Grandson discovers taste for pizza

My five-month-old grandson Jacob likes Pizza King pizza.

My daughter had mentioned that she missed Pizza King pizza so on our recent trip to Texas we brought two of them to her. The car still smells like pizza.

A couple days after we left she decided to serve the pizzas and had a "picnic" on the floor. The food was good and so were the kids. She kept hearing Jacob sucking on something and assumed it was his blanket that he usually uses for a pacifier.

When she checked on him she discovered that he had a handful of pizza clutched in his chubby little hands. He had made short work of the toppings and was in the process of slurping the crust when she took it away from him.

He screamed bloody murder at being deprived of his meal. I have heard that baby scream before and he has a strong set of lungs. It's a wonder his whole family isn't deaf.

Granddaughter Emma apparently made it through her supper without incident.

I like Pizza King, but I also like other local pizzas such as Dick's Pizza Palace (my personal favorite for a veggie deep dish) and Pizza Hut. I like Domino's but it doesn't like me.

I still remember my first pizza. I was considerably older than Jacob. In fact my first pizza was on my first date with my first husband. I think it was at Cassano's. The problem was that I wasn't used to spicy food and I was nervous, it being a first date and all. As a result I spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Maybe it was an omen. . .

According to an American Dairy Association random sampling survey, pizza is America's fourth most craved food, behind cheese, chocolate and ice cream. Where are cookies in this survey? Or cookie dough and cake batter; which are two things I frequently crave? Cheese is not something I have ever craved. Have you?

Several sources stated that in America approximately 100 acres of pizza are eaten each day, or 350 slices per second and each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza each year.

I have been to our local Pizza Hut on buffet night and I think this estimate is low. I have seen people pile slices of this delicious food so high that I am amazed that the mountain of goodies doesn't topple while being carried back to the table. Only 46 slices per person per year? Sure ... Maybe we here in Portland make up for the ones who never eat pizza.

I tried to look up the history of pizza and all I could find was conflicting information. One source says cavemen ate a form of pizza. I suppose that if you consider pizza to be a thin, bread-like crust with toppings then it is possible. I don't think it is very probable, though.

When I think of pizza I think of a crust, tomato sauce, cheese and something else. I prefer that something else to be peppers and mushrooms. My husband prefers various combinations of meat.

I am glad I don't live in another country because according to Domino's, some of the more popular toppings are pickled ginger, minced mutton and tofu in India, squid (octopus) and Mayou Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) in Japan, and green peas in Brazil. In Russia, they serve pizza covered with mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. My boss, Jack, is currently in what used to be a part of the former Soviet Union on business. I doubt if he will order pizza while he is there. Thank goodness he can't bring any back for us to sample.

Pepperoni is the favorite topping in the U.S. - it is on 36% of all pizza orders. That sounds much tastier that octopus or peas. I doubt if Jacob would have protested as loudly if it had been pickled ginger on the pizza.

We think of pizza as being Italian but it seems that every place has its own local variations. I have had pizza in Texas and it is good. I have had pizza in Ohio and it is also good. They are all similar and all unique. It is that uniqueness that my daughter wanted. It is why we hauled food clear across the country and why Jacob will remember the taste of his very first pizza, even if he isn't allowed to eat it for another year or two.[[In-content Ad]]