IT is agreed upon by doctors, dieticians, and the general public that the choices we make in what we eat have a huge impact on the quality of our life. We must then realise that the next time we go out to eat, we must give the following non-trivial question enough thought and make an informed decision:
Do we eat deep dish pizza or thin crust?
It is a dilemma I am faced with almost three times a week. I will try and provide an impartial analysis here for the benefit of the food-loving reader.
Fill Factor: Remember those times when your stomach was growling like an unhappy beast and all you wanted to do was grab the food off other people's tables? The deep dish(or thick crust, if you like) is the undoubted saviour in these situations. The sheer volume of the crust sinks in and fills that huge emptiness inside that is the cause of pre-meal sorrow. The thin crust falls way short of the mark. It is gobbled up like a snack and half an hour we are back in the hungry zone again. Unless of course, you have lots of other stuff on the side, but that brings in the cost factor which I will get to later.
Topping Factor: It could be in part due to my poor eating skills, but I have noticed that my favourite toppings slide off the thin crust way too easily. To savour the topping, be it the tomato, the capsicum (ok..ok..bell pepper), or mushroom, it should be given the space and stabillity to impart its taste to our taste buds. The thin crust does not offer this kind solidity. The deep dish on the other hand, is like a solid platform where the toppings showcase their brilliance.
Crunch Factor: This post now seems to be slaughtering the poor fragile thin crust, so here is one point clearly in its favour. Quite often, pizza is not about filling empty spaces in the stomach, it is also about a food with a touch of class. The well made crunchy thin crust is all about class, especially if enjoy the "crunchiness". It is great for a heavy snack or a light meal, and if you add a nice side and some lemonade, hard wood floored cafe in some nice surroundings, the spohistication of the thin crust leaves the rather industrial deep dish well behind.
Beer Factor: I am no beer guzzler, but I do enjoy the occasional beer with my meal. In this regard, the deep dish is a much better companion for that chilled, bitter liquid than the thincrust. It is hard to describe why, but its just first hand experience that tells me deep dish and beer go hand in hand. As mentioned earlier, the thin crust would beat the deep dish for a lemonade, some fruit jiuce, a coke, or maybe some sort of wine (I think I am getting beyond myself here) .
Cost Factor: Now we all value our value for money. If you are a poor graduate student and looking to hit the highest point on the utility v/s cost curve, then hit the deep dish. It is filling and can make a badly chosen or cheap topping go unnoticed. Having said that, there are obviously times when we want to be a bit more sophisticated (a first date, perhaps :)), and the thin crust is the right choice for these moments.
These are just a few of the things that determine our dining experience. So the next time you are "just going out for pizza", remember there is indeed a need to stop and think about the smaller but more important details in life. You will thank yourself for it!
