Pizza, wings, wine AND sex. Great first night!

Yep, we were fortunate, we drove through 8 countries in Europe in the late 60's. I'll never forget spending 5 days on the Costa Brava (Spain) in a sleepy little fishing village (well it was then), of Sant Feliu De Guixois.

Yep, the hotel room was right on the beach and it costs us $2.67 per night and we had our own bathroom and the price included a bottle of wine and a light breakfast.


humfrz

Sooooo....which cost more....the fuel to drive through eight countries or that hotel room? Sounds like good times! :)

I don't think that I'm a pizza snob. I love all kinds, a lot, but stray too far away from the source and that specific style done just right becomes practically impossible to find. I don't know why.

Yes, the price if gas was a consideration. However, since we traveled quite a bit, and my fellow soldiers didn't, I would scrounge up their EES (European Exchange Service) allotted gas stamps. That way, with my VW beetle and the cost of EES gas at 23 cents per gallon, it was relatively economical.

Those few times where the locals either didn't know what the gas stamps were or wouldn't accept them (like in France), I would carry an extra 40 liter container of gas in the bugs trunk for emergencies.

Yep, good times - :)


humfrz

when i was a kid, the neighbors had a vw beetle parked in their yard, the parents college car or something that they couldn't bear to part with, so as kids we played in it.

it was one of the models with the hose coming off the spare tire in the trunk. somehow the neighbor boy convinced me that beetles motor ran off the air contained within the tire-- it still used gas like any other car of course, but the air intake for the motor was connected to that spare tire. it seemed rational at the time, though i never fully understood what would happen when one had a flat and had to use the spare tire that was supplying air to the motor.

the reality of the spare tire running the washer nozzles is no less odd though!

The verdict I have read is the secret is in the New York water. Maybe it's the fluoride?
Anyway, there are many styles of pizza but I have found when you are hungry and broke, the $1 slice places taste great.
My favorite was a brick oven place named Patricia's but it disappeared, I'm pretty sure it was a front but the pizza was amazing. I still miss it :(

My wife says I'm a pizza snob.

Oddly enough, the second best pizza I've had is here in PA. Beats quite a bit of NY pizza.

One thing I've noticed about California Italian food in particular is that the tomato sauces are always quite a bit sweeter than in the Northeast. I guess different regions have different flavors of the ingredients, likely because they are used in some other regional dishes and thought to be close enough.

I still wonder about that though, with global shipping options as they are, why can't new york or chicago pizza taste the same in california as in italy?

And why do all chain pizza places always taste worse than ma and pa places?

I think regional tastes and the availability of ingredients plays some part in that. Half the planet would probably be completely disgusted by a MacDonald's burger with processed cheese product, pickles, catsup and mustard. I've noticed a huge range of cheese preferences, even locally. And crusts are different everywhere. I'm personally not a fan of crusts made with corn meal.

My wife is one of those people who likes a sweeter red sauce, almost like a marinara dipping sauce. When I make red sauce at home I like to brown finely chopped onions and carrots first, then I'll deglaze the pan with mushroom broth, then add ground pork and/or hamburger and/or cooked bacon, cook it all down and brown it again, deglaze the pan again, add finely chopped mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, pesto sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper, herbs Provence, anchovy, capers, and salt. Then simmer for at least two hours until it's nice and thick. The exact ingredients are almost never the same twice but the goal is always to try and balance those sweet/spicy/salty flavors. We usually just eat it with crusty bread or pasta. It's not in any way authentic and I'm sure many people would be turned off by it, but that's the way my wife likes it so that's the way I make it. :)

So, the neighbor kid convinced you the car was "supercharged"?

WOW! Any other stories you dare relate about the neighbor boy pulling your leg?- :eyebulge:

humfrz

This. I lived in Brazil for a period of time and never got used to the meats. It was way too salty for my palate. The best steak I had was from a chain restaurant in Rio.