It is Friday, which almost always means pizza at my house. That tradition has been ongoing for at least 25 years. That is a lot of pizza. But that is also a lot of family time and love and memories made.
My oldest son, Andrew, the Yale Divinity School student, and his lovely bride, Lindsey are scraping along like newlyweds usually do, especially when one is a full-time student. A couple of months ago I had the idea to find a pizza delivery shop in New Haven, Connecticut, who would allow me to order the pizza from Ohio, pay for it by credit card on the phone, and have it delivered hot and scrumptiously to Andrew and Lindsey.
I found (with Andrew’s help), an authentic little place. The first few times I called, I had to go through the logistics of ordering from far away; the phone numbers of all parties, the delivery address, the ordering address, the credit card number, etc. Now when I call, the owner answers in his rushed, raspy Italian voice, apparently recognizes my voice, and says “ya, ya, ya, large Margherita pizza to…”
Since they are far from home, we like the idea of having pizza “with” them on a Friday night. It does not happen every Friday night. They often have plans or are in Manhattan for the weekend. But when it works, it is fun.
I have a small book entitled “Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Stuff”. In this book, I found this little nugget about pizza.
According to the staffs at the Domino’s Pizza locations in and around Washington, D.C., if there is a marked increase in the number of late night deliveries to the White House or the Pentagon, it usually signifies that a major news announcement of national importance will follow in 48 to 72 hours.
Here is another fun fact. The record for the most pizzas delivered nationwide in one evening was set on June 17, 1994, as O.J. Simpson fled in his white Ford Bronco down the Los Angeles freeway and Americans couldn’t take their eyes off of their TVs.
In my early fifties, I competed in a pizza-eating contest. I did not win, but I gave an impressive effort. The competition was with high school students. I was the only “old” one, so I did quite well!
Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza a day or about 350 slices per second.
The highest-grossing single-unit independent pizzeria in the nation, Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, is in Anchorage, Alaska. Its annual sales are approximately $6 million.
The pizza at Moose’s Tooth must be pretty darn good. I consider myself quite the connoisseur so I would love to try their’s. I am wondering if they deliver to Ohio…