I eat a lot of pizza. It is absolutely my favorite food. My mom had never even heard of it until she was 17 years old and dating my father, a 1st generation Italian-American who probably thought everyone ate pizza growing up. Everyone but her, apparently. The way my mom always told the story, my father described pizza to her as "a pie with tomato sauce and cheese," but because she had been born and raised in Atlanta, the word "pie" made her think of pecan pie. So she imagined pizza not as we know it, but as a pie crust overflowing with tomato sauce and topped with cheese. Not the most appetizing visual. Fortunately for me, she tried the real thing, loved it, married my father, and ended up making pizza once a week throughout my childhood. Read more.