#hound writes

During the existence of the human race (which seems long, but is only a drop in the ocean of time) there have been a meager amount of questions that are still debated over, even after all this time. The progression of technology, science, media, and more have allowed us to reflect upon these questions and answer them. On the other hand, the same components have created a more recent, yet nevertheless debatable and daring, daunting question that falls into this narrow category. This question that has plagued the existence of mankind is “should pineapple be on pizza?” Originating in the early 1960s in Chatham, Ontario, the (delicious, outstanding, and all around amazing) concept of putting pineapple on pizza is credited to Sam Panopoulos (Scoble). Ever since then, the question has bothered millions around the world. More recently, in late January, 2017, a user with the tag of @OriginalSDM on Twitter posted a picture of a slice of pizza completely covered in pineapple, and this message formed two opposing sides: those who approve and those who will utilize every fiber of their being to stop the epidemic (OriginalSDM). Thousands responded with comments and opinions regarding the picture and soon they were all asking if pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping. Experts on food and pizza specifically have weighed in on the topic, and yet the answer seems to be undetermined. A beacon of light and sweetness in a salty and dark world, pineapple is a delicious topping and thereby belongs on pizza.

One of the many reasons why pineapple is a quality topping is that its taste satisfies our human need for multiple combinations of flavors at once. Having food that is both salty and sweet is one of these combinations due to the competing contrast that captures both the need for saltiness and sweetness. Pizza is known to be full of salts, and the natural fruit sugars found in pineapple fulfills the desire to counter that saltiness without overpowering it. When a person eats a fruit with sugar, such as pineapple, it causes the brain to release dopamine (Greenburg). Dopamine is a chemical that is released based on pleasure in the brain. For example, try this: think of a funny or exciting thing that has happened recently. Let that ruminate for a couple seconds, and you’ll most likely find yourself in a slightly better mood, possibly even smiling! When a person thinks about their happiest memory, their brain is pleased with the feeling and releases dopamine, which causes the person to feel pleased as well, triggering a smile (Mandal). The brain rewards itself for feeling happy and wants to experience it again. The same thing happens when you eat sugary foods or food that you really like. If eating sugar releases dopamine, and dopamine is a chemical that is released only when the brain content, then sugar satisfies the brain. Picking pineapple to place on pizza pleases the brain. This unique, tangy flavor is a sharp contrast to salt and it intensifies the enjoyment. The sweet harmony of these two differing flavors creates an overall engaging experience for the brain, mouth, and person as a whole.

Not only does pineapple on pizza taste good, but it also benefits the body as well. Pineapples are full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are healthy and help out your body. Pizza, on the other hand, is quite different. It’s filled with high amounts of sodium, saturated fats, and refined grains (Bruno). Most people love the satisfying saltiness of pizza along with the greasy cheese that practically melts on your tongue, but you have to admit, (either while eating or after) you feel at least a bit guilty for binging. To get rid of this unwanted guilt, try adding some precious pineapple to your pizza! Pineapple is loaded with calcium, vitamin A, thiamine, vitamin c, magnesium, and many, many more (Ware). These are all healthy for you, so you’re getting nutritional value from pizza. The fruit also contains bromelain, which is a digestive enzyme that breaks down food in your stomach and helps keep your digestive system fast and healthy (Md. Farid). As a child, I loved pizza and absolutely couldn't get enough of it. Since it was so unhealthy and my obsession was quickly growing, my mother declared that if I didn’t eat healthier pizza then I could not eat any. Stricken with shock and sadness, I turned to one of my favorite fruits, (most likely what was the only thing my four foot tall self could reach on the shelf) and rested my faith in pineapple and hoped it would be my savior. Do yourself a favor next time you’re eating pizza and add some pineapple to it, for its benefits will make you forget about how unforgivingly unhealthy pizza is!

One of the strongest arguments against pineapple belonging pizza is that pineapple doesn’t perfectly fit with the dictionary term of pizza, but this argument is a double-ended sword. This argument is based around Oxford Dictionary’s definition of pizza, which consists of the following: “A dish of Italian origin, consisting of a flat round base of dough baked with a topping of tomatoes and cheese, typically with added meat, fish, or vegetables” (Pizza - Definition). The argument is based on the fact that pineapple is not a meat, fish, nor vegetable. By definition, this would mean that it does not belong on pizza. While one can see where this argument is coming from, one must not forget that cooking is a form of art. Along with that, one of the main premises of art is that there are no limitations to what one can do, the artist has unrelenting freedom over their art. If an artist wished the carve a sculpture out of marble and then color it with crayons, then that is the artist’s choice, even if people detest the work. Taking this argument into consideration, a chef has free range over what he, she, or they wish to put on a pizza, including pineapple. Also, the word “typically” is carefully place before describing what is added to pizza. This means that sometimes no meat, fish, nor vegetables are added to the pizza, and also that other things can be added as well. Since the word “typically” is in the definition, pineapple (and all other things, you can have post-it notes and call it a pizza topping) fits perfectly. Therefore, pineapple upholds the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of pizza.

