NewEnglandPats's picture NewEnglandPats Submitted by Guest on Sat, 12/03/2011 - 16:42

I'm from the US and enjoy a good American style pizza (New York style, Boston pizza) and I'm from a region where we actually have access to quality versions of these pizzas. Kro's is not even a good "American" style pizza, it fails, especially in the sauce and dough which is both tasteless and mushy. So, as an American who enjoys good American Pizza, Kro's version sits rather low on my list.

adammorley's picture adammorley Submitted by Guest on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 18:32

lucreziab wrote:
Plain cheese pizza is called a Margherita in Italy where pizza came from. Your post, Adam , is cringe- worthy. It's sad Americans don't get to travel much these days. I prefer true Italian style pizza that I had in Italy- the birth place go pizza. I doubt Ameicans outnumber other expats here, too. I suggest you read up on the history of pizza and then you won't look like such a buffoon.

So let me get this straight, because I prefer the style of pizza from my own country to the "original" then I and every other American and I guess everyone is this world for that matter doesn't know anything about Pizza as is a buffoon?

You then masterfully followed that brilliant logic with "doubting" what are indeed incredibly easily verified and irrefutable facts (I give url proof below) and tell me I need to read up on stuff.

I may make you worthy of cringing but you just made my jaw drop in astonishment Smile

I think most people missed out on the tongue in cheek intention of the post.

Americans do in fact pose a much larger proportion of expats in China than people of any other western nation. I recall some older data that showed it was much more dominant before but the US has been the largest supply of non-Asian expats for several years straight now.

I'm providing some simple data that backs it up here and it can be found elsewhere via state publications that suck at SEO and aren't worth further googling because the point has been made.

http://shanghaiist.com/2011/04/30/total_number_of_foreigners_in_mainl.php

I only meant to illustrate that Kro's is one of the few places where I don't question what on earth they were thinking when the named, designed and made the pizza. It's an extremely pleasant and reliable experience.

He's gone all out and their toppings, condiments and service are incredible. I can't believe it how most places here don't even offer crushed red pepper, parmesan, oregano, etc and just hand you a bottle of tabasco if you ask for condiments. Kro's provides what I'm familiar with and the type of pizza I visualize when I think of pizza - the other places don't. To my knowledge it's the only place in Beijing that does. Everything else tastes fun but with that weird taste/style that I'm not used to.

I just meant to illustrate that pizza differs wildly from country to country and you shouldn't judge American Pizza with Italian style Pizza expectations just as you shouldn't order a jianbing and yell at the street vendor for making you such a shitty crepe.

syg205's picture syg205 Submitted by Guest on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:05

The girl in the above picture has been living on the streets for 3+ years as far as I am aware. 3 years ago she and her mother one day showed up in the alleys of Nanchizi. She used to roll her daughter out on the sidewalk first on Nanchizi, then Chang'an jie and then Wangfujing.

One warm day I walked past them, hidden in the alley and the mother had pulled back all of the blankets. The girl had propped herself up on her elbows and was airing her skin and back. She had the worst bed sores covering her body from thighs to upper back that I have ever seen. I'm not sure what her ailment was aside from this, but clearly she could not walk. That coupled with the horrible bed sores really made this one of the more tragic cases of poverty I had seen.

Despite their case, they were consistently one the nicest, kindest families I had met in the area. I'm just sorry to hear that 3 years later the girl is still living on a pallet in the streets.

Sida's picture Sida Submitted by Guest on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 10:03

True, Italian pizza is traditionally thin, and also usually topped with olive oil and pesto, if I'm not mistaken. However, I don't know of a single restaurant in Beijing that serves pizza like I've had in Italy. That being said, I think non-Italian pizza is what's competing. Whether or not that's a good thing is debatable, depending where you're from.

lucreziab's picture lucreziab Submitted by Guest on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 05:55

Plain cheese pizza is called a Margherita in Italy where pizza came from. Your post, Adam , is cringe- worthy. It's sad Americans don't get to travel much these days. I prefer true Italian style pizza that I had in Italy- the birth place go pizza. I doubt Ameicans outnumber other expats here, too. I suggest you read up on the history of pizza and then you won't look like such a buffoon.

Herbz's picture Herbz Submitted by Guest on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 00:02

adammorley wrote:

To you it may just seem like it's just a big pizza but to me it represents America and all that is good in this world.

Actually pizza (as big as you want) is Italian... representing all that drive badly in this world. Excuse the room occupying elephant but Pizza Hut obviously represents the face of American Pizza in China.... or are they not American style pizza? You can't monopolize a huge industry's terminology based around one outlet.

adammorley wrote:

one of the very few places in Beijing that I know of that doesn't call their plain cheese pizza by the false prophet named Marguerite, something I and many other Americans had never before heard of or even knew another name for plain pizza existed prior to coming to Beijing.

Its Margherita and is the usual original name used for the pizza as served to Queen Margherita of Italy.

cowboy123's picture cowboy123 Submitted by Guest on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 22:35

Rather 'Mericentric. Most places outside America don't follow that tradition because most people don't like thick, greasy pizzas. I guess if Kro's wins that makes them the "Annie's" of pizza.

"Despite a strong US tradition of Pizza making, most places here don't quite seem to follow that tradition"