Chicago is a paradise for eating goods. In addition to rich international cuisine, tasting local original pizza should be listed as the title of the plan. Pizza in America is very different from that in Europe. Its composition and shape are completely different. The unique classic food is called "Chicago Deep Dish Pizza"-Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. As an urban legend, it was once regarded as "the best pizza in the city", "the best pizza in America" and "the best pizza in America".

Of course, the word "best" has been widely used in the United States. From the president's "We are the best" to the streets, my own melon is the sweetest. I have seen the best chocolate in almost every city, but it is far from the best in my mind. It seems that Best is no longer an adjective, but a part of a noun, which is properly attached to every signboard like a post-it note.

I hate blindly following the trend, but anything that everyone likes is nutritious and has no characteristics. Therefore, when an enthusiastic American cheerfully recommended me to eat the best pizza, my heart was repelled, and my brain questioned it before I ate it. It's not that there is anything wrong with the food, but that everything in America is the best. I have lost my judgment.

In fact, the best way to recommend a food is not to add any adjectives, seven points for reality, two points for imagination, and the last point for eating.

Chicago's deep-dish pizza is very famous. To get the most authentic taste, you have to go to Giordano's. 1974. It is said that this is also the first deep-dish pizza. Seeing its shiny signboard, world-famous is world-famous ... it seems to be louder than the best voice.

Pizza comes in all sizes and tastes can be matched according to your own preferences. The selection process is like doing multiple-choice questions. First of all, choose your favorite ingredients between "vegetables" and "protein", that is, see how you want to combine vegetables and meat. You can add pepperoni or salami to form a classic Italian taste, or you can use chicken, beef and bacon to make it American (it is enough to choose five kinds of accessories for vegetables at most, if you are too greedy, you will really be unable to walk). Then pour a layer of Naples red sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Such a huge project is more complicated than any kind of pizza, and the baking time alone has been waiting for us for nearly 50 minutes.

Although I understand that the style of deep plate is deep plate, I didn't expect the pizza served to be thicker than the pot! If ordinary pizza feels like pancakes, deep-dish pizza is more like pie. Before I started, I felt the weight of this plate, just like a red volcano. As it turns out, there are four points that must be paid attention to when eating "deep pizza":

First of all, it can't be cut with a wheel knife like ordinary pizza, because it is too thick. Cutting a piece directly with the chef's knife can better protect the shape.

Second, you can't eat while walking because there are too many ingredients. I'm afraid this is the only pizza that needs to be cut with a knife and fork. In order to continue eating, napkins should be placed close to your hands. Even so, you will still have a bite of bazi sauce.

Third, pay attention to drawing. A major feature of deep-dish pizza is the super-strong mozzarella cheese, which can pull out the height of a book! As a big landscape, I have to sigh that the heat in the audience is a bit scary.

M and I bumped all the way to Chicago hungry. On an empty stomach, as the first meal, we ordered the smallest one and shared it ... or we packed it.

If I have to decorate it with "superlative" grammar, I may not choose Best, because Biggest, high and have are more suitable.

Nutella is also called "Duoyi" hazelnut chocolate sauce. Although this dessert is unhealthy, almost everyone likes it, and children to adults can't bear to refuse it, because there are 1000 ways to eat it for 1000 readers. In addition to conservatives such as baking bread and biscuits, there are also innovators such as making coffee and stirring milkshakes, and even more anti-destiny factions who use baked bacon to "get more done". This is a bit enjoyable, but I can't bear to look straight at it.

For such a versatile ingredient, it is a waste of resources not to use it to do some market effects. After all, even word of mouth is available. Last summer, Chicago smelled this business opportunity and opened the first Nutella Cafe in the United States, which is a theme restaurant that only relies on "energy and profit".

Often make a fuss about a familiar thing, either nobody cares or it becomes an instant hit. Actually, it's the latter. When I arrived in July, my business was still booming, and I couldn't sit still inside and outside. I can't figure it out after joining in the fun. Obviously, every kitchen has a can of "energy and benefits". Obviously, the guests who are waiting in line have been sitting at their desks every morning for 365 consecutive days and wiping their toast with "Nendoi". Obviously, the taste can be imagined, but they are still on a pilgrimage, sitting in a shop and eating sauce. By analogy, what if you open a Laoganma themed restaurant in China? I can't even judge success or failure.

Of course, there will be new tricks in the store that you can't operate at home, such as chocolate "hot pot". If we go there for dinner, we may have to run all night to burn calories. Generally speaking, we still have to eat, but we decided to have brunch during the day and then go on the road after eating, which also made up for most of the energy.

I once imagined that the cinema could lie down and watch, but I didn't expect to watch movies while eating. This is a serious meal. There is a movie theater in the United States called AMC Hall Food Theater, and its slogan is "integrating movie theaters and restaurants!" In short, it is the kind of combination of cinema and restaurant. It's not just a simple snack like popcorn or coke, but a full service including menu, service and wine ordering! Enjoy a full meal.

