1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Uh. The title of today's show, 4 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: I think really captivated all three of us from the jump. 5 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: So we'll just what if we just say the headline 6 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: and then we'll figure out what the heck we're talking about? Uh? 7 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: The old Today's episode is called the Great Michigan Pizza Funeral. Now, Ben, 8 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: I've certainly heard of a pizza party, but not a 9 00:00:54,440 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: pizza funeral. Yeah. Yeah, same man, same super producer, Casey 10 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: pegram Off, Mike, and we are going to put the 11 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: spotlight on you for this one. Casey uh said to 12 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: what did you say, Casey? Too great taste a good 13 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: great together pieces and funerals. Yeah, Casey's got that Monday 14 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: morning energy. Yeah in case I mean, it's something that 15 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: I think we all thought when we saw this headline. Uh, 16 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: is this a funeral that lightened the mood by serving 17 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: the mourner's pizza? You know, there's so many questions when 18 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: you see this topic, But it turns out that's not 19 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: the case at all, And it really is. As I 20 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: said to you of Mike, Uh, pretty much exactly what 21 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: it sounds like. Yep, that's correct. Uh. This this story 22 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: has has lots to unpack. So let's start with food contamination. 23 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: At some point, Uh, statistically speaking, most everybody has run 24 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: into some food that's gone off, or that's turned or 25 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: maybe even has become contaminated with something dangerous like salmonella 26 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: kale or listeria in ice cream. This is not a 27 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: laughing matter, but it does get us to a very 28 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: weird situation in the nineteen seventies. This concern over contaminated 29 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: food is what led to the Great Michigan Pizza Funeral. 30 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: So let's let's get into it. I like the way 31 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: Atlas Obscura describes this knoll when they say, quote, the 32 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: story of what became known as the Greek Michigan Pizza 33 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: Funeral is one of lost terrible maladies and spilled marinera. Yeah, 34 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: for sure, and and more than a little bit of 35 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:42,239 Speaker 1: savvy pr spin from an Italian immigrant or shall I say, 36 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: a Fiumian immigrant, but we'll get into what that means 37 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: in a second. By the name of Ilario Mario Fabrini 38 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: um Ilaria, we'll call him Mario, has his friends called 39 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: him we're all friends here. Uh fled fascist Italy for 40 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: the United States to start a new life for himself 41 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: and um he originally lived in what used to be 42 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: its own little state called you May And I'm not 43 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: gonna lie. I'm gonna cop to it right away. When 44 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: I was first reading this stuff, I read that as Flume, 45 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: and I wanted so badly for him to be a 46 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: Flumian who hailed from the failed state of Flume, but 47 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: it was not to be. It is Fiume was also 48 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: a beautiful name. But I really want there to be 49 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: a magical place called Flume. But it is now a 50 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,399 Speaker 1: part of what is currently Croatia. Uh And and initially 51 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: became autonomous in seventeen nineteen, but it was, you know, 52 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: kind of under the whims and wiles of different emperors 53 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: and kings and kind of got kicked around and lost 54 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: and regained freedom multiple times over the course of the 55 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Yeah. Yeah, And for anybody who's 56 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: saying I also want Flume to be a word, shout 57 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: out to the Australian musician, DJ and record producer Harley 58 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: Edwards Street, also known as Flu. I don't know how 59 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: you handle the A or the E and the pronunciation 60 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: at the end there. I'm not sure either, but I 61 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: think it's also spelled the same as that cool water 62 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: ride at six Flags called the log Flume. Uh yeah, yeah, 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: throwback there. So the story of few May is a 64 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: story of ups and downs. It's a roller coaster for 65 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: six Flags. For reference, Fight eighteen sixty eight. This was 66 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: part of the Kingdom of Hungary asterisk caveat technically because 67 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: on the ground, and this happens in so many places 68 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: around the world, on the ground, this is a place 69 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: where the population is composed of Germans, Hungarians, and Italians, 70 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: and they all speak this local dialect that's sort of 71 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: a mash up of pot pourri of all the members 72 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: native languages. After World War One, in nine few May 73 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: is declared an official free state, primarily because the kingmakers 74 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: and the militaries and the politicians thought it would be 75 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: a good idea to have a buffer between Italy and 76 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: what was fast becoming the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. So what 77 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: if you may do? When it became sovereign, it doubled 78 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: down on becoming a melting pot, and according to Tom Topel, 79 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: nationality was defined mostly by the language given person spoke. 