Pineapple is a satisfactory topping on pizza due to its combination of contrasting flavors and its benefits to the human body, despite what skeptics would say. It has brightened the lives of enthusiasts since its creation and continues to be a staple preference needed for my and many other people’s pizza. On the rare occasion that a pizzeria carries pineapple and will allow me to order pizza with the topping, it absolutely makes my entire week at least 15% better and creates a feeling of joy that I outwardly express. Truth be told, if something causes you to be happy, then go for it. Life isn’t about wasting away while skeptics question and demine your every thought and action; it’s about being proactive and standing up for what you believe in. To an ungrateful and dubious audience, I announce with pride that I am a firm lover of pineapple pizza and will remain that way despite what anyone says. Life can be torture sometimes by its repetitiveness: waking up, eating food, doing work, eating food, going to sleep, repeating on and on forever. Life needs that special pinch of unique flavor that feels as if you’re a completely changed person who’s ready to take on the world by storm. The excruciating question that has taken over 50 years to ruminate in the hearts of millions across the world has been answered: yes, pineapple always has and always will belong on pizza.

Works Cited

Bruno, Jessica. “Why is Pizza Junk Food?” Healthy Eating / SF Gate. Published 19 Nov. 2018. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018. healthyeating.sfgate.com/pizza-junk-food-8749.html.

Greenburg, Melanie. “Why Our Brains Love Sugar - And Why Our Bodies Don't.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers. Published 5 Feb. 2013. Accessed 18 Dec. 2018. psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201302/why-our-brains-love-sugar-and-why-our-bodies-dont.

Mandal, Ananya. “Dopamine Functions.” News Medical Life Sciences. Published 23 Aug. 2018. Accessed 18 Dec. 2018. News-medical.net/health/Dopamine-Functions.aspx.

Md. Farid Hossain, Shaheen Akhtar, Mustafa Anwar. Nutritional Value and Medicinal Benefits of Pineapple. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Vol. 4, No. 1, 2015, pp. 84-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20150401.22 Accessed 17 Dec. 2018.

OriginalSDM. “Wuss poppin twitter, retweet to ruin a pineapple on pizza haters timeline.” Published 28 Jan. 2017. Accessed 18 Dec. 2018. Twitter.com/OriginalSDM/status/825516627693277184.

“Pizza - Definition of Pizza in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English. Oxford Dictionaries. Accessed 18 Dec. 2018. En.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pizza.

Scoble, Devon. “The History of Hawaiian Pizza.” Foodnetwork.ca. Published 5 Apr. 2016. Accessed 18 Dec. 2018. Foodnetwork.ca/shows/great-canadian-cookbook/blog/the-history-of-hawaiian-pizza/.

Sleep just never seemed to be your friend. Trying to fall asleep felt like an unbalanced relationship in which you put in all the effort and were given little to nothing in return. The friend that you always had to text first, and even then, they usually didn’t reply. You felt like you were always chasing after it, desperate to fall into an unconscious, deep slumber, with absolutely no luck.

Your mind couldn't seem to shut off. It ran laps around you and while your body pulled you closer and further into your mattress, your mind was miles away. Checking your phone once again and realizing it was three in the morning, you give up hope of falling asleep tonight.

Knowing that scrolling through twitter wouldn't do you any good, you open the Twitch app on your phone for some light entertainment that could possibly put you to sleep. What you didn't expect, though, was for Wilbur to be live, playing Geoguessr. Mulling over watching his stream, you decide a little lurking in chat never hurt anyone.

"No, chat, you're wrong," the Brit mumbled quietly to his stream, "there's no chance this is Peru. I have a feeling that Argentina is the safe bet here."

Sleep didn't seem to be a friend of Wilbur’s, either. His face was resting on his fist, leaning close to the computer screen to get a better view of the image before him. Moving over to the small map, Wilbur clicks on Argentina and locks in his answer. After waiting a few seconds, the green notification appears telling him he'd advanced to the next round. Wilbur gives a soft smile and leans back in his chair, letting out a small sigh. You watch his low-energy stream for a while and feel at ease, listening to his deep, soothing voice and hearing his small celebrations when he gets an answer correct.

Dragging yourself over to your computer, you boot it up while still watching Will's stream on your phone, wrapping your comforter tight to shield you from the air conditioned room. You open the stream in your browser before opening discord as well, sending him a short message.

