What the fork, Bill?
Crusty New Yorkers know mayor eating pizza wrong
HEY, MAYOR de Blasio, it’s a tale of one city when it comes to how New Yorkers eat pizza.
And it’s not with a knife and fork.
The Massachusetts-bred mayor showed he’s no native Brooklynite Friday during a trip to Goodfella’s Pizza on Staten Island, where he used cutlery instead of New York’s tried-and-true folding method.
His technique as he downed three slices made him conspicuous at a table of 10 small business owners and locals.
Nearly everyone else used their hands, including a 103-year-old guest .
Goodfella’s owner Scot Costentino tried his best to defend the mayor. “Ya know, I think he’s just trying to be polite,” he said.
But he couldn’t hide his disapproval. “All New Yorkers eat their pizza with their hands,” Costentino said.
De Blasio traced his refined method to his Italian roots. “In my ancestral homeland it is more typi-
IT’S A LITTLE SLICE OF HISTORY
cal to eat with a fork and knife,” said de Blasio.
“I’ve been to Italy a lot and I picked up the habit for certain types of pizza.” He cited slices that are heavy with toppings.
It might sound sacrilegious to New Yorkers, but restaurateurs in Benevento, Italy — where de Blasio’s maternal family hails from — backed up his story.
“We use fork and knife, everybody,” agreed the pizza chef at Rossopomodoro Benevento.
Since Italians don’t vote in city elections, de Blasio’s staff was taking no chances — especially after de Blasio’s gaffe became a sizzling hot topic on Twitter. “We told you he’s a communist,” tweeted Allahpundit.
Shortly after the lunch ended, the mayor’s aides posted a picture of him at Goodfella’s with the tweet “Good however you slice it.” He was using his hands in the picture.
New Yorkers who are scandalized by non-folders would probably have appreciated the way the mayor attacked his dessert, an outsize cannoli. He scarfed it and licked his fingers.