Legislators Demand That Connecticut Make Pizza Its Official State Food

Connecticut, aka the Constitution State, is represented by many symbols: the sperm whale (state animal), the robin (state bird), the American shad (state fish), Eastern oyster (state shellfish), Dilophosaurus (state dinosaur), praying mantis (state insect), Almandine garnet (state mineral), Charter Oak (state tree), mountain laurel (state flower), Nathan Hale (state hero), Prudence Crandall (state heroine), the Connecticut tartan (state tartan), the Ballroom Polka (state polka), "The Nutmeg" (state cantata), and "Yankee Doodle" and "Beautiful Connecticut Waltz" (why have one state song when you can have two?).

But one thing is severely lacking: a state food. (How is it possible they got to tartans and polkas and dinosaurs before food of any kind?) So two reps from New Haven have decided to remedy the situation.

Yesterday state rep Patricia Dillon and state senator Gary Winfield proposed H.B. 5656, an Act Designating Pizza As the State Food: "To recognize the contribution of pizza to the state's cuisine and economy."

"For one thing, our pizza is great," Dillon explained to the Hartford Courant. "For another, when you go to some states, you can get pizza in chain restaurants, but the pizza in Connecticut tends to be family-founding, family-owned, they have their own identity, their own following and they're small businesses that really have a big footprint in their communities."

New Haven, which Dillon and Winfield represent, is, of course, famous for its coal-fired "apizzas," some of which come topped with clams.

If the pizza bill passes, maybe Connecticut can really go wild with the state foods. Illinois, home state of The Takeout, for instance has a state fruit (goldrush apple), state vegetable/grain (corn), and state snack food (popcorn). The possibilities are endless!

Do you live in Connecticut or know it well? What suggestions do you have?