80 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: This is where Mario comes in. As as we said earlier, 81 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: he came to Michigan from few May after World War Two. 82 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: He had grown up under the Fascist regime. When he 83 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: was six years old, he was indoctrinated, forced to wear 84 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: you know, the infamous black shirt. Uh, And he traveled 85 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: This is a tragic story. He traveled to Michigan with 86 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:56,359 Speaker 1: his grandfather because his father was killed in World War two. Yes, so, 87 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: as you said, he joined the U. S. Army. He 88 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: was stationed in San Diego, oh uh, and he really 89 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: liked it there. He he ultimately thought that he would 90 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 1: maybe one day retire there he served in the Korean War, 91 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: and then after the Korean War, he and his wife 92 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: Olga moved to Detroit, where they started a pizza business 93 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: called Fabrini Pizza. And they adapted a pizza recipe from there, 94 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, home country, and tried to kind of americanize 95 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: it a little bit. They described it as the pizza 96 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: from my country no one here would eat. Kind of 97 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 1: reminds me of like americanized Chinese food a little bit. Um. 98 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: But the thing that he did that was very innovative 99 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: and we totally take for granted now is he would 100 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: deliver the pies to customers and not a whole lot 101 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,479 Speaker 1: of other businesses were doing that. And in fact, he 102 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: would go on to say that people actually got annoyed 103 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: at him other pizzeria proprietors because he kind of had 104 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: cornered the market on delivery, and once one person starts 105 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: doing and then everyone's kind of expecting it because it 106 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: really is obviously super convenient and it really is no 107 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: better food for delivery than the pizza. Uh. And he 108 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: was a huge success right out of the gate, right, Yeah, 109 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: that's right, he was. He was pretty successful, and he 110 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: was smart to adapt his recipe for American palettes. I 111 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: love that he I love that he said no one 112 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: would like the actual pizza they make in his hometown. 113 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: I also love that his name and his nickname rhyme. 114 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna call him Alario Mario because I like 115 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: the cad Alario Mario too. He has been I been 116 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: really quickly. I think you and I would be uh 117 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: fascinated to know what the real recipe for the pizza 118 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: was that he thought no one in America could stomach. 119 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure you and I would would be into it. Yeah, 120 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: I was looking it up actually earlier this week. I 121 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: was trying to figure to drill down into the specifics 122 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: of Croatian pizza in this part of the world. But 123 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: the the article where he says that stuff about the 124 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: original pizza and adapting it comes from Detroit Free Press, 125 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: and in that article on March six ninety three, he 126 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: doesn't disclose the original recipe. Just for everybody wondering, let 127 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: us know if you are from Fume and you know 128 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: the secret of Fume pizza. But back to Alrio Mario, 129 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: you're right now. He is quite successful. He is still 130 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: in the Army reserves, and so when the Berlin Wall 131 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: is going up, this rumor is going around town and 132 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: going around the military circles of the US that the 133 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: army reserves will be called into service and shipped off 134 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: to Germany. So he preemptively sells Fabrini pizza and he 135 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: doesn't end up going back to Europe. He does end 136 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: up eventually moving to a town called Alpena, and that's 137 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: where he restarts his pizza business. Yep, and I gotta 138 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: wonder if what he was. I'm sorry, I'm hung up 139 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: on this a little bit. Uh it is it is 140 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: not out there, so we can only really conjecture, but um, 141 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: remember on stuff that it And you know, we had 142 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: a pretty deep discussion with our super producer Alexis about 143 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: what Detroit pizza is and her, being a native Detroitter, 144 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: was not super aware that it had its own kind 145 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: of reputation, right. And it is kind of a rectangular, 146 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,959 Speaker 1: deep dish pizza. That is, it's got this beautiful cheese 147 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: kind of what do you call it in the crown 148 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: or whatever around the side, the little raised up little 149 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: cheese crispies. Uh. And it's actually topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese. 150 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: It's kind of interesting, um, but not clear as to 151 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,959 Speaker 1: whether Fabrini was one of the pioneers of that. All 152 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: we know about Detroit style pizza is that it was 153 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: created by another Italian man by the name of Gus Guerrera. 