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Papa John’s has just announced a new product that could either be the next big thing or the start of end times.
According to the Papa John’s website, this limited-edition pizza is topped with beef, chili, Roma tomatoes, onions, cheddar, mozzarella, and Fritos.
My first thought? Those poor Roma tomatoes deserve a better fate than to be glopped onto this pizza. My second thought? As gross as it sounds to some, it’s manna from heaven to others. The pizza, which sells for $12 for a large pie, is already getting major buzz on Facebook and Twitter for its outlandish recipe that combines a Frito pie with a pizza pie.
While some tout this as an amazing invention:
Others, well, not so much:
The Frito pie, while repulsive to some (like Anthony Bourdain, who got heat for saying a Frito pie was “as American as apple pie or the Manhattan Project — and just as deadly), is a piece of Americana to others, especially people out west.
Is the Frito pie an abomination? Yes, if you’re a pizza purist. But, before you make judgments, take into account for a moment that true, authentic Neapolitan pizza started out with dough, tomatoes, and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Now, thanks to the tastes of tourists who flock to the city in the Italian southern region of Campania, you’ll find all sorts of bastardized versions of the classic pies, topped with sausage, beef, even pineapple at one particular tourist trap. Could chili and corn chips be far behind? I shudder to think so.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
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