ronnie_suburban wrote:For lunch, he's planning on ordering from Lou Malnati's in Highland Park.

Pan or Thin? If pan, full "frisbee" or crumbled?

One positive outcome of this gastronomic odyssey will surely be that this young man will learn to refine his palate, discovering that there are, indeed, good and bad pizzas, and that henceforth his tastes shall cleave only toward the very finest examples of this food, and lo, the sky shall open, and unicorns and angels will pour forth in joyful celebration that yet one more pilgrim is entering the ranks of the foodly fanatical.

Or, he may suffer some kind of terminal colonic blockage and explode.

eatchicago wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:For lunch, he's planning on ordering from Lou Malnati's in Highland Park.

Pan or Thin? If pan, full "frisbee" or crumbled?

Order looks to be small, pan with sausage balls on half, pepperoni on the other half, and onions and mushrooms on the whole pizza. He's also getting a frozen pizza to cook on Sunday morning and take to the Bears game.

Tonight, he has an event at his son's school which, by sheer coincidence, includes a pizza dinner!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Tonight, he has an event at his son's school which, by sheer coincidence, includes a pizza dinner!

=R=

I wonder if it's pizza made by the schold lunch ladies. That would do some serious damage to both his constitution and his psyche.

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Tonight, he has an event at his son's school which, by sheer coincidence, includes a pizza dinner!

=R=

I wonder if it's pizza made by the schold lunch ladies. That would do some serious damage to both his constitution and his psyche.

I will find out and ask him to take a few cell phone shots, as well.

=R=

stevez wrote:I wonder if it's pizza made by the schold lunch ladies. That would do some serious damage to both his constitution and his psyche.

There are no pizza-making school lunch ladies: unless his school district is RADICALLY different, if you get pizza at a school, it's either ordered from a local takeout place, or it's frozen from some foodservice supplier. In other words, not so different from the frozen stuff he's eating already.

Where I grew up, the schools had house-made-by-the-lunchroom-ladies pizza all the time. Here's how it worked: (1) spread too much government-issue dough (also used for dinner rolls) into baking trays; (2) cover with a ton of government-issue ground beef steamed with tomato paste (aka sloppy joe filling, spaghetti sauce, and (adding olives) picadillo -- the lunchroom ladies were Cuban); (3) cover that with a ton of government-issue American cheese; (4) par-bake; (5) serve.

Not to hijack this thread - but who'd have thought that those were the good old days? What passes for pizza in our district is a warmed Bosco-brand cheese-stuffed breadstick and a cell-pak of marinara. (OK, they do, actually, offer something relatively similar to pizza on a different day - it's Schwan's)

So, to bring it back around - Ronnie, if he eats a breakfast sausage with that, would you allow it? After all, it's cheese pizza in our district!

Today's lunch came and went with little fanfare . . .


It was indeed from Lou's in Highland Park



Small deep dish with sausage on half, pepperoni on half and mushroom and onion on the whole thing



Day 2, baby! (and clearly, enthusiasm is still high)



I actually think this pizza looked a lot better than it tasted.

Early reports are that he feels completely normal . . . well, the same as he usually does, anyway.

Of course, it's still very early so if there are going to be physical effects, it's probably too soon to tell.

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Mhays wrote:So, to bring it back around - Ronnie, if he eats a breakfast sausage with that, would you allow it? After all, it's cheese pizza in our district!

Absolutely but it has to be cooked on, not eaten separately or placed on the pizza after it's cooked. Also, regarding the pizza dinner tonight at his son's school, he's certain it will be carry-out/delivery but doesn't know where from . . . possibly Viccino's. He will update.

And to touch on Hammond's point upthread, maybe this will be an opportunity for our boy to broaden his horizons. Yesterday he mentioned rather squeamishly that he'd heard about pizzas with *gasp* eggs on them. At first, the thought kind of bothered him but he quickly changed course and said 'hey, maybe that would be good.' So, a breakfast pizza with breakfast sausage, egg and maybe a hollandaise or alfredo sauce might be in his future. We'll see.

