Don’t let anybody yuck your yum

California Pizza Kitchen’s Tostada Pizza is one of the few perfect foods. In a world of culinary fusion and innovation, this pizza shines in its ability to highlight the most exciting aspects of several cuisines and cultures.

CPK’s hand-tossed pizza dough is layered generously with black beans and Monterey Jack cheese, baked to perfection. As soon as it’s pulled out of the oven, the decadent pizza is topped with a fresh mix of lettuce and tostada strips and drizzled with their tangy ranch. This showstopper is served with a side of their fire-roasted salsa, and any CPK fanatic knows to ask for extra. 

I’ve heard plenty of CPK’s haters claim that the Tostada Pizza does not live up to my exaltations, but to me, what makes this pizza more delicious than the sum of its parts is the memories in every bite.

From birthdays to graduations to reunions, I’ve celebrated nearly every one of my life’s milestones by sharing a Tostada Pizza with my family and friends. In a sense, this pizza has become my very own ritual — a way to reflect on all of life’s ups and downs.

I’m well aware that CPK is no Michelin-star restaurant, but my obsession has less to do with the food and more to do with the feeling of community and belonging the restaurant offers me. Walking into CPK brings me familiarity and comfort — something that has value beyond Yelp reviews.

Society has become accustomed to accepting the judgment of those in power as to what is objectively good. Something is good not because it brings us joy but because of its ratings from others. 

We spend our time eating at restaurants commended by the James Beard Awards or watching the movies nominated for an Oscar because we have more faith in what other people think is good than in our own judgment.

Rather than enjoying the things we like, we obsess over the things that are considered worthwhile. In our society, something must be objectively good or bad, but we forget that good is a personal metric.

The idea of good is inherently corrupted by the systems we live under. In a society infected with racism, classism, sexism and ableism, our biases seep into every judgment we pass. There is no way to decide what is universally revered without our prejudice tainting that supposedly objective claim.

Chain restaurants are often more accessible to lower-class folks because their high-efficiency supply chains make for more reasonable prices. These familiar franchises offer a space to celebrate in community without breaking the bank.

To culinary experts and foodies, it’s inconceivable that a chain restaurant could bring something valuable to the culinary world. That opinion itself holds roots in a classist perspective that insists the joys of lower class folks must inherently be less valuable.

We classify some pleasures as guilty because we’re shocked that people find meaning in things society has deemed meaningless. Once we realize the way society assigns value is poisoned by bigotry, we can stop looking down upon people who enjoy “bad” things. We can accept that pleasure is pleasure, regardless of critical acclaim.

The frameworks we live under may not create a place for praise of the things you love, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less worthy of your appreciation. If you enjoy squeezing ketchup on your mac and cheese or reading romance novels, there is no reason to allow our society to convince you that you’re finding joy in the wrong things.

Based on my favorite CPK’s 3.5-star Yelp average, the verdict on whether the chain is actually good appears to be mixed. Luckily for me, food is everything but objective. Food is made of love, community and care, each of which are personal.

Eating is a biological need, but finding happiness in food is an emotional necessity. Finding that happiness in CPK’s Tostada Pizza may not be a universal experience, but what matters most is what it means to me.

The Tostada Pizza is the place I go during this roller coaster of a life to find peace and nourishment, one bite at a time. 

Life’s too short for us to deny ourselves the things that make every moment worth experiencing.

Reena Somani is a senior writing about food and its social implications. Her column, “Good Taste,” runs every other Tuesday.