A few thoughts on Family and Pizza

Family, Food and Friends

Why is pizza such a popular food all across the world?  One reason may be that it is the perfect food to share. 

As I was recently writing and posting photos for my Mother’s Day Pizza pictorial, I had to search back through some old photos from a trip I took with my family to Vancouver, BC. I remembered taking some pictures in the Creperie that I was referring to and thought they would be fun to add to the story.  I had started out writing what I thought was a recipe pictorial recap of my Mother’s Day Surprise Pizzas.  My kids were all excited to make mommy breakfast for Mother’s Day.  So, I pulled some dough from the freezer and set the alarm to get up early to get the dough out and start the oven.  It turns out the kids were less interested in the “making” of the breakfast than just being there to eat it.

Whenever I think of a breakfast pizza, I think back to this trip we took to Victoria, BC.  It’s amazing how strong a smell or a taste memory is.  I have many that will trigger not only a memory, but a feeling.  The feeling can be so strong that it seems as if for a moment I have been literally transported through time and space.  I love this experience.  It is far more intense than a dream, although much more fleeting.  But, those moments can bring with them such deep emotion and feelings that make this one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Perhaps this is what our Quest here is all about.  I have written over and over about how I hope to be able to bring our visitors, or viewers (when someone picks this up as a TV show – HINT, HINT) with us on our journey.  And, then give them the tools to take that trip with the visual and temporal memory of our journey and the physical experience that they then create for themselves at home.  My goal has been to set up the transport mechanism where we all strive to bring a little piece of life that is going on somewhere else and experience it right here at home. 

This reminds me of another trip and dinner we went on with the family.  We were visiting my wife’s childhood friend who lives in Orlando, FL.  Shanna’s friend Laura was making us an Italian dinner.  We were all hanging out and it was time for dinner.  The table was set.  We all gathered around – wrangling our young kids to the table.  Laura then proceeded to put away the dishes and pull the table cloth off the table.  What was left was a large formica topped board she had placed over the table.  She then brought over a large bowl of pasta and poured the dish onto the table and then salad and bread followed.  I don’t know if it’s true, but she said this was some sort of traditional Italian dinner from a particular region.  But, what a great, fun way to gather and share a meal!  You just took your portion of everything you wanted and put in on the “table” in front of you.  We still used utensils and napkins.  

Can you beat the real thing – a pizza you had in Naples, or a meal you had on a trip to Paris?  The experience can never be matched at home because of the smells, the tastes, the trip, the people you were with etc.  But, what I think is the most important piece of this puzzle is the people.  As I looked for some photos from the little Creperie in Victoria, I clicked through one after another of my smiling, laughing kids and wife.  I forgot about the breakfast pizza.  That’s sad for Pizza Quest, but great for pizza.  I think this is why this round flat loaf of bread covered with the imagination of the chef, or pizzaialo is such a beloved food.  It is by definition a food we share.  We gather around a table and pull slices from the same plate.  It’s social, it’s fun, it’s limitless.  And, it brings people together, which creates memories.  So, maybe you can beat the real thing by making it real and sharing it with people that you care for. 

I thought I would share a few of my family photos from our trip to Victoria that inspired this trip down memory lane.  I won’t waste your time telling you about the amazing fresh fish, sushi, gelato, freshest of the fresh oysters, gelato, smoked salmon or great gelato that we also found time to share.  Here are a few family photos of the people that made my journey worth it.

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