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David Hammond wrote:One positive outcome of this gastronomic odyssey will surely be that this young man will learn to refine his palate, discovering that there are, indeed, good and bad pizzas, and that henceforth his tastes shall cleave only toward the very finest examples of this food, and lo, the sky shall open, and unicorns and angels will pour forth in joyful celebration that yet one more pilgrim is entering the ranks of the foodly fanatical.

Or, he may suffer some kind of terminal colonic blockage and explode.

It might back-fire and burn out his palate so badly, that the pizza will taste just like the box it came in.

JeffB wrote:Where I grew up, the schools had house-made-by-the-lunchroom-ladies pizza all the time. Here's how it worked: (1) spread too much government-issue dough (also used for dinner rolls) into baking trays; (2) cover with a ton of government-issue ground beef steamed with tomato paste (aka sloppy joe filling, spaghetti sauce, and (adding olives) picadillo -- the lunchroom ladies were Cuban); (3) cover that with a ton of government-issue American cheese; (4) par-bake; (5) serve.

Yes. That's the lunch lady pizza I remember. That's why I always snuck across the street to Enzo's for a slice or three at lunch time on pizza day.

Mhays wrote:Not to hijack this thread - but who'd have thought that those were the good old days? What passes for pizza in our district is a warmed Bosco-brand cheese-stuffed breadstick and a cell-pak of marinara. (OK, they do, actually, offer something relatively similar to pizza on a different day - it's Schwan's)

So, to bring it back around - Ronnie, if he eats a breakfast sausage with that, would you allow it? After all, it's cheese pizza in our district!

I went to a Roman Catholic grammar school in Evanston and the ladies made our pizza’s using a pre-made cruse but the rest were all fresh ingredients. They were so good that once a year we’d do a fund raiser for the school. The students would sell them and then the parents would all gather in the cafeteria and make the pizzas on an “assembly” line. My Dad wasn’t too happy the year I sold over 100 pizzas because he had to drive me around to deliver them.

My brother is the one eating the pizza and I can assure you, he will win this bet. Ronnie's going down!

ronnie_suburban wrote:He told me he hasn't had an apple in 5 years....He doesn't typically eat breakfast and his ideal meal is a frozen Tombstone pizza.
=R=

Based on the above, I'm betting on Pizza Boy. Sorry Ronnie.

"You gotta want it." --Bill Murray in Meatballs

To all those who think he can do this, it's hard to disagree but I'm hoping the sheer number of days causes some sort of mental attrition on his part. I think that's my only real hope to win this. He's got to wear down mentally because when it comes right down to it, eating pizza isn't particularly challenging. It's tasty, it's readily available, and as others have posted, you can vary it greatly. Let's face it, eating only it for 31 days almost sounds inviting at times. I know that if it were me, I'd be reveling in charting out my month so that I could hit all my favorite places, make all sorts pies at home (with homemade sausage) and try to experience as many points on the pizza spectrum as I could possibly think of. But I'm on the other side of this wager and I'm banking on a mental breakdown or a slip-up taking place. This could be tough.

In any case, I received an update earlier this evening that due to lousy weather, the father/son event was canceled, so instead, leftovers were tonight's dinner . . .


Barnaby's on the left, Lou's on the right (note the pepperoncini I snuck into the box with the Lou's )

He asked me if it was ok to chew gum and my initial answer was "sure." I figured as long as it's sugar-free, provides no calories and cannot be swallowed, gum is ok. Does anyone else have any opinions about that? Should I disallow it?

=R=

Gum can be swallowed, but I'd still say it's OK.

gleam wrote:Gum can be swallowed, but I'd still say it's OK.

Well, you know what I mean.

I did tell him no Certs or Lifesavers, and nary a Tic Tac, either.

=R=

I think gum should be allowed. Can't get much nutritional value or stomach filling from gum.

Also, I think you should allow him certs and/or tic-tacs. (maybe an altoid?) If not, his new nickname is likely to become "sausage breath."

The only reason I was considering banning the gum was to make it harder mentally. Sure, gum doesn't fill you up but it can provide much-needed taste bud distraction. In any event, I'm going to allow it, even though I think he felt too guilty to actually chew any after he asked. Again, he's as interested in seeing if he can actually pull this off as he is in winning the wager.

Just received a couple of cell phone pic updates . . .


