Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Swing State Pizza
My new favorite website is Brandwatch, which I know is a business and trying to get companies to pay for their research, but a lot of the fun stuff is free. Essentially, they monitor social media so you don’t have to. And they find out stuff.
Stuff about pizza.
Which states prefer to load their bases with bacon? Which prefer peppers? And which like to pile their pizzas with pepperoni?
By only analyzing conversation that contained intent – e.g. ‘I want’ or ‘I need’ – the data more accurately reflects pizza preferences rather than general interest.
Pepperoni led conversation in the majority of states, while Hawaii are deserving of their pizza name sake (the Hawaiian) with pineapple being the state’s topping of choice.
Here’s the map. Notice, for instance, that a simple preference for pepperoni covers the major swing states:
Note, too, that Florida seems insanely — though that’s no surprise — alone in its preference for mushrooms. This is something for non-Rubio and non-Bush candidates to keep in mind. (I’m assuming that Rubio and Bush know this already.) Delaware also likes mushrooms but Delaware doesn’t count. It’s going to go for Biden/Warren ’16 and we all know that already.
Hawaii and pineapple I understand. Wisconsin and Tennessee have no excuse. Pineapple does not belong on a pizza under any circumstances possible on the lower 48. (This is not up for debate, by the way. Please do not attempt to debate this in the comments. It is not a matter of preference. Pineapple on pizza is wrong.)
Gender gap issues exist in pizza as in politics:
Again, to reiterate: Pineapple is wrong.
But notice the safe cluster in the mid-range. Look for candidates to embrace the steak and pepperoni options. Look for Hillary Clinton to ostentatiously dig into a peppers and bacon pizza (she needs men) and for one of the Republican hopefuls to go for olives and chicken.
And look for Trump to say the hell with it and order a calzone.
Published in Culture
BTW, I guess I’ll be the odd man out and say I’ve enjoyed Dominoes pizza the last couple of times I had it. I remember that when I was a kid their pizza did indeed taste like cardboard. But some years ago they tried to improve their brand and I didn’t think their pizza was bad when I tried it again in college.
Sounds like they swapped green peppers for broccoli in the Japanese version…so there it’s just…green pepper pizza?
Since my two usual priorities when it comes to pizza are cheap and fast, the breakdown of my pizza purchases is probably about 70% frozen, 20% Little Caesar’s, 10% everything else.
When it comes to toppings, all I need is cheese, pepperoni, more cheese, possibly some onions, and more cheese.
Sure, you can pile on a bunch of other stuff, but at some point, it is no longer a pizza. Although as I understand it, everything discussed so far is not a pizza under the original definition of the product.
Neither Domino’s nor Little Caesar’s qualify as Pizza. Although it is named after him, even The Donald doesn’t like Little Caesar’s.
What’s really going unnoticed here is that with all the hand-wringing about the state of the world, ISIS, a nuclear Iran, and a national US “leadership” that spends more time hiding from subpoenas than it does doing something that even remotely looks like “leadership”, we still have both the time and inclination to discuss verboten subjects like pineapple on pizza.
Which means, of course, that freedom is winning. Sorry, ISIS; I guess burning people alive has only a limited appeal. We’re crazy like that.
Did you know that pineapple on pizza is the reason they put Hawaii way over there? It’s true.
I live in TN but I agree that Pineapple is an abomination on pizza. Shameful!
My question for those who like pineapple on pizza:
Why do you hate America?
Umm, Ah. Well. {Walks away from keyboard muttering, “Nah, its too easy.”}
If I don’t have pineapple on pizza how am I suppose to get my kids to eat any fruits and vegetables? :)
Fred, you have to read Adam Corolla’s tirade on pizza in his classic “In 50 Years We’ll All Be Chicks”. Mandatory reading for men.
“I’ve never had a mushroom pizza or a black olive pizza or a sausage and onion pizza and announced, “Somethings missing. I know what it is, it’s poached salmon.”….what is with our endless obsession with changing things that shouldn’t be messed with? There’s nothing less broken on this planet than pizza. If you don’t like a good sausage-and-onion pizza or Canadian bacon and olive pizza, then you don’t COC like pizza and you should get the COC away from MY pizza.”
