A parent in New York has a few special responsibilities. You’ve got know how the bus routes and subway maps mesh with the best playgrounds. You’ve got to steer your kid away from the Mets. You’ve got to try to protect the downstairs neighbors from the all-hours demolition derby going on in the living room.
And you should teach them about pizza.
For my son’s fourth birthday he asked for Domino’s Pizza for dinner. I’m not quite sure how he got to this point. We have a decent pizza jernt in the neighborhood, but it’s not a paragon. And it’s a little slow.
One day when we needed pizza to arrive instantly, we called up the local Domino’s. It’s been a steady progression towards the “pizza with the sand on the bottom” from there.
I know I’ve let him down in some hardboiled fashion, but really, is being a pizza snob such a great legacy to impart? Or maybe Domino’s is a phase you have to go through in order to finally arrive at the proper level of snobbery in adulthood? I can remember in my early teens thinking that it didn’t get much better than Pizzeria Uno. And though I grew up in New Jersey, I was lucky enough to have two exemplary pizza parlors in my tiny town.
Of all the things that I thought I’d be vigiliant about as a parent, I did not anticipate any pizza problems. But now that I watch him enjoy Domino’s so thoroughly, I’m not going to try to push him in any other direction.
When he comes to me in twenty years and asks “How could you?” I’ll just show him a picture from his fourth birthday dinner and hopefully he’ll understand.
haha jon - hmm, can i be judgmental about this?
i'll say this - i grew up in alabama where the main pizza choices were dominos, pizza hut, little ceasars, papa johns, mr. gattis, and godfathers (and you'd only eat godfathers if you were addicted to something).
so when i visited and then moved to nyc i realized that pizza crust doesn't have to be as thick as a pair of nikes. nor does it have to be rubbery. and the cheese and sauce can actually be fresh and have some taste to it.
so i have never understood how when presented with the choice of a nice slice from a decent pizza joint (much less a really good one), anyone would choose the big chains.
however, i do understand the price, convenience appeal - so don't get at me for being too big a pizza snob :}
I used to eat Domino's a lot in college, because they were the only place that would deliver to our dorms. It was just awful, terrible pizza, but we ate it anyway.
But I must say that the new formula they recently put in place is much tastier than the old one. Still not great, but not bad, either.
[2] That's exactly where I was going. In college, when you're close to broke and you want pizza, you eat crap pizza because you can afford it, and because someone will bring it to you. He was going to eat (and possibly somewhat enjoy) Domino's anyway, might as well get it out of the way now.
Being able to eat crappy pizza and not complain about the tasteless sauce or the cardboard crust is a good life skill to have. You never know when he might have to do it.
Grandpa George's pizza was thin with onions, fresh garlic and anchovies. He taught me how to fold it just as carefully as the New York Times on the subway. I'll remember the smell of that pie and look forward to the day when I have the gumption to order it myself.
As for my two little daughters, soon 3 and 5, they know good pizza. They're from New York, eh!
[1] there was a weird greek pizza place in jacksonville, alabama that was actually, dare i say...good! i used to eat there when i played at brother's. i was more than a bit timorous at first, but it was alright.
[2] we had gumby's (dammit!) in college.
i'm all about being a ny pizza snob! : )
[3] this is about my take on it. i became a pizza snob in my 20s. but my pre-20s experience allows me to tolerate, even to enjoy at times, crappy pizza.
I can tolerate crappy pizza sometimes. But when I'm in NYC, I feel strongly about at least finding a representative slice. Though I'm sure if I had kids, I'd know that compromising is part of what you gotta do.
Lucas wanted Dora underwear when he was three. They were pink. No big deal, but I knew he wanted them because he saw her on tv. He also saw Diego, so I pointed those out. He opted for the Diego in Blue.
I felt a little strange. Doesn't matter what color underwear a 3 year old wears. If pink was really the color for him, I wouldn't have minded. But he didn't care much, was going for something familiar so I nudge him into the socially acceptable choice.
When he asked me about getting the Papa Johns pie from our neighborhood, I nudged him again. He was older, maybe 6. He could understand a little more. I said, we eat the pie from Grandpas. It's local. We like to give our money to the local guy. We know them. We like them. They make good Za.
Pizza and underwear. Small kids, small problems. I say, there's a fine line between good and bad parenting. Either way, I'm starting the therapy fund in lieu of the college fund.
If he ever moves away from NY, he's going to be eating crap pizza. I guess this way you're just toughening him up. But still, if I were anywhere near NY, I'd be eating the local stuff.
Maybe the most difficult parental decision I can imagine. We're very perpplexed here too as the only "New York Style" pizza available is from a Sbarro shop and the new Domino's "Brooklyn Style" pizza. Should I intorduce the Jazz Kids by saying this is a pale imitation? Or let them wait to have the real thing on our next visit?
As bad as Dominos is, at least he didn't beg for Chuck E. Cheese's... ((shudder))
[10] Dude, try Napoli. They deliver to our neighborhood, must be another close to you. I met an chick from Italy the other night and she said it was the best "Italian style" pizza she's found in Tokyo.
And of course, there's Pizza Salvatore. Excellent pies...but you said it's not NY style.