If there’s one thing from childhood that still brings a smile to my face, it’s pizza night.
Who doesn’t remember the thrill of ordering the BEST, cheesiest pizza from the family’s favorite local place?
My Pizza Backstory
I’m from Chicago, so people assume I love pizza.
They conjecture correctly.
One note, though: a lot of Chicagoans don’t actually order deep dishes very often. Tourists love it. Some people make it a weekly habit, but I don’t know anybody who regularly eats it at home.
We like a thinner New York-style pizza. Jalapeños is optional (but recommended).
That’s My Kind of Real Food!
By ilcarlos
Chicago has had its share of Italian immigration back in the day, and still some today, so Italian food has its own distinct flavor in the suburbs and beyond, especially along corridors near the University of Illinois Chicago (Taylor Street) or in suburbs like Addison, IL.
In fact, my favorite pizza place back home was Pyramid Pizza. I took all my friends there. I hosted a work Christmas party there. My grand bon voyage party, goodbye to all my friends, was there, too. How was I going to survive without my favorite pizza joint?
Looking back, I now know that the journey to living in another country is not without sacrifice.
Many losses are difficult, painful, and personal. This lighthearted perspective simply shows that we can adapt to changes and we can adjust our expectations.
We certainly can seek new favorite pizza places.
My Top Three Favorite Places for Pizza in Riveria Nayarit, Mexico.
Yo Yo Mo’s: This place is a sports bar—green paint and jerseys on the wall and everything. There’s even a Canadian focus on hockey and something like poutine on the menu. It’s certainly international, and yes, the pizza is perfection. It reminds me of Pyramid pizza, so I never feel far from home.
La Negra: This pizza doesn’t remind me much of home, but if I lived anywhere else, I would crave it constantly. La Negra is a place in Bucerías that offers a jungle-themed experience complete with live music, DJs, and the hippest locals in town.
La Rustica: This is my fancy place. The place where I dress up, order wine with the pizza, and insist that their shrimp and avocado are the freshest around. It’s got an Italian influence but is locally owned. Branches in Sayulita and Punta de Mita make it popular with the in-crowd and influencers alike.
Do I Miss Chicago Pizza?
Yes, of course. Nothing beats it for me. It’s the glue that holds together memories of slumber parties with my cousins, college get-togethers, and burning the midnight oil at work.
Mexican pizza hasn’t let me down, though. I have options that transport me back to those warm and gooey pepperoni memories (and some that inspire me to make new ones yet).
That’s what Pizza Night is all about, folks! Have you made sacrifices; are you missing essentials from home where you are? How did you make up for them? Let me know with a comment.
by: Dale Hanstad