“I would rather stand in the orchestra pit for two thousand straight showings of Puppetry of the Penis than eat a pizza with goat cheese.”
Adam has a way with words…..
I’ve lived in Tennessee the last 25 years and never seen, let alone had pineapple on pizza. Makes me wonder if there was a data collection error.
I was in one of the many Pizza shops here in Pittsburgh’s little Italy ordering a pie for my buddies and I. I called them up to ask for toppings. One said pineapple. My response…”You’ll have to order that on your own and eat it in the alley behind my house. I won’t have that garbage in my house”. The entire staff in the joint busted out laughing and gave me my pizza for free.
After skimming through the comments, I noted something missing. It is a famous line from a movie and I am surprised that Mr. Long failed to note it.
FOOD FIGHT!!
And I doubt the Left will. Dominos is prole pizza, not artisanal. Besides, they used to be associated with Catholic leanings and the Left never forgives.
OK, I need to head to Frank Pepe’s for lunch.
I’m going across the street to protest my Dominos. Who’s in?
Let me know soon so I can order enough pizza for everyone.
Stuff it, Long. Your credibility on pizza is nil since you link to a story that somehow equates Domino’s with real pizza.
Give me a pizza with sliced sweet Italian sausage, onions, and thin slices of pineapple and a thick bed of cheese and I’m a happy man. Maybe add some banana peppers and thick slices of pepperoni too.
Oh heavens, is it lunchtime yet?
I tried that place. I think it was really overrated.
Agreed. I live in Chicago, and Dominoes, Little Ceasars’s, and Pizza Hut are not pizza even while they have their place in terms of cost, speed, and even taste. Just like Taco Bell, while good as itself, isn’t Mexican food.
I think it needs to be disclosed that you are a total pizza snob.
Is stuffed pizza real pizza?
Oh yeah. I didn’t realize I needed to disclose it. I thought it was just implied.
Here’s a map:
See that little triangle about where you think Albany should be? That’s not Albany County, it’s actually Schenectady County, where I live.
That’s how many Italians live here. We have tons of Irish, tons of Poles, tons of every possible ethnicity, but the largest ancestry here is Italians.
So yeah, I’m a snob when it comes to pizza. I’m also a snob when it comes to Italian food, including Italian takeout.
I’ll have to ponder that one. I could think, yes.
Does it feel good? Do it! Uh, er, does it taste good? Eat it! Who needs principles anyway?
“Italian takeout?” Is that a euphemism for a mob hit?
Pizza strikes me as the ultimate compromise food. Sure, it’s possible to order one just for yourself, but usually when I think “pizza”, I think of a group of people ordering food to share. In which case it pays to be content with something other than exactly what you would have wanted if the decision were all up to you.
I know people who like stuffed pizza and people who hate it, people who like pineapple on pizza and people who don’t. While it would never occur to me to put pineapple on pizza, I’m not sure I find pineapple any worse than green pepper (green bell pepper on anything is a little disappointing because it could have been some other kind of pepper but isn’t) or those really bland black olive rings. I have relatives who love the pineapple thing – and also these floppy bits of ham which call themselves “Canadian bacon” but aren’t. So sometimes I eat pineapple on pizza. With a little imagination, it’s overlookable.
Sometimes I like anchovies on pizza, but it seems rude to put those on if there’s even one adult eating the pizza who doesn’t like anchovies (children are expected to try new foods just because the adults say so, so their whims count less).
Only in Schenectady does a guy carrying a plastic Thank You, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you bag snobbishly look down on the guy carrying a HAVE A NICE DAY! smiley face bag.
I wonder how often the following occurs?
1. Someone knows what they like to eat.
2. They read on Ricochet that everyone thinks it is terrible.
3. The first person no longer eats what they formerly liked because other people disparage it.
I’m guessing approximately never. Someone who has never eaten a certain thing might try the new thing because of the recommendations of others. But if someone likes a chain-store pizza, they aren’t going to swear off pizza until they go to New York.
Release the pineapple kraken!