154 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: I have a guess about what Lario Mario may have 155 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: been talking about when he was saying that people in 156 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,719 Speaker 1: the US wouldn't enjoy his homestyle pizza crue. This might 157 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 1: not be correct. This is my speculation, folks, but ridiculous histories. 158 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: Apparently Croatian pizza has one huge distinction the tomato sauce 159 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: goes on the side. It doesn't go on the actual pizza. 160 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: You get the pizza bathed in with the ingredients, and 161 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: then you get like, you know, a little ramikin of 162 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: tomato sauce for yeah, for dipping, I would imagine. And 163 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: who doesn't love a good dip, a good dipping sauce. 164 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 1: I love a good dip, but give it, just give 165 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: me some cheesy But it's called cheesy bread. That's not pizza, right, 166 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 1: So maybe maybe that was what he was confronting. After 167 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: he starts his second business, as he recalls, he says, 168 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: when it wasn't too busy, I started making pizza and 169 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: I bought a freezer and started freezing them, and people 170 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,719 Speaker 1: started buying them from me. So in addition to being 171 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: a pizza restaurant, now he's kind of a pizza grocer, 172 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. He's selling frozen pizza to go. 173 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: And we have some statements from his family members, including 174 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: his son, who told us how this whole process worked. 175 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: It and I love that his son's name is Hillary. 176 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: I've never heard Hillary as a male name before, but 177 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: I quite like it. Uh yeah, and he would He 178 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: commented in this article that his father would run around 179 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: all over town supplying bars in the areas with these 180 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: frozen pizzas along with a little pizza cooker brilliant, so 181 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: he could listen to the bar proprietors, could you know, 182 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: supply their drunken customers with that good late night you know, 183 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 1: drunk e snacky food right there in the bar. Uh 184 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: And it was, you know, one stop shop. So Alario 185 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: Mario Mario to his friends, that's what they started calling 186 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: him there and Alpina soon was churning these pizzas out, 187 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: just you know, dozens of them as a small operation, 188 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: but he was getting some notoriety, so much so that 189 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: behind corporation approached him to with an offer that he 190 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: couldn't refuse. One he couldn't refuse because it was a 191 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: really good offer and they didn't threaten his family or 192 00:11:54,440 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: Hillary or someone. This is so neat. They said, hey, 193 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: why don't we go big with this, Why don't we 194 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: scale it up. Let's manufacture frozen pizza for distribution across 195 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: the entire state of Michigan and Ohio. According to Lario Mario, 196 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 1: this factory could produce as many as nine thousand pizzas 197 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: a day. So the factory starts production in nineteen sixty six. 198 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: Lario Mario is making is slinging these pies left and right. 199 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: He's distributing pizza for years. He's got an assembly line. 200 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 1: I never thought of it, but I guess that is 201 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: a job people can work in pizza factories. So there 202 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 1: were people. His entire job was to take toppings and 203 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: apply them to pizzas on this assembly line. And then 204 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy two, a year before the pizza funeral, 205 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:57,119 Speaker 1: the U s d A approaches Alario Mario and they say, hey, 206 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,679 Speaker 1: we need to talk about those canned mushrooms you're using 207 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: on Fabrini pizza. First of all, canned mushrooms do um, 208 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: But I get it, you know, he's got to keep 209 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: costs down. But it's not a fan of canned mushrooms 210 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: in any form. But yeah, they need to have a 211 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: word with him about the canned mushrooms because in January 212 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: of nineteen seventy three, employees at the United Canning Company 213 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: in Ohio, we're doing some quality check on their inventory 214 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: that was about to be shipped. When they noticed some 215 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: of the cans of mushrooms that they were inspecting had 216 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:37,599 Speaker 1: swollen up that's not a good thing. Swollen cans indicates spoilage. 217 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: So they had to run some tests and it turned 218 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: out that some of these cans contained Clostridium botulinum, which 219 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: is the bacterium that causes botulism, which is no joke. Yeah, 220 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:56,319 Speaker 1: that's correct. We're talking about effects on the body ranging 221 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: from muscle weakness, to low blood pressure to unfortunate sinnately, 222 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: on some occasions death, so botch is um can be fatal. 