Each seat has its own dining board and buttons at hand to call the service at any time. When you first sat there, it felt like flying. This is only first class treatment, because the seat can be completely laid down for you to lie down and watch! It is worth mentioning that a bottle of ketchup and yellow mustard sauce comes standard next to each seat ... very American.

I remember watching Fantastic Animals in Chicago, and eating, drinking and having fun were all settled at the same time and place. I really admire this American laziness to the extreme. The world is really created by lazy people. In the future, we won't have to discuss whether to eat or watch a movie first. Eat first? It's too early to eat Why don't you take a look first? I'll be hungry soon ... let's eat and watch. How worry-free and efficient.

This bag of popcorn is different from the derivatives in the cinema. It has its own independent brand, exclusive store and unrepeatable flavor. It is the popcorn born in Chicago-Garrett popcorn.

I always have a natural awe of this store that has only made one kind of food for decades, respecting its persistence passed down from generation to generation and fearing its timeless appearance. What is the power that supports a simple food that has undergone changes in the times, but still meets the picky taste buds of modern people?

If this sushi insists on Jiro Jiro, I can understand that even if the palm-sized hall under the Ginza subway station is still hard to find, how many craftsmen like Jiro Ono can there be in the world? Moreover, some ingredients, such as sushi, may have their own profound cultural heritage, which is worthy of dedication to craftsmanship, because it not only completes the food, but also makes the employees themselves. Jiro Ono is called the "God of Sushi" because simple things are repeated, from choosing the best rice and aquatic products personally to monitoring the temperature of vinegar rice, the length of pickled fish, the strength of massaging octopus and the thickness of sashimi. Perhaps, most people may not be sensitive enough to discover the subtle "purport", and perhaps the choice of high-end sushi is no longer limited, but Jiro Ono's status as a river and lake has never been shaken. In a sense, sushi made Jiro Ono.

So I always think that the premise of craftsman spirit is that the food itself should be worth exploring, and it is best to be full of interest and culture. But does Garrett Popcorn in Chicago have exploratory and cultural essence? Therefore, this traditional flavor, which was born in 1949, has also experienced decades of wind and rain. Without culture as a pillar, what is the basis for its vigorous development? From the market analysis alone, it is indeed a niche market with a narrow and accurate positioning. Garrett popcorn pays attention to quality from birth (at that time, the amount of butter and cheese was not stingy! The market is small but preconceived, and it is difficult for future generations to compete. Garrett therefore became an industry leader.

The Garrett popcorn franchise store in Chicago is located in the center of the city, which is easy to recognize, because you can smell the sweet fragrance and see the winding queue from a distance. It's a popcorn paradise when you go in. There are salty flavors such as cheese and sweet flavors such as caramel and nuts. You can choose a flavor or mix it freely. In fact, it's delicious to spell, but it's painful to choose more. The most distinctive sign of their family is Garrett Mix, which is two flavors of cheddar cheese and caramel.

M and I put a bag together to share. We tasted it with great peace of mind, but we still couldn't help being excited about the delicious food. Obviously, two people should buy two bags! I just can't stop eating popcorn once I catch it. More like catching it.

Passing through the city center many times, watching people smiling in and out, I suddenly felt that there was no need to analyze the market too much. The reason is often the simplest: delicious food.

Garrett popcorn is undoubtedly successful, not only because it has conquered people's tastes, but also because it represents the city of Chicago, like a dazzling business card. I think so because of an unexpected story.

When I left Chicago and returned to Indiana, Garrett had eaten all the popcorn, but I didn't throw away their paper bag because I thought it was cute. Now it's time to pick up the odds and ends. When I got home, I got on the elevator of my apartment and met an American girl who didn't know which floor she lived on. At best, she is familiar. We exchanged a few pleasantries, and the girl suddenly laughed: "Did you go to Chicago?"

I am too tired to speak. I just want to throw myself on the bed at once. How do you know that girl is surprised at my indifference? I don't think I put a label on it, and I don't wear a ball suit.

"Garrett, is it delicious?" The girl pointed to the paper bag in my hand with her lips.

I suddenly realized that my heart seemed to be shaken. I didn't care if I was carrying a bag, but I never thought that a food or brand could be so deeply rooted in people's hearts. It seems that food can light up a city and make people who don't know smile at each other.

Above, I found an old photo of Garrett in the last century. What do you think is the reason why a simple food can achieve intergenerational success? It's delicious besides delicious. Market data will be falsified, but no matter which era people are not stupid, there are many articles in any city on the tip of the tongue, and there are countless wisdom when you think about it.

-The end-

The last article about the city tour of Chicago is here: Chicago | Urban Encounter in Reinforced Concrete.