Pizza Taste-Off

Think back to the last time you had a pizza party—maybe it was because your grade school class won a reading contest, or maybe your child’s soccer season came to an end and you were able to snag a celebratory slice.

Even though pizza didn’t originate in the United States (it obviously was first made and eaten in Italy), it’s been a part of American culture since the late 19th century—when Italian immigrants came to our nation’s shores. And pizza is pretty synonymous with a good time here in the U.S.; there’s no argument there.

Where arguments can arise though, are when it comes to what pizza to order… or really, which pizza parlor has the best pie. ?

That’s why I’m proposing that your family have a Pizza Taste-Off, to settle things once and for all. It’s a fun little experiment to get your family’s (and friends’) take on which pizza reigns supreme.

My family and I did this a couple weeks ago, and let’s just say—we were all winners. Since we’re currently in Utah, we tried this with the big national chains, like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut. It was a blast, and now we have a go-to pizza place!

I know pizza isn’t always readily available in every single city around the globe, so you can modify this taste-off to fit your post. Instead of pizza, maybe your family orders lo mein. Or maybe instead of take-out, you try different frozen pizzas. Or maybe you all just try different vanilla ice creams! Truly, the sky’s the limit.

If at all possible though, I highly recommend at least starting this taste-off with pizza. Here’s how to do it.

How to have a pizza taste-off

Clear your family’s calendar and invite your friends and neighbors over—it’s pizza taste-off time!

1. Appoint a ‘pizza master.’ If you’re reading this, it’s likely going to be you! You’ll be the only one who knows which pizza came from where and will make sure everyone casts their vote at the end of the night.
   
   
2. Create a pizza score sheet. Write “Pizza 1,” “Pizza 2,” etc. as separate rows, with blank spaces next to them where each person will cast their vote. 
   
   
3. Order pizza from 5 different places. (Again, if your post is a little sparse with pizza places, you can get creative here.) Make sure you’re ordering the same type of pizza from each place, like all cheese or all pepperoni, to make comparing them easier.
   
   
   
4. Cut the slices to make them smaller. You’ll probably get full trying to eat five whole slices of pizza, and that’s no fun. We cut our slices into thirds, which was enough to really taste the quality of the pizza without feeling icky at the end of the night.
   
   
5. Lay the slices out and label each row as “Pizza 1,” “Pizza 2,” etc. This will help everyone keep track of which slice is which. Remember to throw away the boxes as you do this, without letting anyone see the boxes.
   
   
6. Label the rim of paper plates 1-5. That way, when someone grabs a slice from the table, they can put it next to the corresponding number on their plate and not forget which pizza they’re eating.
   
   
7. Give each person a sticker with their name on it. You can do this as they grab their slices or after they’re done eating. 
   
   
8. Have everyone place their sticker on the score sheet next to the pizza number they like the best.
   
   
9. After everyone’s voted, reveal the restaurant of each number! You can announce the pizza places (and even have people guess them) and/or write the names of each pizza shop next to its number on the score sheet.

My family had a root beer taste-off too, but it’s quite the challenge to try and find different root beer brands! You can try it with another soda or local beverage.

No matter how you slice it, a pizza taste-off is sure to be a hit with your friends and family!
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Make sure you share your results and photos with me in our Toolbox for Foreign Service Families Facebook group!

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