223 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: So the government realized they had to act quickly. They 224 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 1: went to every grocery store that might be carrying this 225 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: product and they removed them from the shelves post haste. 226 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,079 Speaker 1: But they knew that wasn't enough. They had to go 227 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: further up the supply chain and find businesses that were 228 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: using these canned mushrooms and their products that they later 229 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: sold to the public. And of course, in chasing that 230 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: supply chain, they run into Alario Mario's factory, and they 231 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: run into Papa Fabrini's frozen Pizzas he gets the call 232 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: from Uncle Sam and as he, as he later recollects, 233 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: he knew exactly what was going to happen. He saw 234 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: the he saw the pizza sauce slung on the wall 235 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: instead of righting on the wall. Hust terrible, No, it's 236 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: absolutely appropriate. He literally saw his entire business life, everything 237 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: that he had built, flashed before his eyes. Um, and 238 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: he just kind of felt this sense of impending doom. 239 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: But luckily, again, this guy has proven himself to be 240 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: super thrifty and super sharp in terms of like, you know, 241 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: being kind of an ideas man. Uh. So he immediately 242 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: acted and he stopped the shipments uh and submitted some 243 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: of his pizzas for some contamination tests. Which is that 244 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 1: this is actually really interesting something I was not aware 245 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: it was a thing at all. Uh. These tests were 246 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: pretty low fi, but they were FDA approved. Um. The 247 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: slices of pizza in question were fed to a pair 248 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: of f d A lab mice who who died instantly. 249 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, Fabrini decided to round up all of these 250 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: pizzas that had the mushrooms as toppings from all the 251 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: local restaurants and grocery stores. Um. Thankfully. I mean, this 252 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: wasn't quite an operation of scale yet, Like this wouldn't 253 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: have been a massive recall. It was relatively you know, manageable, um, 254 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: but still you know, quite a few pizzas involved. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 255 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: This is what we mean when we say quite a 256 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: few pizzas involved. By the time the botulism panics sets in, 257 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 1: Papa Fabrini's pizzas are being produced at a rate of 258 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: tens of thousands every week, tens of thousands of pizzas. 259 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: He's got twenty two full time employees. They've invested pretty 260 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: heavily into the factory. Right, they have sunk cost here. 261 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: This scandal could bring his pizza empire low. And this 262 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: leads to the day March five, nine seventy three, where 263 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: he handles this, uh, this dilemma with a Bernese level 264 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: of pr acumen. He didn't technically have to destroy these pizzas. 265 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 1: Let's be clear about that. He did not have to 266 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: distr roy them. But after those FDA tests with the mice, 267 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: he said, I'm gonna do it anyway. It's the right 268 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: thing to do, but I'm gonna make it a thing. 269 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have a little fun with it. So he 270 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:16,879 Speaker 1: gets some people together in a farm in Michigan to 271 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: watch him hold a funeral for thirty thousand frozen family 272 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:28,639 Speaker 1: size mushroom pizzas. They're burying these pizzas. The mood is 273 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: described as this we didn't write this, but it's lovely. 274 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: The mood is described as somber and a little cheesy. 275 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: The governor shows up. The governor speaks at the funeral 276 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,360 Speaker 1: William G. Milliken, Uh, and he talks about having courage 277 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: in the face of tragedy. And then these bulldozers because again, 278 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: thirty thousand pizzas, these bulldozers start, I guess ceremoniously respectfully 279 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: shoveling these pizzas into an eighteen foot hole. This feels 280 00:17:57,720 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: like something you would see him Fargo, you know what 281 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: I mean, the show of the program. No, it really 282 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:04,919 Speaker 1: really does. It's charming and kind of macabre, you know, 283 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: at the same time. And again, thirty thousand pizzas is 284 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: nothing to sneeze at. But you know, if this had 285 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: been a much, much, much larger like global operation, this 286 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: could have been you know, millions of pizzas. And uh, 287 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: it really did make a splash, even nationally, drawing drawing 288 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: television and radio coverage. Uh. The owner of the farm 289 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: where they buried these pizzas in that eighteen foot hole 290 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: had this to say, I guess by next fall there 291 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: won't be anything but the cell of phane. Uh, that's cool, 