Wednesday, September 11 2019

When you first think of a pizza, what comes to mind? A hot steamy pizza with buttery crust topped off with fresh tomato spread, cheese, and sizzling pepperoni? Or a fresh out the oven baked pizza topped with crisp vegetables such as crisp sliced red onions, thinly sliced bell peppers and chopped garden fresh spinach. In many cases, people usually would just eat regular, plain ole cheese pizza without any additional-exciting flavors. However, have you ever heard of adding pineapples as a topping? I know it sounds crazy right, but something about adding juicy pineapples is just something you would have to experience. Now recently, this has been a debate on social media on whether pineapples, or just fruit in general even belong on a slice of pizza. In this generation, social media has a very big influence on people's opinions. How can you say you don't like something when you haven't even tried it for yourself? How can someone not enjoy a fresh-out the oven baked pizza topped with crispy butter crust, fresh tomato spread, hot and stretchy cheese and finally topped with freshly cut pineapples? Adding pineapples creates this sweet and tangy flavor that just calls for a self-experience. With this being said, this can really show how you don't "follow the wave" just as everyone else does.

This generation has a habit of following on what other people say or do instead trying things on their own. Pineapple on pizza has been on a little bit of a trending topic this month. Most people on social media such as Instagram, and Twitter say that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza and is disgusting. Almost half of the people who say that haven't even tried it for themselves. Although that may be a case, there are some people who say it does belong on pizza and they have had a great experience with it. You should make your own decisions and don't base your answers off of someone’s experience. Learn to be your own person and make your own opinion instead of just following what other people say.

It all started when I was a kid, and my dad introduced me to putting pineapples on pizza. As being a very picky eater as a child and still being one till this day, surprisingly I loved the different flavors and obviously still love them till this day. Although that is one of the cases why I love this simple dish so much, there is also a deep connection I have with this as well. For African-American males, it's very uncommon for their fathers to be in their life. Just the thought of my father being in my life establishes a deep connection with adding just a simple topping on pizza. I am very thankful to have this man in my life because without him, I wouldn't know what to do.  Another reason why this is so deeply connected is because we have actually created our own pizza, which included pineapples as a topping. Something a lot of people don't know about me is that i really love to cook. But to cook one of my favorite dishes with my father is just a different type of experience. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

"Hey Dad, what are we gonna eat for dinner?"
      
"I don't know son, what do you want to eat?"

 "Can we have some pizza from Pizza Hut?"

 "You got Pizza Hut money?"

  "No" I say.
      
   "Well, I guess we aren't eating pizza then."

At that moment, my mood was very down when he told me that we weren't getting any pizza. However, I thought of a cheaper solution to the problem.
     
 "How about we make our own pizza dad?"
      
"You know what son, that's a great idea because it's not that expensive to make our own."
      
Soon after, that's when we went to the grocery store to get our ingredients which included tomato paste, a hand baked NAAN Garden flatbread as our crust, a pineapple, and fresh mozzarella cheese. With these ingredients, a masterpiece was created.
     
 Once we arrived home, we both immediately started to make our pizza. First we spread olive oil throughout the bread. The olive oil kind of gives that crust a nice rich texture which is very important when making a pizza. Then we got our tomato paste and spread it over the Garden flatbread. Next we got our freshly grated mozzarella cheese and sprinkled over the pizza. After that, we put our juicy, freshly cut pineapples as the last topping of our pizza. Finally we put our pizza in the oven that was preheated to 425 degrees, and let the pizza bake for about 15 minutes. We knew our pizza was ready when the crust looked nice and golden. As I took out my pizza, my mouth was trembling with water, just to take the first bite. Once our pizza was done, both of our eyes were filled with excitement. As I took my first bite, I immediately tasted all of the flavors. The rich crust with just the right amount of crunch to it and the fresh hot cheese melting into my mouth. We can't forget the sweet, tangy flavor the pineapple had which was the most exciting part of the meal. Oh boy, that's just a night to experience and to remember. Not only did I not spend time with my father, but I also got to eat my favorite dish with him. 
      
This generation has a habit of following on what other people say or do instead trying things on their own. Pineapple on pizza has been on a little bit of a trending topic this month. Most people on social media such as Instagram, and Twitter say that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza and is disgusting. Almost half of the people who say that haven't even tried it for themselves. Although that may be a case, there are some people who say it does belong on pizza and they have had a great experience with it. My take on this is that you should make your own decisions and don't base your answers off of someone's experience. Learn to be your own person and make your own opinion instead of just following what other people say.
     
 A simple topping as pineapple has a very huge impact on my life. It’s a strong bond that I have with my father that will forever be in my memory. It is also one of my best experiences while creating my own favorite dish, and for that simple reason is why I love eating a delicious pizza with a pineapple topping.

Feel free to send questions or express comments below.