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America's 25 Best Pizzas


hungry prof

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Saying Maryland was or is a "Southern" state is a bit of a stretch. It was a slave state in 1861 but abolished slavery during the civil war, and in any case was never a "plantation" state in the mold of those south of the Blue Ridge. Most importantly by far, it stayed in the union, and most folks equate "south" with "confederate," rightly in my mind. There are some cultural similarities in places, but you can say that about parts of Indiana and Ohio, or even parts of upstate New York I suppose.

Personally I wouldn't think of Maryland, or any part of the South, as a pizza hotbed, but in this day of easy migration and blending, anything can happen.

Actually, Maryland's status as a Union state was sufficiently shaky that Lincoln sent troops to Baltimore to forestall a growing secessionist movement. This event is commemorated, not favorably, in state song "Maryland My Maryland,"

The despot's heel is on thy shore,

Maryland!*

His torch is at thy temple door,

Maryland!

Avenge the patriotic gore

That flecked the streets of Baltimore,

And be the battle queen of yore,

Maryland! My Maryland!

And while Bodymore, with its port and heavy industry is pretty Yankee, you don't have to spend a lot of time south of Waldorf or east of Bowie of know that a good chunk of Maryland feels a lot like Dixie. "Just like I pitured it...plantations and everything."

Also, whole state is south of the Mason Dixon Line, which makes it southern almost by definition,

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Actually, Maryland's status as a Union state was sufficiently shaky that Lincoln sent troops to Baltimore to forestall a growing secessionist movement. This event is commemorated, not favorably, in state song "Maryland My Maryland,"

...a change in whose lyrics comes up periodically as a bill in the State House, although it hasn't passed yet. Sigh.

But none of this has much to do with pizza. I suppose one could argue that just as we're North of the sweet tea line, we qualify as part of a "pizza South": a vast swath of the country which sadly lacks an established pizza tradition...so far.

How's that project coming along, pizza man?

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Really, New York City residents divide the US of A into three regions: NYC, fly over country,, and California. When they say "South", they mean: Staten Island, the Pine Barrens, and various other scrub land designed to keep Miami from clogging the Hudson River. Magazine editors earn their keep by finding ways around the phrase "fly over country" , because it is a little ... pejorative. Even recognizing New Haven must have been painful, because Connecticut is full of ... .well, uninteresting people who could'nt make it in the big city.

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Double post, sorry.

You know.. I noticed the title of the thread has changed. When I started this I included Slice Blog because of Mr. Levine's involvement.

It's important because he actually knows something about pizza, and is considered an authority on the subject.

Don, maybe you could throw his name up there and give credit where it's due.

;)

edit* I find this line from the Pizzeria Mozza bit especially humorous, "..And when that base is topped with one of the inventive combinations of ingredients (the pizza with peppers, olives and oregano is especially good), you can’t go wrong."

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You know.. I noticed the title of the thread has changed. When I started this I included Slice Blog because of Mr. Levine's involvement.

It's important because he actually knows something about pizza, and is considered an authority on the subject.

Sorry, that was my fault. I've put it approximately back, to give credit where it is due. Interestingly, 2Amys never went head-to-head with Mia's, having been knocked out of the second round by a joint in San Antonio.

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And while Bodymore, with its port and heavy industry is pretty Yankee, you don't have to spend a lot of time south of Waldorf or east of Bowie of know that a good chunk of Maryland feels a lot like Dixie. "Just like I pitured it...plantations and everything."

Also, whole state is south of the Mason Dixon Line, which makes it southern almost by definition,

Not to belabor the point too much further, but most people define any state that stayed in the Union as not Southern, and any state that was in the Confederacy as Southern. The term "Mason-Dixon line" is popular shorthand for Union vs. Confederacy; I suspect very few people actually know what the Mason-Dixon line was/is or its location, and if pressed would say it was the dividing line between the North and the South in the Civil War and would put it well south of its actual location.

I alluded to the South-like culture of Southern Md., but noted that you find that same culture well into the North--today it's basically a southern hillbilly culture, not a southern plantation culture. Believe me I have come to know the difference first-hand---now living in Western North Carolina, but within a short drive of Georgia plantation country, including genteel towns like Madison and Eatonton, towns that Sherman passed by or through on his march. Remember, the hillbillies didn't much want to carry the water for the slave-owners down in the flatlands--witness what happened to the western counties of Virginia. Anyway, even if Calvert County is firmly rooted in the South, it doesn't define the whole state. Maryland sent more than twice as many troops to the Union as to the Confederacy.

Perhaps we could agree it was and is a border state, which in fact is what it was (one of five slave states that didn't secede). Pit beef and steamed crab with Old Bay are Northern enough in my book, but you may have a point about ham stuffed with greens. OK, maybe crab can go both ways.

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One thing she got right on that list is Motorino's. Had the brussel sprout pie two weeks ago; it was hands down the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life, and finally made me understand why ppl like Neapolitan style over NY. Somehow the crust was charred, pillowy, and chewy. Amazing. Oh and the toppings were real delicious too.

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