292 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 1: but it's also you know, that's kind of burying trash 293 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: and on his farm. Uh, maybe he didn't think of 294 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: it that way, but yeah, they they they used a 295 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 1: pickup trucks. I'm assuming had to have been like garbage 296 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: type trucks if they're sliding pizzas out of the trucks 297 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 1: into the grave. Had to have like a ceremonial tilting 298 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: of the truck beds or whatever. But maybe they just 299 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 1: pushed him out manually or or used some of those 300 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: those what do they call those peels, those pizza things 301 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: you stick, Yeah, that's what they're called. Yeah, they're called 302 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: I only know this, Ben because I may have told 303 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,359 Speaker 1: you I was once a uh that was once not 304 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: a bad pizza maker. I used to work of the 305 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: Mellow mushroom for for for a few years when I 306 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: was in college. And I could toss a I could 307 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: toss a pie in the air, do the old flip, 308 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: toss a mean pie. I could toss a mean pie, 309 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:30,160 Speaker 1: and so Uh, the pizzas were committed to the earth, 310 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:37,920 Speaker 1: the Michigan Earth and Alario Mario Fabrini does two things 311 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,880 Speaker 1: that I think are really classy. First, he does turn 312 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 1: it kind of into a pizza party. He's giving out 313 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: free fresh, non baculi is um contaminated pizza slices to 314 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,680 Speaker 1: anybody who attends. And then at the very end, when 315 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:57,959 Speaker 1: these thirty thousand mushroom pies are buried, Lario Mario Fabrini 316 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: gently lays a two colored flower garland on the grave, 317 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 1: red flowers for the sauce, white flowers for cheese. And 318 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: there was a whole posse of important people at this funeral, 319 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: which is so weird because you imagine they would be busy, 320 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 1: right the Governor of Michigan probably has other stuff to do. 321 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: Chamber of Commerce members are their presidents of banking are there, 322 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 1: and uh, Fabrini said it sort of makes you goose 323 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 1: pimples about America, which means, I guess it means it 324 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 1: gave him chills. And then the governor said, Lario Mario 325 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: Fabrini is an example for all of us. Uh. And 326 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: then the the least classy people in this story are 327 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: the people who tried to fake batuli is um poisoning 328 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 1: for money. At least, according to uh U p I, 329 00:20:54,000 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: at least seventeen people tried to say Fabrini's Eats, Papa 330 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:05,400 Speaker 1: Fabrini's Pizza had given them baculi is um. But uh, nobody, 331 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: nobody believed them, mainly because they were lying, and he 332 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 1: had a lot of support from the community, you know, 333 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: I mean, he seemed like a stand up guy. A 334 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: and B. Ben. This wreath situation, I mean, it gives 335 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: me kind of the fields. This is a man who 336 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: truly loved pizza. Yes, it's beautiful. And there's another reason 337 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 1: that these uh, these fift these people were not to 338 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 1: be believed, isn't there Ben, Yeah, they were making it up, 339 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 1: that's the thing. Uh. And how do we know they 340 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: were making it up? Here's the issue. It turns out 341 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:44,640 Speaker 1: for Bernie, pizzas were not in fact contaminated with baculi 342 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: is um at all, like at all? Yeah, false alarm. Oops. 343 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 1: Despite these claims from these garbage people that they had, 344 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: they become ill trying to builk this man out of 345 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: some settlement money I imagine, perhaps a lifetimes a lie 346 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: of free frozen pizzas. Um. Yeah, he he did all 347 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: of this stuff. Uh, and and and copped to this 348 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: thing that wasn't even real. Uh. In the two weeks 349 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:15,880 Speaker 1: between that recall and the funeral itself, the pizzas were vindicated. 350 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: Turns out the mushrooms in the supply chain that that 351 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: Fabrini had been part of didn't have botulism at all. 352 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: And those dead mice, remember those guys, they apparently had 353 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: died for some other reason, not botulism at all. Again, 354 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: you think that that that that goes to show what 355 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: an imprecise test that was. Uh some other rodent illness 356 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,880 Speaker 1: took them. Seems very coincidental that it took both of them. Um, 357 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: they and Fabrini, in very good spirits told the Associated Press, 358 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:51,200 Speaker 1: I think it was indigestion. Maybe they didn't like my pizza. 359 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: I love this guy. Oh my god, what a sweetie. Yeah, 360 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: so he's still having a tough time. Of course, there's 361 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: always going to be the fear of bankruptcy when something 362 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: goes this far sideways, and we have to understand that 363 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: the we're We're at a wonderful time to be pizza customers. 