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Write about the gone world
Oct. 6th, 2007 11:59 amI would like to start a new meme: provide at least two paragraphs about an object that has gone into obscurity. I'm not talking about "I think it's under the couch at mom's house but dang if I know". Please discuss an item or event you had once thought was ridiculously commonplace and would now require two paragraphs just to conjure a good image. Maybe the object is still readily available but only in one town, or perhaps it's something made obsolete a long time ago.
I will start by talking about tomato pie. Utica seems to be the home of this stuff that looks like a knock-off of Sicilian pizza. In fact some people call it "sheet pizza", although it's not pizza because 'pizza' is the Italian word for beak (describing the Neopolitan slice's shape) and these slabs are squares. There is a starchy base with a veneer of tomato sauce and a dusting of Romano cheese on top.
This is usually served cold. Some convenience stores in Utica sell slices wrapped in cellophane and sit them in stacks on the front counter. Often they'll sell them next to a plastic box with a hot lamp keeping bags of cashews warm. I'd get one of each and head on my way.
Since these slices are cut from a baking sheet, there are three kinds of slices: corner, edge and inner. I'm the weird type who likes a corner slice: it has more rigidity so you can hold it with one hand. These beasts can be sloppy and the sauce often slides off in chunks. You can tell when children have been eating tomato pie because they get red-stained oil on the corners of their mouths and divots of red on their shirts.
I never thought I'd miss tomato pie. It seemed like the most low-rent thing when I was a kid. It was the macaroni and cheese of my world: guilty pleasure, comfort food, almost devoid of nutritional value.
A couple of you still live in Utica and likely cringe when you think of this stuff. I understand. ( Triggers for a memory cascade... )
We all have stuff we've forgotten isn't around. Perhaps it's good riddance, but we should still recall why we're glad they're gone. Help me remember, won't you?
I will start by talking about tomato pie. Utica seems to be the home of this stuff that looks like a knock-off of Sicilian pizza. In fact some people call it "sheet pizza", although it's not pizza because 'pizza' is the Italian word for beak (describing the Neopolitan slice's shape) and these slabs are squares. There is a starchy base with a veneer of tomato sauce and a dusting of Romano cheese on top.
This is usually served cold. Some convenience stores in Utica sell slices wrapped in cellophane and sit them in stacks on the front counter. Often they'll sell them next to a plastic box with a hot lamp keeping bags of cashews warm. I'd get one of each and head on my way.
Since these slices are cut from a baking sheet, there are three kinds of slices: corner, edge and inner. I'm the weird type who likes a corner slice: it has more rigidity so you can hold it with one hand. These beasts can be sloppy and the sauce often slides off in chunks. You can tell when children have been eating tomato pie because they get red-stained oil on the corners of their mouths and divots of red on their shirts.
I never thought I'd miss tomato pie. It seemed like the most low-rent thing when I was a kid. It was the macaroni and cheese of my world: guilty pleasure, comfort food, almost devoid of nutritional value.
A couple of you still live in Utica and likely cringe when you think of this stuff. I understand. ( Triggers for a memory cascade... )
We all have stuff we've forgotten isn't around. Perhaps it's good riddance, but we should still recall why we're glad they're gone. Help me remember, won't you?
