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Five Questions 2.0: St. Louis Food Edition

1. Can you please explain why St. Louis deep fries their ravioli?

Legend has it that it was a happy accident, but I like to believe it’s the perfect combo of a large Italian community on The Hill and Midwesterners’ ability to throw anything in hot oil. Also, it’s literally the most delicious food that you will ever eat. Ever.

2. And while you are at it, what is St. Louis pizza?

It’s not as bad as people say it is!

Sorry, that’s a reflex. It’s basically super, super, nearly cracker-thin crust with a sweet tomato sauce and Provel cheese. The highlight of the crust is that you can polish away an entire pizza without realizing it because of the lack of dough. It’s a topping delivery system with the world’s most divisive processed cheese product on top.

3. I just looked up Provel cheese and why would you not just use normal, non-processed shredded cheese like the rest of the country?

Ok! There’s actually a scientific reason for it – it doesn’t leave strings. Somehow or another when you cut the pizza and pick up a slice, or you grabbed some baked pasta with your fork, you don’t have those super hot strings of mozzarella trailing behind it, waiting to burn you. Instead, just the cheese itself scalds the roof of your mouth, so there’s no nasty surprises unless you’re one of those people who doesn’t expect pizza right out of the oven to be hot.

4. What is your favourite St. Louis delicacy?

That’s so tough. I’ll go with toasted ravioli from either Rigazzi’s or Charlie Gitto’s, which are two restaurants on The Hill, our Italian neighbourhood. A close second is the bakery doughnuts that you can get all over the city. I will never turn a doughnut from a chain place down (unless it’s Krispy Kreme, because ew) but there’s something about a doughnut from a bakery that’s been there since the dawn of time that has no substitute. We have a *lot* of doughnut shops.

5. Explain: 

The only thing that I can think of is someone worked at an office with one of those jerks who goes “oh, I just want a little piece!” and then rips a chunk off of one of the bagels someone brought in. 

I hate those people. They do that to doughnuts too. They’re evil.

Anyway, it’s a good way for everyone to get a little of what they want for breakfast and it’s got a wider area for cream cheese, so I’m down. But to be a hundred percent honest, I want my bagels all in one piece, toasted, with a ton of olive cream cheese. 

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