Evoking Pizza

The air was rendolent with the smell of yeast as we entered the restaurant on the corner, its windows fogged and streaked with moisture from the heat of the ovens in the back. What it is about the smell of bread that makes us feel loved, comforted, like we’re back at home with mom’s fresh baked loaves cooling on the sideboard, even if we didn’t have a mother who baked?


Joe passed me a menu, but I knew what I wanted. It was always the same. I wasn’t one to tamper with something I liked after I finally found it. I closed my eyes, tasting it already, the thick chewy crust filling my mouth, a sprinkling of mushrooms adding an earthy undertone. Light on the tomato sauce, just enough to tease my taste buds into action, with a layer of mozzarella cheese that would string in loops from every bite. Green peppers added a crunch, tiny bits only please, no large chucks to overpower the delicate balance. I sighed in anticipation as I opened my eyes, my mouth watering already.


“Well, are ya ready to order your pizza or not, Bud?”