Y/n: may I join the chill stream? :]

Tabbing back to Twitch, you see the screen is paused and hear typing before you receive a reply.

Wilbur: You know you’re always welcome, love

A lazy smile grows on your face as you read his response, feeling warm at the idea that you’re welcome to join his stream anytime. You've been friends for a while now and were frequenters on each other's streams, but you never wanted to pop on without asking beforehand, not wanting to be perceived as rude or intruding. It was rare that either of you streamed without the other joining in for at least a bit to talk.

You've never been sure why, but you and Wilbur have always been able to read each other very well, and grew close quickly because of it. It took you a while to open up about your personal life, but he was always encouraging and listened intently, giving advice when he saw fit but continually offering a virtual shoulder to lean on. You adored hearing him talk for hours about his interests, always obscure and never anything you'd heard of prior. The pair of you picked up on the other's energy and was able to match it very well, creating bits and banter that left you both (and chat) in stitches.

Your train of thought is interrupted by a call coming through on Discord, which you answer while continuing to watch his stream.

"Why hello there, y/n," Wilbur spoke with a grin on his face.

"Oh yes, hello, Mr. Soot," you responded lazily with a fake posh accent, exhaustion evident in our voice.

"Aww, come on, you can't do that. You come on my stream and make fun of my accent, you ought to be ashamed."

"Oh really?" You respond, still doing the horrendous accent, "and what exactly are you going to do about it?"

"Not even a minute into the call and you're already daring me to hang up? That has to be a record."

You chuckle, closing your eyes and letting your head rest against your shoulder. A beat of silence passes as you bask in each other's company, forgetting about the thousands of people overhearing your interaction.

"Have you slept yet tonight? You sound awfully tired." Wilbur breaks the silent spell with an inquiry.

Opening your eyes, Will's stream was on the new game title for Geoguessr Battle Royale. Eyes flicking to the corner of the screen, you see Wilbur stretching his arms above his head, letting out a small groan as a few bones pop. His hair is parted down the center, and you guess chat probably yelled at him at the beginning of the stream for parting his hair that way. You knew that Will enjoys stirring up chat a little bit, and have reassured him in the past that you thought his hair was lovely, no matter how it looked. How it looks now was soft and fluffy, the curly mess untamed.

"Y/n?"

"Hmm?" He caught you off guard as you zone back in.

He chuckles, "I'll take that as a no. You sound exhausted, could you not sleep?"

Wilbur was no stranger to sleep issues, experiencing them both himself and knowing about yours as well. Discord sleep calls have never worked for the two of you, you'd always end up talking all night without realizing and not sleeping at all. This was different though, for your body longs to rest but your mind simply wouldn't let you.

"No," you confess, "I couldn't. Stupid brain won't slow down for me to fall asleep."

He hums, knowing what you mean, "what time is it for you now?"

You squint at the corner of your screen at the small numbers, "around three thirty in the morning."

"Is there anything I can do to help you slow down and fall asleep?"

Bringing your knees up to your chest, you hug them and hide your face, knowing there was definitely something he could do but not wanting to admit it. It would definitely help put you to sleep, though, and chat would enjoy it as well.

"Could you maybe… sing one of your songs?" You ask hesitantly in a quiet voice. Will wasn't one to pass up the opportunity to sing, nor to help a friend, but you were still a bit embarrassed to ask.

Will looks down and gives a closed-lip grin before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I could definitely do that. You alright with that, chat?"

Your eyes move over to chat, where the text flying by rapidly increases in speed, the vast majority of which containing positive reactions to the idea of Wilbur singing. The Brit moves off camera to get his guitar before sitting back down.

"Any specific requests?" He glances up at the camera while adjusting the guitar in his lap, and you melt a bit at the soft expression on his face, staring at his sleepy eyes.

"My favorite?"

"Oh, of course you want Since I Saw Vienna, how could I forget?" He teases, amused. This wasn't the first time he has sung to you to help with your sleeping problems, so he was familiar with which song of his was your favorite.

You close your eyes and rest your head atop your knees as Wilbur begins softly playing the introduction. The tension from your shoulders melt as the song progresses, letting his voice surround and comfort you. You keep your mind focused on the sweet notes of the guitar and his low voice until you drift off to sleep.

Wilbur plays a few songs before pausing to see if you’re still awake.

"Y/n?"

He is met only with soft breaths from your microphone.

Muting himself, he told chat he was going to end stream, reading out some donations before signing off.

Unmuting himself on Discord, he pauses for a moment. He could picture you cuddled up on your chair in front of your desktop, headphones slightly falling off. Wilbur smiles to himself.