Ordering 'Salad' from the local pizza place

The other day I had worked late at school and on my way home I noticed that one of the pizza places that I have stopped at often was open.   So, I stopped and ordered a pizza.    While looking though the numerous pizza choices- I noticed that they also offered a few salad choices.   I don't know why I had never noticed the salad option before- but, I decided to also order a salad thinking that leftovers from both would be great to take to school for a couple of days.  
While waiting, someone I know, who happens to live in the area, came into the pizza place and we were talking while I was waiting on my order.

Pretty soon... I notice that in the brick pizza oven is a huge dough ball puffed up like a balloon.   The pizza guy turns and flips this huge round pizza balloon about in the oven- I pointed it out to my friends and we laughed at the unusual sight.

Soon, it was time for my order to be ready.   I was presented with 2 pizza boxes.   The guy pointed to one box and said,  "salad" and of course the box contained my pizza.  I paid, said my goodbyes and drove home.

I grabbed a plate and my pizza cutter.  I opened the pizza box and cut a couple of slices of pizza and placed them on the plate.  I set out my olive oil from the 'first pressing' of the olives festival that I attended last fall and my balsamic vinegar to add to my salad.

 Then, I opened the other box.   Apparently, the dough balloon puffball was MY ORDER!  I thought ... "there must be a mistake?"   Maybe, he gave me the wrong order after all he did have a couple of things cooking from phone orders when I walked in?

I cut it open and I realized immediately that it was indeed my SALAD order.

This was puffed up about 10 inches high-- just like a soccer ball.

So, I cut a 'salad slice' and drizzled it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and had a great meal.

So, there you go... salad as only an Italian pizza place could make it, right? 

Monday... (not rainy at least not right now)

I cancelled my physical therapy session today after school- or at least I had the school secretary call and cancel for me.  I don't know enough Italian to be able to cancel anything on the phone.   I stayed at school and worked until after 6pm.  I got there about 6:30am this morning.   Yes, a long day it was.   I had a lot of things to do at school.   When you teach second graders there is very little that you can do while the students are in the classroom.   I decided that since it was after 6pm- that I would stop at one of the really good pizza places, that I haven't been to since my return from the states, on my way home.   MONDAY = CLOSED  = NO PIZZA

NO PIZZA   I am sad.  I really wanted the one with the great HAM that he had made for me once before.  I knew that I could find it on the menu- even if there are over 70 different types of pizzas on the menu.

Mama mia... it's a Pizza Pie...

Fresh, cooked in a brick pizza oven pizza.... I have:  an amazing ham (not sure which specific type of ham this was- but, it was far better than your average ham), spicy sausages and artichokes.  YUMMY!

The other day was another one of those LONG days at work. I'd stayed until after 6pm and as I was driving home, I decided to stop and get a pizza.   I can read about 50% of the food items on menus... The pizza places here have 70 or more different types of pizzas.  So, I read though and decided on this pizza.  It also had mushrooms as one of the ingredients- but, while I like mushrooms- I wasn't in the mood for them and truthfully, I sometimes PICK them off my pizza anyway.

When they delivered my pizza to the counter... they opened it up with a flourish and I almost laughed out loud- not because of the way that my pizza was 'arranged' but... it reminded me of the first meal that I had in Italy... the first time that I lived in Italy (this is the 3rd time that I've been here and  in the 3rd place).

I had just gotten to the hotel from the airport and since...
I had arrived on a weekend and I didn't know anyone nor did anyone from work pick me up at the airport- I had ridden a bus to our little town from the airport.  I walked from my hotel to the center of the little town where I was... looking for a place to get something to eat.  While walking about; I ran across 3 military guys who were there TDY (the military version of a business trip) and when they saw me they asked me if I knew of a place to get something to eat- that they'd just arrived and were out looking for something to eat.  I told them that I was doing the same thing.. so, we looked around at the town square (not a restaurant in sight- but, gelato was sold).   I finally saw a sign, down this narrow street, barely protruding from the stone wall of this at least 500 year old building.   The road was barely big enough for us to walk 'two abreast.'   Apparently when this building was built-- you didn't need to build roads very wide for horses and walkers. 


The name of the place??
The HOLE IN THE WALL!   So, we shrugged and agreed to give it a try... after all, nothing else was around and we were hungry.

We went into the place and since it was August, they had outdoor seating; as almost every place in Italy does.  So, we sat down... and the menus were produced.  Of course, none of us could read Italian...

We all opted to order different pizzas so that we could share 'in case' one was really bad- but, we figured 'hey, it's pizza...and we are in Italy how bad can it be?'

All of our pizzas arrived and everyone of them... had their ingredients... arranged in blobs covering the top of the pizza.  A blob of ham, a blob of onions, a blob of olives, a blob of ................   Just a pile of each ingredient.  None of the ingredients dared to touch, and nothing was even spread out in the blobs.  We figured it was made by one of those people that didn't want their FOOD TOUCHING!   AND by golly he was going to help the customers see the VALUE in 'no food touching!'

We laughed so much and this continued through the entire meal.  One guy had gotten some sort of pizza that had at least 6 different ingredients and sure enough... every ingredient had it's own little "King of the Hill" action going on top of the cheese!  

So, this pizza when they opened it up... and I saw the divided little sections... it brought back that memory of my first Italian meal when I first moved to Italy. 

At least my pizza has the ingredients spread out in the quadrants?  Well, in the 'tri' areas since I opted not to get the mushrooms.

The box doesn't show this... but, this is a one person serving.   The pizza, when you sit down to eat it in the restaurants, is so big that it falls off your huge dinner plate (a pizza plate really), it is served 'un-cut', and the price?  I paid $5.50 for that pizza and it will feed me 3 meals.

Pizza here is so good that the first time that I lived in Italy... and when I moved???  I refused to eat any pizza for a year.  I just wish that everyone could have a chance to eat pizza as it was meant to be eaten... after all... they did invent pizza here and they know how to do it!!