Ma stateve zitte
(Be quiet)


This section takes much from the 'Critics' section of my wine book “Wine Made Easy”. I deleted some parts and adapted it to include pizza.

When you point the finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you. People's ignorance of wine (and food) has allowed a host of jobs to pop up. You have magazines, TV shows, classes, you name it. People's fear of anything has given tremendous power to certain people, sometimes the wrong people. Some people are so scared of living, they would not even pass gas without first consulting a magazine. Magazines have so many favors to give out, it is hard to know who is telling you the truth. Then there are reviews authored by an individual critic on his or her blog or book or whatever. This is somewhat fair. You can get to know the person's tastes by reading his/her opinions. Either you agree or you do not. The only problem is that some of these writers are so famous and powerful, that their word is believed to be law. Pizza makers will change their whole style of pizza making just to please the taster and receive accolades. These reviews can really make or break a pizza maker. Most critics are very dedicated and love pizza. They know so much about it but still never get it. My point is that enthusiasm does not necessarily qualify you. What I mean is that you may love pizza but still have no clue what is good (right) and wrong (bad).

Do not get me wrong; there are some real good critics out there. The only problem is that these people are a minority and rarely noticed. It is hard for someone to correctly understand Pizza if they have never been to Naples. I dare say it is somewhat harder if you are not Italian. Even if you are Italian, not being Neapolitan or at least from Salerno can hinder your understanding of pizza. The pizza critic industry is filled with people who could not even tell you where Battipaglia is located. These are some of the idiots in charge of judging people's hard work and to make matters worse they are getting paid. It is unbelievable. I do not know anything about golf. I do not comment on golf. I know my place and some reviewers should too. With all this being said, I want to state clearly that I am grateful for every chance I get to eat. Whether it is good or bad pizza, I thank God that I have the privilege to eat daily. It would seem odd to so many people across the world that have no food, that other people in distant lands not only have food but actually comment negatively on it. Living in the U.S., I am not only thankful for nourishment but also grateful for the opportunity to voice my opinion. Thank you and God Bless !!!