364 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: It's much better now for pizza fans in the US 365 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: than it was in the nineteen seventies. Back in the 366 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies, there was a pretty small market for this 367 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: kind of pizza. Lario Mario Fabrini. The name is so 368 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,640 Speaker 1: fun to say. Alario Mario Fabrini says this. He said, 369 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 1: in those days, you have to understand, the space in 370 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 1: the grocery store was not more than five or six 371 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: feet for frozen pizza. Today you have hundreds of miles 372 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,400 Speaker 1: of pizza in the grocery store. In the old days, 373 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: to get space you have to fight for it. And 374 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: I'm just I just picked her, putting up his hands 375 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: like like a prize fighter when he when he talks 376 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 1: about this. So his sales took a bit of a die, 377 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: and in a pretty small market compared to what we 378 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: have in he had about a thirty thousand dollar cost 379 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,120 Speaker 1: just in terms of materials for the pizza he had 380 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:14,919 Speaker 1: to bury. And then he lost more money trying to 381 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: bring new flavors to the grocery aisle and to the 382 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: stores to replace mushroom pizza, which obviously people weren't super 383 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,119 Speaker 1: into um and it was it was tough because you know, 384 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,120 Speaker 1: after the pizza was pulled from the store shelves, there 385 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: were a bunch of other pizza makers waiting in the 386 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: wings to move into that little five or six foot 387 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: spot in the grocery store. So he was having a 388 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: tough time. He had to lay people off too. He's 389 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: got to lay people off, and you know, it just 390 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:49,199 Speaker 1: goes to show. I don't remember when Chipotle had that 391 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: botulism scared, that's what it was. But it was in 392 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: the it was in the lettuce. And again it wasn't 393 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: because like they were you know, unclean, were like you know, 394 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 1: had its kind of health code violations. It was just 395 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 1: a tainted batch, you know. And and and it's it's 396 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 1: sometimes those things get through and they weathered it pretty well. 397 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: That's also a much much larger operation. Um, this was 398 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:19,320 Speaker 1: not that the Papa Fabrini's frozen pizza. Chipotle was not. 399 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,399 Speaker 1: And uh, Farrini said that when the pizza was pulled 400 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: from the store shelves in the first place, those competitors 401 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: swarmed in like like locusts. And then was eight his lunch, 402 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 1: literally his pizza lunch, and Farrini had to call in 403 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,879 Speaker 1: his children to work in the factory. Um because he 404 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: had to lay off those people. But that just it 405 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: wasn't enough to keep the operation going and things just 406 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: kind of went downhill from there. Um. One woman, he said, 407 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,719 Speaker 1: sent him five dollars to help out, because again, he 408 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: was more than just like a figurehead, you know, some 409 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: sort of chef boy r D figure Like, he was 410 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,959 Speaker 1: a human being. People knew him in the community, and 411 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: people wanted to help him out. They didn't want to 412 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: see his business fail, but it basically did. Yeah. Oh 413 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: and uh, quick clarification there, Chippotle, Uh if it just 414 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: in case the Chipotle legal team is tuned in to 415 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: today's episode on The Pizza Funeral, it was an e 416 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: cole I outbreak. I think that's the one that's but 417 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: I believe it was from tainted lettuce though, I think 418 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,439 Speaker 1: that's correct. Yeah. Yeah, and this is no ding on 419 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,120 Speaker 1: Chippotle because you find yourself as a food manufacturer having 420 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: to source so many things, just like a Lario Mario Fabrini, 421 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: which the war I say it. It might be my 422 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 1: favorite name we've ever talked about on the show. He 423 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 1: gets here's the thing. There's one other twist. A few 424 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: days before the Pizza Funeral, Fabrini sues the creator of 425 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:57,959 Speaker 1: those canned mushrooms for a million dollars and he wins 426 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: this lawsuit, but the money wasn't enough to keep the 427 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 1: factory going because according to Fabrini. He says, we didn't 428 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: get a million dollars. We got two d fifty grand. 429 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 1: The lawyer took a third of that, so we had 430 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: a hundred grand worth of bills just to keep the 431 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: company going for five or six years. Nineteen eighties, early 432 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:21,720 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, they sell off Papa Fabrini's Pizza, and he 433 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 1: says he walks away from this crazy adventure with about 434 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,640 Speaker 1: five grand and the new company and the new pizza 435 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: recipe failed. After the cell there's a cool epilogue though. 