Kro's Before Ho's? You Decide In The Beijinger Pizza Cup Final

leave it to you to stir it up even more Tom!!!1 roflmao!!!!

chefjeff9 wrote:

Keep in mind Ex-pats are a VERY small portion of the 18+ million peope that live in this city and these establishents need to cater to the larger audience and not to just foreigners. While I'm not a fan of "pizzas" that have hot dogs on them or sweet corn (such as found at Annie's and Pizza Hut) they still deserve some credit as they are in business and doing very well. If you want a different style of pizza than what is offered, jump into the game and open your own pizza joint! Make your own at home the way you like it. If not, stop whining! Opinions are like butt holes EVERYONE has one :>

Amen!

Be nice to know where the best hot dog are in town.

Neither should win the award. They are both overpriced and crap.

lucreziab wrote:

Plain cheese pizza is called a Margherita in Italy where pizza came from. Your post, Adam , is cringe- worthy. It's sad Americans don't get to travel much these days. I prefer true Italian style pizza that I had in Italy- the birth place go pizza. I doubt Ameicans outnumber other expats here, too. I suggest you read up on the history of pizza and then you won't look like such a buffoon.

So let me get this straight, because I prefer the style of pizza from my own country to the "original" then I and every other American and I guess everyone is this world for that matter doesn't know anything about Pizza as is a buffoon?

You then masterfully followed that brilliant logic with "doubting" what are indeed incredibly easily verified and irrefutable facts (I give url proof below) and tell me I need to read up on stuff.

I may make you worthy of cringing but you just made my jaw drop in astonishment

I think most people missed out on the tongue in cheek intention of the post.

Americans do in fact pose a much larger proportion of expats in China than people of any other western nation. I recall some older data that showed it was much more dominant before but the US has been the largest supply of non-Asian expats for several years straight now.

I'm providing some simple data that backs it up here and it can be found elsewhere via state publications that suck at SEO and aren't worth further googling because the point has been made.

http://shanghaiist.com/2011/04/30/total_number_of_foreigners_in_mainl.php

I only meant to illustrate that Kro's is one of the few places where I don't question what on earth they were thinking when the named, designed and made the pizza. It's an extremely pleasant and reliable experience.

He's gone all out and their toppings, condiments and service are incredible. I can't believe it how most places here don't even offer crushed red pepper, parmesan, oregano, etc and just hand you a bottle of tabasco if you ask for condiments. Kro's provides what I'm familiar with and the type of pizza I visualize when I think of pizza - the other places don't. To my knowledge it's the only place in Beijing that does. Everything else tastes fun but with that weird taste/style that I'm not used to.

I just meant to illustrate that pizza differs wildly from country to country and you shouldn't judge American Pizza with Italian style Pizza expectations just as you shouldn't order a jianbing and yell at the street vendor for making you such a shitty crepe.

Obviously Ho's!
You cannot meet a pizza with fresh rockets anywhere in Beijing except Ho's! (Personally, I am a huge fan of rockets!!!

they all suck. end of story also, i dont know what kind of idiotic minds that choose the toppings.
and i never seen a white person deliver.

True, Italian pizza is traditionally thin, and also usually topped with olive oil and pesto, if I'm not mistaken. However, I don't know of a single restaurant in Beijing that serves pizza like I've had in Italy. That being said, I think non-Italian pizza is what's competing. Whether or not that's a good thing is debatable, depending where you're from.

Plain cheese pizza is called a Margherita in Italy where pizza came from. Your post, Adam , is cringe- worthy. It's sad Americans don't get to travel much these days. I prefer true Italian style pizza that I had in Italy- the birth place go pizza. I doubt Ameicans outnumber other expats here, too. I suggest you read up on the history of pizza and then you won't look like such a buffoon.

Rather 'Mericentric. Most places outside America don't follow that tradition because most people don't like thick, greasy pizzas. I guess if Kro's wins that makes them the "Annie's" of pizza.

"Despite a strong US tradition of Pizza making, most places here don't quite seem to follow that tradition"

Enlightning, I think so!

johnnybigstar wrote:

I don't get it.. Kro's nest pizzas are really BIG..super big, like world record kinda stuff.. so it was a very cool novelty when i went, but no need to go back unless i was impress visitors with the sheer size of the pizza.. the pizza itself isn't even worth talking about..let alone being in the running for the top prize...c'mon guys.. it's just a big pizza, not a good pizza

Uberche wrote:

Yeah no idea either. Other than the size there is nothing to distinguish it from any other pizza. I only order theirs because no one else will deliver to my school but if I had a choice I'd never eat Kro's. Their sauce is light, toppings are decent and the cheese is just regular cheese.

I get the feeling the two above posters are probably not Americans. Despite a strong US tradition of Pizza making, most places here don't quite seem to follow that tradition as demonstrated by the fact that Kro's is one of the very few places in Beijing that I know of that doesn't call their plain cheese pizza by the false prophet named Marguerite, something I and many other Americans had never before heard of or even knew another name for plain pizza existed prior to coming to Beijing. Kro brings a little bit of sanity into this world where I must constantly have to clarify exactly which version of football I am discussing.

To you it may just seem like it's just a big pizza but to me it represents America and all that is good in this world. Furthermore, they aren't that big by US standards and only appear huge here because most places here make decidingly wimpy and small pies. Judging by the fact that most of these places listed here aren't even true pizza joints you get the idea that pizza itself isn't really all that developed here and more heavily dominated by the international style and the "hey I run a bar and people like pizza" business model than the traditional American pizza joint.

Calling Kro's a large pizza is fine but if you don't like it then that means you just don't like American style pizza. It's like going ordering Beef Tartar and then complaining it's undercooked - you knew what you were getting and they delivered what they promised. Kro may not make the best pizza in the world and it may cost a little more than back home (doesn't all western food out here) but his restaurants are second to none in terms of US style pizza in this city.

Sure I almost had a coronary when I first went to the tree and found they only had personal pizzas and at another place had to ask what a marguerite pizza was because there was no description but despite these cultural differences in how I prefer my ingredients, style and naming but to just write off all these other pizzas that are weird and foreign to me as novelty acts would just demonstrate my general ignorance.

I like the other pizzas here, I especially like Gung Ho but I find they just taste sorta weird, just a little too different than what I like. I write this off as they make a New Zealand style pizza and enjoy it for what it is and don't make judgements as I'm fully convinced their pies are great - just intended for a different group of clientele. If someone advocates we eat there I'll gladly eat it but given the option I'll take Kro's in a heartbeat. That doesn't mean Gung Ho is some weird pacific metrosexual wine enthusiast novelty despite what others may claim.

If Kro's is just novelty garbage food and indistinguishable from the rest then I challenge you to name what is distinguishable in this competition with a laughable field in which most candidates aren't even pizza specialty. Besides it's all a popularity contest anyway and given that Americans outnumber all other westerners in Beijing combined is it any wonder Kro's nest, which represents the only US style pizza in Beijing is in the finals?

I don't get it.. Kro's nest pizzas are really BIG..super big, like world record kinda stuff.. so it was a very cool novelty when i went, but no need to go back unless i was impress visitors with the sheer size of the pizza.. the pizza itself isn't even worth talking about..let alone being in the running for the top prize...c'mon guys.. it's just a big pizza, not a good pizza