For our Food For Thought class we had to pick two dishes – one home-made and one purchased – and write a food review comparing them. I chose to review pizza because Chicago is known for it. I learned how to write a food review and about local food options. You can see my review below.
Giordano’s Pizzeria
(29 July 2012)
Chicago is famous for its pizza. If you are ever in Chicago, make sure you go to Giordano’s for its famous pizza. Some people like stuffed pizza. I do not. I like thin crust pizza. When it comes to pizza, I am the man. I love pizza. I even know how to make pizza. My mom and my brother both like to make homemade pizza. Don’t tell my mom this, but I prefer Giordano’s pizza. Last week, I ate Giordano’s cheese pizza and homemade pizza. I will tell you about both of them.
As I devoured the first bite of the Giordano’s pizza, I found that it was warm, cheesy and delicious. It had the perfect amount of cheese and sauce. It gave off a great aroma. It smelled like a warm summer day. The color contrast between the white dough, the red sauce and the yellow cheese was perfect.I wanted to paint a picture of it. The Giordano’s pizza tasted like it was made by a professional. It tasted a little salty, smooth and warm. It was utopic!
My mom’s homemade pizza did not look as pleasing as the the Giordano’s pizza. The dough had a dark tint, unlike the Giordano’s pizza dough, which had a perfect tan tint. The dough was multi-grain dough, and it had little seeds in it. They were crunchy and tasted pungent. I do not like the seeds. The cheese was not as good as the cheese on the Giordano’s pizza. The homemade pizza had too much sauce. The homemade pizza tasted very doughy and cheesy. The proportions were all off. The tomato flavor was pungent. The homemade pizza was in a strange shape and it also did not smell very pleasing.
My mom did not use homemade sauce on her pizza. She bought the pizza sauce at Whole Foods. The label shows that the sauce was made from tomatoes, olive oil, onions and sea salt. The label only listed the ingredients. It did not include vitamins and calories.
The Girodano’s pizza is made from fresh ingredients. It is made fresh at the restaurant. The crust is made from white flour. The homemade pizza is made from all fresh and organic ingredients, and the crust is made from whole grains. The difference in the two kinds of crust shows Pollan’s transformation from whole to refined foods. Homemade foods often use whole grains, but restaurants often serve bread or crust made with white flour. Because of this, people are eating more refined flour and less whole grains.
At Giordano’s, I also noticed that many people eat more than they need. This shows Pollan’s transformation from quality to quantity. At home, people tend to set better limits on the amount of food they eat because they don’t make an endless supply of food. At restaurants, however, waiters serve enormous portions of food. This encourages people to eat more and more. I feel okay about the fact that I liked the Giordano’s pizza better. Just don’t tell my mom!