436 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: There's a cool note here. After he sold Papa Fabrini's Alario. 437 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: Mario Fabrini finally made it to was happily ever after. Remember, 438 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: way back when he was in the military, he dreamed 439 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: of retiring to San Diego. He actually did it. How 440 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: cool is that? That's very cool. San Diego is beautiful 441 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: and he deserved it. He really put the work in, 442 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 1: and I'm so glad that he was at least able 443 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: to spend his twilight years and comfort and a place 444 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: that he had always dreamed of. Yeah. Yeah, and he 445 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,159 Speaker 1: still makes pizza at home as of seventeen uh. He 446 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: says his favorite toppings are anchovies, pepperoni, green peppers, and 447 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: wait for it, mushrooms. Uh. He also he also talks 448 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: a little bit of trash about pizza and Italy, which 449 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: I thought was so interesting and unexpected because you would 450 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: expect the opposite, right, Yeah, that's I'm gonna, I'm gonna okay, 451 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: you know, different strokes. But uh, I would argue that 452 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 1: nothing beats a true, good old Sicilian slice. Yeah, yeah, 453 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: it's absolutely true. Uh. Fabrini says, in his opinion, most 454 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: America the pizza most American seed, is better than what 455 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 1: he gets in Italy because, uh, pizza originated per him 456 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: in Italy from leftover dough when parents were making bread, 457 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,280 Speaker 1: and then it was flattened out and was used as 458 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: a quick snack for children. And perhaps you give him 459 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: the last word here. He says, if you go to 460 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: Germany and you order from a menu, they don't put 461 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: Italian pizza on there. They put American pizza. And he says, 462 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 1: sure it was started by Italians, but we make a 463 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: better pizza today. These are fighting words, Alario Mario, I'd 464 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: be very careful and we don't want big pie after us, 465 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: so we're just being very clear. This is what Alario 466 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: Mario Fabrini said, not Ben Nolan Casey, don't don't send 467 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: big pizza after us. It is true. We are just 468 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: reporting the facts as as always. Uh. But to put 469 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: a nice little coda on this, this wasn't the last 470 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: pizza funeral that that ever would be. It turns out 471 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: that that other type of potential thing that a pizza 472 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 1: funeral could be actually is a thing. At a particular 473 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: funeral home called Krause Funeral Homes in the neighborings state 474 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: of Wisconsin um and Uh. Mark Krauss, who is the 475 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 1: president of the funeral home, decided that he wanted to 476 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: have a little extra comfort to the funeral UH proceedings 477 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: in the form of free pizza. UH. He's told USA 478 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: today people don't think about funerals until they really need them. 479 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: So we asked ourselves, how do we get people to 480 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: relax about the idea of thinking about this difficult topic 481 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 1: ahead of time. The answer food. People are relaxed and 482 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 1: open where they're surrounded by food. He said. You think 483 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: about everything you do in life, it always centers around food. 484 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: And that's what caused Krause Funeral Homes, which have four 485 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:39,239 Speaker 1: locations in Wisconsin, to host what they called pizza and 486 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: pre plan parties. So you're showing the benefits of why 487 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 1: you would want to pre plan a funeral, which can 488 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: be quite expensive. It makes sense to to be prepared 489 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: for that. Uh. And while you're doing that, while you're 490 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: talking to the funeral directors and and the rest of 491 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: the staff at Krause, you're all splitting a pizza it 492 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: together because pizza does make everything better. I mean, that's 493 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: unequivocally true. Uh. And again, I'll always associate the idea 494 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: of a pizza party with what was it called book 495 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: it book? Yeah, book it. It was a scholastic program 496 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: I think all three of us experienced, and we were 497 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 1: kids where if you're read a start number of books, 498 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: at the end of the year, you got a pizza party. 