Peter’s Blog, August 8th — Alright, Controversy!!
I’m packing and getting ready for the big book launch over the next two weeks in SF and the Bay Area, so will keep this short. The schedule is listed below in my previous Peter’s Blog, if any of you can make it to any of the classes or book signings. There are still a few seats left for the classes but you’ll have to call the venues for more info.
But this week I think we’re going to have to address the controversy that emerged in the Comments section of my last posting, thanks to someone named Scott007 and a few other voices, including another Scott — Scott123. It’s actually kind of exciting — apparently, I’ve pissed a few people off and am not sure why but would sure like to find out what I did (if you aren’t up to speed, please check out the Comments thread in the recent Peter’s Blog — last time I checked there were 14 comments). So, what I’d like to do is open up the discussion here on this posting, via a new Comments section, the one on this posting, and ask any and all of you to chime in. If I’ve trashed NY pizza culture, as Scott123 accuses, or passed on misinformation about pizza methodology or dough science, let’s get it all on the table so we can clear it up. Scott(s), how about getting specific and make your case — I hear that 123 is a well respected pizza authority so maybe I have something to learn from you. None of us have a monopoly on the whole truth and Pizza Quest was created to be a forum for the sharing of our mutual pizza journeys and celebration of artisanship. I’m open to learn from you but also would like to know the actual specifics of where you think I went wrong, rather than generalized attacks. The only rule for this discussion is civility — I reserve the right to edit out ad hominum attacks, unnecessary language, and nasty language. But differences of opinion — sure, I’m okay with that. So, for those who want to play along, go ahead and express yourselves — but let’s do it respectfully, please.
I won’t be posting another Peter’s Blog till I return at the end of the month, but will try to join in the Comments section from the road if my i-Pad and local WiFi will allow it. In the meantime, let’s get to the heart of it — we’re on a search for the truth (or, perhaps, truths). Let the discussion begin….
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Pappy – that’s fascinating stuff re: Bromated flour. I wonder how easy it would be for non-US folks to legally obtain said flour though. While I don’t think King Arthur flour is necessarily the best flour by any stretch of the imagination, I have seen it for sale in many diff. countries.
Did I say tomorrow? 🙂 Peter, you completely knocked the wind out of my sails with your unbelievably kind words. How was I going to find the anger to compose this if all I could muster was a feeling of warmth and fuzziness? Crikey, why do you have to be such a nice guy? 😆 That’s a tremendous compliment, as I do aspire towards being ‘Bourdainian,’ and, for that matter, Trillinian, Steingartenian and Reinhartian. These are all people that I look up to- I would kill for a 10th of any of your writing abilities.
At this point, I’d like to shake your hand, share a slice, maybe one of my own slices (lots of love has gone into these 😉 ) and talk pizza, but… alas, I’ve made allegations that misinformation was spread, that culture was damaged, so I can’t back away from this. So, without further ado…. Here goes.
Hari Reinhart Hari Krishna
With the massive popularity of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice (BBA), you established yourself as more than just a guy that loves bread and posts a few recipes. You established yourself as a baking guru. A teacher’s teacher. If American Pie was just the highly entertaining musings of a pizza loving adventurer, which I think the expository portion of the book plays out, in a large part, to be, then I would be your biggest cheerleader. Travel the world, eat lots of pizza, write about it in your indubitable style – that’s a book worth celebrating. But, combine the previously attained guru status and a recipe section and you’ve got something with immense, culture defining, home pizza maker influencing power.
“With great power comes great responsibility” Voltaire (and Uncle Ben in the comic Spiderman).
If you’re writing a book that will not only be read by hundreds of thousands of people, but will also, for most of these readers, define a national cultural treasure, you have an obligation to do your homework.
The word of the day is ‘expectations.’ You’re going to hear me mention this quite a lot in this tome, because it’s the fuel that feeds my fire. When I cracked open American Pie, I fully expected it to do for pizza what BBA did for bread. We’re those expectations lofty? Absolutely. Were they unrealistic? Maybe. But BBA set a precedent. It’s impossible to observe American Pie without a BBA lens.
With Friends like These
When you were in Paris researching BBA, did you spend a lot of time at the Louvre? How about the Eiffel Tower? You weren’t a tourist, Peter. In no way did BBA define you as a beaten path kind of guy. Your trip to NY, though, was textbook obvious. If you could have found Gosselin, you could have stumbled across Michele Tomo.
From American Pie:
“The Ray’s on Eighth Avenue, between Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth, had a better crust than either the Ray’s on Seventh Avenue or the one on Broadway, but my sense was that this is a day-to-day thing, based on the skill of the pizza maker at work. All the pizzas could be labeled as “in the Ray’s mode,” and anyone in need of a quick slice—except Joel, Howie, and Quinn, of course—should feel confident that his or her craving would be adequately sated by a stop in any Ray’s.”
Just stick the knife in my back! 😆 As far as I’m concerned, this statement is analogous to Pete Rose betting on baseball. When the time comes to vote you into the Pizza Hall of Fame, this is the evidence I will be presenting. I know all your NY buddies gave you dirty looks for thinking about going to midtown Rays, but if they didn’t physically restrain you, they deserved to be walked to the Hudson and sent adrift in a boat.