Pizza is a fun food item for children because they can eat it with their hands. That is the most acceptable way to eat pizza. Knife and fork are optional and shows poor pizza manners. Following are some rules that should be applied when serving and eating pizza.

Hot or Cold Pizza

Pizza should be hot when served during dinner or lunch so that the cheese is capable of buring the roof of your mouth. This is known as a "pizza burn" and a great way to remember for a day or two that you had recently eaten pizza. It is important that the pizza be at a temperature that the cheese on the first few slices will stretch and form strings from your plate to the pie. If you are served a pizza in which this is not the case then you can be assured that the pizza has been setting too long and should be taken back and be remade. Acceptable exceptions are when a pizza is delivered. Fortunately a half a minute or so in the microwave can re-heat it to a scalding tempature. It is understood among prominent pizza industry leaders that their is no fear of competition from McDonalds due to their fear of a liability action suit.

Cold Pizza is acceptable during the morning hours and can be a great breakfast. Heating cold pizza in the microwave is okay too (that is the only acceptable time that a pizza should be heated in such a fashion). Care should be taken to ensure that the pizza is not overheated. Be aware that you probably will notice that reheated pizza tends to be drier or crispier. Some people will claim that the taste is more distinct and like it better but there have not been any known studies to prove an increase in flavor.

Cutting Pizza The minimal number of slices is four. They should be cut in an even number and sliced in the fashion of spokes of a wheel. Square pizza must be cut into squares or rectangles. The square shaped pie is not as prevalent but care should still be made to cut the pizza in an even fashion. A Rotary pizza cutter is the common utensil for cutting pizza since it can cut fast and precisely. This is an important factor since if the pizza is cut to slow, the melting cheese may grab onto the cutter and pull away from the top.

Serving

Pizza should be served on a plate or napkin. It is not necessary to serve it on fine China since paper plates will suffice. Many pizza establishments have done quite well serving on cheap, inexpensive paper plates. In addition, delivered pizza may be served and eaten right out of the box it came.

Eating Pizza

Pizza should be eaten by the slice. By no means should pizza ever be eaten in as a whole uncut pie. Nor should pizza be blended and drank as a liquid. The slice should be held carefully by the end by the crusty edge. The first bite should be the point and the last should be the edge. There is a misconception that new Yorkers and other people of the Northeast all eat pizza with the slices folded down the center like a taco. This is a misconception that was propagated by Pizza Hut during the promotion of their Big New Yorker pizza. There is no real evidence to merit any truth to this case since people all over the United States have been observed eating pizza in this fashion.

Some people will not eat the crust. If that is the case then it may be an indication that the pizza crust was poorly made or too bland. The norm is that folks eat the crust however there is a growing trend eaters to leave layers of crust on their plate. Some restaurants have capitalized on that by offering pizza with the topping to the edge. Other pizza places will offer a dipping sauce to complete the experience.

Side Dishes

Pizza is one of the few dishes that require no side dish, however it is all right to serve salads and other greens if one desires (side dishes should be eaten with a fork and not with the hands). The pizza should always be the main course unless pizza is served as an appetizer before an Italian dinner.

Appetizers

As stated previously, pizza can be served as an appetizer. If the pizza is served as the main meal some common appetizers are below:

• Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

• Buffalo Wings

• Nachos

• Fried Mushrooms

• Stuffed Peppers

Beverages

Below is a list of acceptable beverages when ingesting pizza.

• Soda Pop,

• Fruit Juice

• Fruit Punch

• Instant Punch

• Ice Tea

• Beer (warm beer if the pizza is cold is acceptable)

• Red Table Wines (Italian is preferred)

• Water

Of course some people may insist on drinking milk, however milk is not recommended, especially for those already susceptible to gas and bloating. In addition you will want to stay away from liquors and tonic water since gas and a hang over provide for a miserable experience, and could quite possibly ruin one's appetite for pizza for life.