Column: Pardon yourself from pizza

I have a terrible confession to share with all of you: I used to really hate pizza.

Part of this stems from moving at a younger age and relying on the local pizza joint in town for a few months. I got really sick of pizza really quickly.

I couldn’t stand the taste of pizza sauce, I hated the melted cheese, and I didn’t like how any of the toppings tasted.I was incredibly pessimistic about the whole thing.  

Until college.  

I had to learn quickly to like pizza, or at least look like I liked pizza, because of all the events around the dorms that involved free food.

Quickly I learned that Pizza X was okay, Aver’s was amazing, Mother Bear’s was for special occasions, and Mad Mushroom was just not at all for me. But as time progressed, I began to develop an appreciation for pizza, for which my friends are grateful.

That being said, I still do not fully understand the hype around pizza. Is its popularity due to its simplicity, or the infinite combinations of toppings? Surely it can’t be based on taste, right?

I ask because the other night I was looking for a quick, easy dinner and picked up a frozen pizza. I found one I liked just fine, but the majority of the frozen pizza section in the store was cleared out. Perhaps other people needed something quick to eat as well, or maybe they just had a craving.

I also saw that some of the big brands were on sale, so maybe everyone thought they were saving a bunch of money.

The pizza I bought cost about $8, which is not too shabby for being split between two people. But a good price on food does not necessarily mean the food is good for you. If I had pizza every night of the week for dinner, I feel like I would get sick just from all the carbs in the crust.

I’ve seen people this semester eating nothing but pizza practically every night, praising it and loving the fact that they can eat whatever they want because they’re independent.

But I’m sorry. It’s just not healthy.

I’m not saying this because I used to hate pizza. I’m not even saying this because I can be picky and appear to be a food snob. I’m bringing this all up because of finances and personal health, two things that have worried me all semester.

The fact of the matter is that pizza every night for dinner is not healthy, nor is it financially wise in the long run. If you make pizza a balanced meal with a healthy side, it’s so much better for you. If you cut down on buying pizzas, frozen or delivered, from every day to just once a week, you’re saving a lot of money.

Pizza is really good, but I’m trying not to buy it again until finals week. I guess to me, it’s just not worth risking my financial stability and physical health over a craving for a fast or frozen food like pizza. I hope you know yourself well enough to make that personal judgement.