499 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 1: That was the thing you look forward to all year party. Uh. Yeah, 500 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 1: And I I'm honestly I into the idea of a 501 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: pizza funeral, not let's just take it to the next level, 502 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: not just the pre plan I would be honored if 503 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: at my funeral, Uh, people served like a really nice 504 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: spread of various uh maybe Sicilian pies. I am for 505 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: normalizing eating snacks and many more situations you know, I 506 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:52,440 Speaker 1: can't remember if I mentioned on this show, but one 507 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: of my dreams has always been to be at a 508 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: politicians press conference. You know. For some reason, we have 509 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: this thing in the U s where whatever a politician 510 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 1: is saying something important, there have to be like a 511 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: dozen people standing behind them, not really doing anything. I 512 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: want to be one of those guys and like, part 513 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 1: way through this speech, I want to take like a 514 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: bag of a bag of potato chips, maybe a pizza now, 515 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: or an orange and just like still nodding sombrely, like 516 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: snack on it while we're talking about whatever they're talking about. 517 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: I'm not really eating, that's just an audio sound effect, folks. 518 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,840 Speaker 1: But but you're right, pizza makes everything better. I am 519 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: so impressed with the Lario Mario Fabrini, and I gotta 520 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:41,800 Speaker 1: say this is this is such an interesting story, you know, 521 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,400 Speaker 1: and it's one like as we approach lunchtime, it's one 522 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: that I'm sure the three of us are thinking about constantly. 523 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: Uh No, I don't want to think about your funeral, 524 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: nor yours, Casey, nor my own, but I do want 525 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: to hear what about the weirdest pizza parties? Are fellow 526 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,479 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians have been into book. It's still around, by 527 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 1: the way, I shouted them out one time in the 528 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: previous episode. They sent me a T shirt. Did I 529 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: tell you? I told you that? Right? What? Yeah? I 530 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: want to book at T shirt. Hit him up on Twitter. 531 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:12,960 Speaker 1: Tell him Ben, say maybe I well, I need to 532 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:14,480 Speaker 1: mess with Twitter. That's how you get all the free 533 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: stuff is tagging people on Twitter. Nobody responds on Instagram. 534 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 1: You get no free stuff for Instagram. Alright, Ben, alright, 535 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: challenge accepted, my friends. And this has been a fun episode. 536 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: I mean, if you know, because nobody really died, right, 537 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,600 Speaker 1: nobody died and there was a funeral, you get all 538 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: the benefits because you know, funerals are kind of fun. 539 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 1: It makes me think of Harold and Maude the Lovely 540 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: uh how Ashby movie, where Harold goes to funerals, you know, 541 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: for fun, just to hang out and watch them. Um. 542 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: So there's something a little bit fascinating about funerals. But 543 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,040 Speaker 1: it's nice to be able to experience that without having 544 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 1: to be sad about somebody dying. It was just a 545 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: bunch of frozen pizzas. Yeah, percent agreed here, Noel, Thank 546 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 1: you as always to our super producer Casey Pegrum cooking 547 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: that hot podcast pie Weekend week Out that sounded better 548 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: in my head. Also thanks to Alex Williams, who composed 549 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:13,280 Speaker 1: our amazing soundtrack. Huge thanks to research, your extraordinaire Gabe Louisier. Uh, 550 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,399 Speaker 1: Christopher Haciots, who will soon be joining us. I think 551 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,279 Speaker 1: I've been teasing that one for several weeks. Now we 552 00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 1: need to make that happen. There has been talk. We 553 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,520 Speaker 1: just gotta get the calendars to line up. Also, of course, 554 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland, a k a. The Quister. Uh, may we may, 555 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 1: May you never dark in our zoom again, sir, But 556 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,720 Speaker 1: I'm afraid that that's just not possible. Yeah, we'll wrap 557 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: this up just in case he's gonna zoom bomb us again. Uh, 558 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:40,959 Speaker 1: you're you may have a pizza story of your own. 559 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 1: We definitely want to hear it in your you know, 560 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,359 Speaker 1: shaking your fist at the guy saying how can I 561 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 1: talk to these guys? Well, good news, folks. You can 562 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,959 Speaker 1: find us all over the internet, not just as a show, 563 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,040 Speaker 1: but as individuals. That's right. You can find me on 564 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 1: Instagram where I am at how now Noel Brown, and 565 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: you can find me on Twitter, where I at Ben 566 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,280 Speaker 1: Bullen h s W. You can also see some cooking 567 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 1: misadventures on my Instagram at Ben Boland. You know, what 568 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:13,800 Speaker 1: a ride? What a croatia tomato sauce on the side. 569 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: I didn't know that's something you could do with pizza 570 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,720 Speaker 1: and have it still be considered pizza. You know again, 571 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 1: I I sort of called shenanigans on that. It is just, 572 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:23,920 Speaker 1: in my humble opinion, cheesy bread. We've got to go 573 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 1: find out for ourselves true. We'll see you next time Fox. 574 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I 575 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:41,600 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 576 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:42,560 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.