This one had the subject line 'Breakfast of Champions'



Dinner - Half sausage, half pepperoni and from Seul's Tavern in Northfield (where pizza is available after 4 pm, iirc)

I'm guessing that because of the early hour, he ordered this for the kids and will have a few pieces when he gets hungry.

Tomorrow, he'll start his day with that frozen pizza from Lou's that he got on Friday. He'll heat it up and take it to the Bears' game.

=R=

Seul's Tavern
1735 Orchard Ln
Northfield, IL 60093
(847) 441-8290

I've got nothing to add - except to say that this thread is so fun to read. And it's only day 3! I don't think I could do it, but more power to him if he has the stamina and willpower.

Ultimately this topic will cause many members to eat more pizza over a 30 span, I like it.

ronnie_suburban wrote:The only reason I was considering banning the gum was to make it harder mentally.

I'm with you. I chew gum compulsively all day long. The flavor helps me get through long periods without eating. It's a crutch. Kick it out!

Ronnie, you better make sure you have the Halloween rules covered. That would be an excellent night for him to break down--right near the end and with all that candy around. Maybe you have a chance after all.

For now, the gum stays. We'll see, though.

grits wrote:Ronnie, you better make sure you have the Halloween rules covered. That would be an excellent night for him to break down--right near the end and with all that candy around. Maybe you have a chance after all.

Oh boy, I hope it doesn't come down to the last night of the month. But even if it does, I don't think he has a serious sweet tooth, anyway.

Here are a series of documentary cell phone shots I received earlier today . . .


Breakast - leftovers from Seul's


At the Bears' game . . .



Really, nowhere near the worst food at Soldier Field



I'd be happy, too. You could do a lot worse, considering the venue.



Day 4, baby!
Obviously, not the same pizza as in the lot since that one came in a round foil pan. This is probably a concession pizza of some sort.

=R=

Ronnie-I'm rooting for you! But, a guy that has no palate, and the family is ok with this, is tough.

I think back to when I was in Italy and after day 10, I said, "that's it, not one more piece of salty meat or cheese, I'm done. I can't bend my fingers!" That was not the case with wine...

ronnie_suburban wrote:For now, the gum stays. We'll see, though.

Hooray! After all, gum is not technically food. Though I might say the same for that last photo. If you're unsure of whether to allow it or not, you can compromise:
http://www.alibaba.com/product/kervangida-216155473-0/Pizza_Gum.html
Hey by the way, is he listing all the pizzas and ranking them? I'd like to see that list at the end of the month!

nicinchic wrote:Ronnie-I'm rooting for you! But, a guy that has no palate, and the family is ok with this, is tough.

I think back to when I was in Italy and after day 10, I said, "that's it, not one more piece of salty meat or cheese, I'm done. I can't bend my fingers!" That was not the case with wine...

Yeah, I understand completely what you're saying. And I'm worried also because he seems to be really enjoying himself. OTOH, we're only 4 days into this, so it's still very early.

Pie Lady wrote:Hooray! After all, gum is not technically food. Though I might say the same for that last photo. If you're unsure of whether to allow it or not, you can compromise:
http://www.alibaba.com/product/kervangi ... a_Gum.html
Hey by the way, is he listing all the pizzas and ranking them? I'd like to see that list at the end of the month!

LOL! Yeah, pizza from Soldier Field sure doesn't sound very promising.

At our office, he's keeping a chart of what he's been eating, which I will try to photograph this week. I don't think he's ranking them, though. A good suggestion, for sure.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:At our office, he's keeping a chart of what he's been eating, which I will try to photograph this week. I don't think he's ranking them, though. A good suggestion, for sure.

How could he rank them? It's all sausage pizza! It's ALL awesome!

eatchicago wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:At our office, he's keeping a chart of what he's been eating, which I will try to photograph this week. I don't think he's ranking them, though. A good suggestion, for sure.

How could he rank them? It's all sausage pizza! It's ALL awesome!

So right you are, Michael.

He's still rolling along . . .


Last night's dinner was the leftover Lou's to Go pizza




This morning's breakfast at the office was some leftover Home Run Inn frozen pizza

While I have no direct input, I'm trying to encourage a little variety. Hopefully, this week will 'deliver' some new pizzas into the mix. But you can see, this is going to be easier for him than it would be for many of us.

=R=