carbsliftthespirit: (Default)
carbsliftthespirit ([personal profile] carbsliftthespirit) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2023-05-15 09:15 am

Pizza!, Monday, First Period

Raiden continued to be both nervous and excited about this whole 'teaching about pizza' thing, and once his students were assembled this morning, he got right into it with, "So, we're gonna skip over focaccia because it's still not pizza, but I did bring some to snack on while we learn, and then work. And you can see how this is a more direct ancestor of pizza, right? It's a flatbread. You can put stuff on it.

"So pizza got started in Naples. It was working class food, something you'd buy from a pizzeria or even a hawker who'd bought his pizza from a pizzeria. Some places, you could even buy pizza by subscription! You'd pay your fee, and then you could pick up a pizza a day for the next week. Genius. Don't know why we don't have that now. The earliest documented actual pizza comes from the 18th century and it was the pizza marinara, and it didn't have any cheese on it. What it did have was a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and olive oil." So it turned out that Rhode Island pizza was just ultra traditional. Who knew? "Another popular early pizza topping was one that's kind of controversial these days: anchovies. Because it was Naples. They were fishermen. They used what they had. Another option? Lard and basil. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it.

"That brings us to our pizza of the day: the famous pizza margherita. Legend has it this pizza was invented for the queen of Italy in 1889, but that's not...that's not true. People were putting this stuff on pizza way before then, possibly back into the 1700s. It just got its name then, because it never hurts to suck up to royalty, and hey, it does have the colors of the Italian flag!

"For those of you who are unfamiliar with the pizza margherita, it's topped with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella, so red, green, and white. Very simple, very delicious, and now we're gonna make some. You already have the dough--don't worry, we'll get to learning how to make that--so today we're just gonna assemble some pizzas and bake them. And eat them. That's the most important part." He proceeded to talk the students through how to shape the dough and prepare the toppings for a pizza margherita, demonstrating as he went and trying to keep an eye out for anyone having trouble. "And now we're just gonna put them on peels and transfer them to the oven to bake for eight minutes. It's nothing to be intimidated by, but I know that oven's really hot, so if you want me to do it for you, let me know."
anomaly_research_nerd: (glare)

Re: Make Some Pizza!

[personal profile] anomaly_research_nerd 2023-05-15 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
When things were done, Connor got the pizza out of the oven and despite his best attempt not to, he glanced over at Cutter to see how he had faired, though he tried to be quick and as inconspicuous as possible.It was clear Cutter didn't want to talk or anything so he really shouldn't be that concerned about how he was fairing. But it was Cutter, and he just couldn't help himself.
itsananomaly: (tired)

Re: Make Some Pizza!

[personal profile] itsananomaly 2023-05-15 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Cutter took out his pizza, it was burnt slightly and it looked like a mess but compared to previous efforts it wasn't that bad and it was at that moment he looked over to try and make eye contact with Connor.

And part of him was also curious to see what Connor's pizza had ended up looking like as well.
anomaly_research_nerd: (glare)

Re: Make Some Pizza!

[personal profile] anomaly_research_nerd 2023-05-16 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
Eventually, his curiosity won over and Connor chanced another glance at Cutter. The faintest hint of a smile appeared for a second or two. He had at least managed to end up with something edible, it looked like. And it turned out he had been fairly successful too other than some burnt edges and some extra toasted toppings.

It was a lot better than their other attempts at cooking... which made the lump in Connor's throat grow as he thought about those times with Cutter.
itsananomaly: (tired)

Re: Make Some Pizza!

[personal profile] itsananomaly 2023-05-16 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Cutter met Connor's gaze then, seeing that very tiny smile for a moment and he offered a very small one in return.

He was also thinking about their last cooking efforts and he felt a pang of sadness as he thought back to that, he held Connor's gaze for another moment and then he had to look away. He felt tears start to form in his eyes and the last thing he wanted was to break down crying in class.
anomaly_research_nerd: (glare)

Re: Make Some Pizza!

[personal profile] anomaly_research_nerd 2023-05-16 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
Connor pulled his attention away at about the same time, blinking against the burning behind his eyes. He would have gladly blamed it on slicing up onions, but there was not an onion to be seen. So, Connor kept himself busy and distracted until class was finally over.