The sweet, savoury, and sacred Hawaiian
By Carlos Bilan, Staff Writer
A few months ago, Iceland’s president Gudni Jóhannesson said that he would ban pineapples on pizza if he could. This sparked the never-ending, heated, and worldwide debate on the topic of whether pineapples belong on your pizza or not. The debate has caused a divide among people, but as a “pineapple knight,” I will defend the sacredness of the Hawaiian pizza.
Pizza is considered a guilty pleasure by many, but including pineapple on a meaty pizza is healthier than having a pizza with just meat. Even for a meat-lover like myself, eating pizza without healthier toppings makes it feel like an unhealthy eating experience. Pineapples are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B2, magnesium, and other nutrients, so having them on top of your pizza makes the eating experience feel less guilty.
Avid haters of the Hawaiian say that liking pineapples on your pizza makes you weird, or that you belong to a minority. Well sorry, haters, because the people who love Hawaiian pizza are actually the majority. According to statistics from CNN, Buzzfeed, Telegraph, and even Public Policy Polling, the majority—attracting over 50 per cent on average—are in favour of having pineapples on their pizza. Only around 30 per cent said that they hate pineapples on pizza, and less than 10 per cent do not mind either way.
Why, then, is there such a negative stigma surrounding the love of pineapples on pizza? It’s just because the haters of pineapples on pizza are very vocal about their hate. Do you see us Hawaiian pizza lovers saying pizzas without pineapples suck? Nope. We just stay in our lane and indulge in the sweet and savoury pizza delicacy—while reaping those nutritional benefits.