One of Life's Most Difficult Decisions

The other day, my pal Christine dropped by for a casual supper of pizza and vino, starring a fresh hand-tossed pie from my local-fave pizzeria, Fascati's. Our toppings - pepperoni and mushroom. The wine - Sauvignon Blanc. I know, red is the more appropriate option, but Christina was in a white mood and who was I to disappoint.

Now, I've most certainly eaten pizza before, but Christine with her keen eating instincts brought up a critical pizza pie issue that I thought worthy of further exploration.

Where lies the deep-rooted, intimate connection between diner and slice? What thoughts and preferences go through a diner's mind as they go through the delicate and complicated process of slice selection?

Size? (Does it matter after all? And, does it matter more to females then males?) Cheesiness? Crust configuration and darkness? Topping disbursement?

Can we gain vital personality insight into diners by answering these questions? And, most importantly, can pizzerias use this valuable marketplace information to shift pie-making strategy in order to garner a larger slice of the pizza-eating consumer pie? (I guess that answers my question: Size does matter after all.)

Thoughts? Opinions? Slice selection-related haiku? Please share.

Comments

[B'gina]

Even arrangement,
Generous toppings, looks right
Not too much sauce, please.

Kinda sucky haiku (my specialty), but the right idea. Crust thickness, slice size and all other volume-related considerations are situation dependent. If I haven't eaten in 24 hours, no delicated morsels for me. Mostly, though, it's enough toppings, evenly distributed, and of the right kind for my craving at that time. And not too much sauce, always.

[Jenn]

Not too cheesy. Crust should be thin and crisp. Sauce matters much more than toppings, though a generous heaping of fresh, sliced mushrooms and onions can make a good pizza great.
Sal's in Williamsburg makes a helluva good pie. (I like the chicken pizza -- I could go for one right now).

[David Zaza]

I'm a week late to this pizza party, sorry. My thoughts: 1. Size matters, but bigger is not necessarily better. A manageable medium wins every time. 2. Crust counts. If there's a slightly burned little knob up along the crust--or a delicious airy bubble--you know I'm going for that one. 3. Toppings: Again, even distribution counts more than quantity. I don't want a whole forest on one slice--just my share of the mushrooms.