[Rally]

A fork is required for Neapolitan pizza? Maybe if you totally suck at eating pizza. And yeah, I'm speaking about pizza literally in Naples. It doesn't require a fork unless you're a defeatist.

Anyway, sure, on some level every thing is different from every other thing. But the differences between Chicago and NY/Italian pizza are far larger than the differences between NY and Italian pizza (or between Italian pizza for that matter, though I've spent little time in Italy south of Naples). The only difference that I think matters at all is that most American places, even if they're using wood-fired ovens and ingredients as close as possible to Italian ones (though that's a losing battle) still put way more toppings on the pizza, both in quantity per and in number. I've never seen any pizza place in the US where the most complicated pizza has like 2 toppings and I can't remember any place in Italy with pizzas that had more than 2.

A correction and a comment.  Sure, you can pick up your pizza with your hands in Southern Italy but the locals will quietly sneer at you as the bumpkin you are.  Pizzas their are served unsliced for two reasons.  One, naturally, is tradition.  The other is because press icing a pizza tends to make the crust soggy.  Oh, and please don't fold your pizza before shoveling into your mouth.  Have some respect.

Now then, class, let's discuss the basic difference between Italian cooking and what most Americans think it is.  Toppings on a true pizza are sparse, by American standards, for the same reason pastas are sauced lightly.  In both cases the sauce/toppings are the accents to the dish.  The star of the show is meant to be the pasta itself, or the crust.  At a proper meal Italians will have antipasti, then pasta or a pasta, then the main course.  Try doing that with a deep-dish whatever it is, or NY-style pizza loaded down with a pound of toppings, or pasta swimming in Alfredo sauce. 

You're welcome.

[Rally]

A fork is required for Neapolitan pizza? Maybe if you totally suck at eating pizza. And yeah, I'm speaking about pizza literally in Naples. It doesn't require a fork unless you're a defeatist.

Anyway, sure, on some level every thing is different from every other thing. But the differences between Chicago and NY/Italian pizza are far larger than the differences between NY and Italian pizza (or between Italian pizza for that matter, though I've spent little time in Italy south of Naples). The only difference that I think matters at all is that most American places, even if they're using wood-fired ovens and ingredients as close as possible to Italian ones (though that's a losing battle) still put way more toppings on the pizza, both in quantity per and in number. I've never seen any pizza place in the US where the most complicated pizza has like 2 toppings and I can't remember any place in Italy with pizzas that had more than 2.

A correction and a comment.  Sure, you can pick up your pizza with your hands in Southern Italy but the locals will quietly sneer at you as the bumpkin you are.  Pizzas their are served unsliced for two reasons.  One, naturally, is tradition.  The other is because press icing a pizza tends to make the crust soggy.  Oh, and please don't fold your pizza before shoveling into your mouth.  Have some respect.

Now then, class, let's discuss the basic difference between Italian cooking and what most Americans think it is.  Toppings on a true pizza are sparse, by American standards, for the same reason pastas are sauced lightly.  In both cases the sauce/toppings are the accents to the dish.  The star of the show is meant to be the pasta itself, or the crust.  At a proper meal Italians will have antipasti, then pasta or a pasta, then the main course.  Try doing that with a deep-dish whatever it is, or NY-style pizza loaded down with a pound of toppings, or pasta swimming in Alfredo sauce. 

You're welcome.