About Alexandra Heep

About Alexandra Heep: The internet has allowed allowed Alexandra to maintain a semblance of life when encountering an unexpected, lingering health crisis. The Internet is a lifeline which not only allows her to remain connected to friends, but also survive, via writing.While Alexandra Heep is her pen name, she does not hide behind it. Instead, she used it to brand herself on the Internet and to create opportunities.

Alexandra published her first book, a collection of her best poems, on July 11, 2012. You can buy it at Lulu.com

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.


Sunday, March 25, 2018

What's On Your Pizza?



I think that food is a universal language Everyone, regardless of where they live of where they were born, needs to eat. One of my favorite foods, or perhaps even my most favorite, is pizza. I also like exchanging and collecting postcards from all over the world.

So, I combined both of these passions. On my profile on Postcrossing, a postcard exchange website, I asked the question: If your country has pizza, what do you like on it? I asked people to answer that question on the postcard when they send it to me. Not everyone who sends me a postcard replies, of course, but I do have an impressive list of international favorites.

I must say, I was surprised how many countries have pizza. Here are the responses I have received, in alphabetical order of the sender's country of origin.

Belgium:
  • Onion/eggplant/zucchini/green salad/tomato sauce/cheese/goat cheese
Canada
  • Mushrooms/cheese
  • Cheese/cheese/cheese
  • Ham/pineapple
Chile
  • Shrimp/cheese
  • All kinds of mushrooms
China:
  • Cheese/turkey
Croatia:
  • Tomato sauce/mozzarella/smoked ham/oregano
Czechia:
  • Spicy salami/cheese/jalapenos
  • Margherita
  • Salsa/mozzarella/oregano
England:
  • Seafood
  • Tomato/buffalo mozzarella/basil
  • Pineapple/onion/sweet corn/red peppers/a bit of green chilies 
  • Tomatoes/mushrooms
Finland:
  • Berlusconi: Rye bottom/smoked reindeer/red onion
  • Mozzarella cheese/cherry tomato/arugula
  • Ham/pineapple/blue cheese
  • Chicken/tuna and feta, goat or blue cheese
France:
  • Four-cheese
  • Cheddar/onions/ground beef
  • Goat cheese/walnuts/honey
Germany:
  • Mushrooms
  • Salami
  • Paprika/onions/artichokes/broccoli
  • Mushrooms and red onion
  • Garlic salami/lots of cheese
  • Anchovies
  • Salmon and spinach
  • Spinach and garlic
  • Cheese (Gorgonzola)
  • 4-cheese
  • Blanca (white pizza) with jalapeno pesto
  • Pineapple
  • Shrimp/garlic/arugula 
  • Tomato/arugula/Parmesan
  • Ham/arugula/Parmesan
  • Ham/pineapple
  • Leeks
  • Tuna
  • Tomato/mozzarella/pesto/basil
  • Chicken/pineapple/curry sauce
  • Seafood
  • Ham/mushrooms/artichokes/black olives
  • Tuna/onion
  • Broccoli
Guernsey (Channel Islands):
  • Ham/pineapple
India:
  • Olives/lots of cheese
Indonesia
  • Tuna
Japan
  • Corn/mayonnaise
  • Basil/Mozzarella cheese
Kazakhstan
  • Kebab
  • Tomato/meat/cheese
Latvia
  • Mushrooms/lots of cheese
Malaysia: 
  • Pineapple
Netherlands:
  • Garlic/pesto/spinach/mozzarella
  • Hawaiian (pineapple)
  • Goat cheese/honey/bacon
  • Vegan BBQ pizza (tomato/onion/mushrooms/spring onion/vegan cheese/sauce)
Poland:
  • Cheese/spinach/chicken/pepper/mushroom/curry or garlic sauce
  • Ham/mushrooms/olive/onion/garlic sauce
  • Ham/corn/peppers/cheese
Portugal:
  • Bacon/olives
  • Prosciutto/mushrooms/olives/artichoke
Russia:
  • Cheese/sausage/mushrooms/olives/corn
  • Papa John's 
  • Cheese
  • Margarita
  • Cheese/Pickles/Mushrooms
  • Chicken/Pineapple
  • Surimi (fish paste)/tuna/mayonnaise
  • Tomato paste/basil/mozzarella/mayonnaise
  • Mushrooms/ham/onion/mayonnaise
  • Spicy tomato sauce/salami/pickles/mayonnaise
  • Ham/tomatoes/pickles/olives/cheese
  • Pepperoni/double cheese
  • Tick Time: ham/olives/pineapple/red onion/mozzarella/feta/cheddar
  • Homemade with olives/mushrooms/peppers
  • Chicken/pineapple
  • Chicken/bacon/garlic/tomatoes/mozzarella/specialty sauce
  • Caesar (it's like Caesar salad)
  • Pepperoni
  • Cheese/honey/garlic/pears
Spain:
  • Jamón serrano (it's a cured ham)/tomato/olive oil
  • Onion/barbecue sauce/chicken
Switzerland:
  • Tuna/onions
  • Salmon/capers/onion/Gorgonzola
Taiwan:
  • Seafood and cheese
United States:
  • Pastrami (California)
  • Spinach and pineapple (Colorado)
  • Cheese/buffalo sauce (Maine)
  • Italian sausage/black olives/green peppers/mushrooms (Nebraska)
  • Ziti pizza: noodles and tomato sauce (New Jersey)
  • Pepperoni (New York)
  • Vodka pizza (New York)
  • Thin crust, no crisp with just sauce and cheese (New York)
  • Banana peppers/Italian sausage/green peppers/onions/ham and or pepperoni (N. Carolina)
  • Tomatoes/pineapple/Canadian bacon (N. Carolina)
  • Thin crust with hot peppers (Oregon)
  • Traditional Neopolitan (Utah)
  • Hawaiian pizza (Washington)
  • Hawaiian pizza with Italian spicy sausage
  • Pan pizza with vodka 

My favorite pizza would have ham, pineapples, onions, green peppers and no cheese. However, I never order it this way because toppings cost money. I compromise and get Canadian bacon (for some reason, our pizza place does not have ham), pineapples and no cheese.

I have nothing against cheese, but I tend to enjoy artisan cheeses and am not fond of the corner-cutting (aka: cheap) cheese most pizza places use. I would much rather enjoy tasting the toppings and not have them buried. If there was goat cheese available, I would order my pizza with goat cheese, however. Tom is more traditional: He likes bacon and sausage (with cheese, of course).

On the occasions I've made pizza at home, I really went out of the box. My favorite homemade pizza the way I make it has honey, apples, walnuts and goat cheese. By the way, the picture I used for this post is of said homemade pizza. Can you tell which is my half, and which is Tom's? Anyway, if you think my tastes are weird, I refer you to the international list above! But really, what do you like on your pizza?

5 comments:

Morgan Cartwright said...

How fun that people answered your question! I think Goat Cheese would be a good topping. I might have to make that sometime.

Conny said...

I'm sure Italian readers cringe when they read about these toppings, Alex. Italians are master pizza makers and if they don't put it on a pizza, it doesn't belong there.

Unknown said...

I like Hawaiian pizza--ham, pineapple, sauce and lots of cheese, extra cheese pizza and margherita pizza, preferably with cheese and sundried tomatoes.

Timdani said...

This is a fun post. Thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

I’d love to answer your question since I LOVE pizza. I love to eat pizza with mushrooms, pepperonis, bacon, and olives!