed to drive to Caronport for those huge homemade hamburgers on freshly made buns, accompanied by homemade chips and Vico. And if we had enough gas in the car to get to Moose Jaw we’d stop at the Caribou Street A&W for teen burgers and root beer, or at the Swing Inn in the park for a bucket of chicken which we shared while driving home.
Pizza — not even close on our radar. In fact, I cannot honestly remember the year of the first time I was offered a slice of pizza but I do know I wasn’t impressed. Those shriveled pieces of meat with too much tomato sauce did not entice me to ask for seconds. And the crust was tough, requiring a knife and fork, which I was told was gauche.
I did tolerate, with some enjoyment, the hamburger and cheese pizza available for a time at the old Ambassador Cafe on Main Street. And then ownership changed and pizza was no longer on the menu.
Over the years I have learned to occasionally enjoy pizza at various local establishments, and have even struggled through the frozen variety brought home from the grocery store and cooked on a cookie sheet because the pizza pan has disappeared into the kitchen’s Bermuda triangle.
If the pizza is all-dressed, I pick out the rounds of pepperoni and the peppers, onions, olives and other miscellaneous toppings. Extra cheese is a bonus, and if there is “pineapple,” I definitely want a second slice.
According to recent surveys, the majority of pizza connoisseurs turn their noses up at the idea of pineapple being associated with pizza, considering those pieces of fruit as an affront to the true and traditional concept of a pizza pie.
We should all be patriotically proud of what was originally labelled “Hawaiian pizza” — it started in 1962 in a restaurant in Chatham, Ont. Owner Sam Panopoulos decided to trim a pizza with some canned pineapple he had in his restaurant. He tried it out on staff and customers, with mixed response. Some loved it, others hated it, but the lovers prevailed and now 58 years later pineapple is listed on menus as an accepted pizza topping.
It has always been a puzzle to me that a piece of fruit could cause so much consternation. But I recall the reaction when I admitted to putting crushed pineapple into the coleslaw (to kill the taste of the raw cabbage.) My guests cleaned out the salad bowl, some noting it had an unusual taste, then looking ready to gag when they learned the truth.
Chunks of pineapple go well with a pork and bean and wiener casserole prepared for several hours in the slow cooker. And pineapple added to a homemade chicken soup or stew might be odd but is taste-bud pleasing.
Regardless, 54 per cent of respondents to a recent survey say pineapple does not belong on pizza, 46 per cent of us say it absolutely belongs on there with ham, mushrooms, bacon and extra cheese.
And I know it is gauche, but I still use a knife and fork so none of the pineapple goodness escapes.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
