Week One Favorite Place

     I never traveled  much as a child, so when the opportunity came up for me to move to Chicago for a job I jumped right on it. When I arrived in the big city I was overwhelmed by all the noises, the traffic, and to be honest the people.  After being there for a little over a month my brother in-law caught me eating a Pizza Hut pizza, which in Chicago is blasphemous, so fearing for my own well being and safety he and my sister took me out for what they called "Real Pizza."

 Pizza Uno  in Chicago, Ill from 

Athony92931 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_Chicago_Grill

   

   They took me to the home of the original Chicago style pizza, although there they just call it pizza, Pizzeria Uno. The inside of the place was exactly how you would picture an stereotypical pizza joint to look, from the checkered table clothes to the family pictures on the wall, this place seemed as cheesy (if you don't mind my pun) example of a pizza place as you could find. Still there was an feeling of authenticity about this place, while all these items used to decorate the interior of this place would have seemed like a forced corporate ambiance creation in a Pizza Hut for example, in Pizzeria Uno, the items provided a genuine feeling comfortableness.  

Interior of a Pizzeria Uno from Mangnus Manske http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno_Chicago_Grill

     If you have never been to Chicago then chances are you have no idea of what a real deep dish Chicago style pizza is, and that is a shame. Eating a Chicago pizza is something that in my view should be on everyone's bucket list. If you take the time to actually go to Chicago then you should take the opportunity to in a pizzeria and wait the forty-five minutes for your pizza to be delivered. If the wait seems too long well then just do what I did and order an ice cold beer (I had a Fat Tire beer). 

Personal Picture of Me from a trip to Chicago in 2011

     While I was waiting for the Pizza I looked around and began to notice people talking to each other. This may not seem like an uncommon observation to most people, but since I had arrived in Chicago all I had noticed was people talking at each other rather than engaging in actual conversations that help to form connections between people. Being from Oklahoma, I am used to perfect strangers smiling at you with you pass by, waving at you on the road when they see you, or having conversations with perfect stranger, yet in Chicago I had been starved of these types of interactions. It was not that people were rude, it is more that they did not have time, like they were always in a hurry. However here in the pizzeria there were conversations happening at every table, and between tables. At my table some from another table over heard my accent and asked me where I was from, when I told him I was from Oklahoma this started a series of questions from the person, which in turn allowed me to ask some questions of my own. I found out where the best place to get a hot dog was, what an Italian Beef Sandwich was, and that the person had family from Oklahoma. I did not feel so much like an outsider to Chicago. Then the pizza was delivered.  

    I still do not posses the words to properly describe a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza other than to say it is like two angels came down from heaven and blessed my taste buds. This is truly a case in which a picture is the best way to describe the Pizza.

Personal Picture of a Chicago Deep Dish from a trip to Chicago in 2011

    I have always loved food, but most importantly I have always loved the way sitting down and having a great beer and an amazing meal can bring strangers together. This is the reason why this is one of my favorite places because it was the first time I didn't miss Oklahoma in over a month.