Food Reviews: Hot Truck Drives Students' Midnight Munchies
Stacy Schulist '01
Issue date: 10/5/00 Section: Diversions
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Last night for the first time in quite a while, I had a double PMP - hot, heavy and wet. Believe me, it was every bit as enjoyable as it sounds. If you're a Cornell alumnus, you know what I'm talking about. If you think I've decided to use the Cornell Business as a forum to air my private fetishes, let me set the record straight. The PMP, my favorite Cornell acronym, stands for Poor Man's Pizza, and is something that everyone should experience at least once before they graduate.
Prepared with French bread in lieu of traditional pizza dough, PMPs are sold nightly at Johnny's Hot Truck, located on Stewart Avenue just behind the West Campus dorms. Do not confuse the Hot Truck with Louie's Lunch Truck on the corner of Thurston and Wait, which serves an array of fast foods, but not PMPs. (Louie's Lunch Truck will be featured in an upcoming issue.)
The PMP was created by the Hot Truck's original owner Johnny Petrillose in 1960 who determined that he could offer a better quality product in Ithaca's frigid temperatures by selling hot subs made-to-order instead of pizza by the slice. Melting cheese and homemade tomato sauce sandwiched between crusty French bread comprise the basic PMP which has developed an almost cult following among students. In fact, Cornell alumni have been known to drive from as far as Boston through snowstorms when a craving for one of the Hot Truck's signature sandwiches has become unbearable. And, I have heard of more than one instance of a student who has fallen asleep embracing the remnants of his cherished PMP. It has even been rumored that the PMP provided the inspiration for Stouffer's popular frozen French Bread Pizzas.
As the Hot Truck's popularity has grown, over 25 variations on the PMP theme have been developed, many conceived by students. Most cost less than five dollars. Of course, once you have a handle on the PMP lingo, you can request your own creation.
Some Critical Hot Truck Terms:
Grease & Garden - mayonnaise and lettuce
Prepared with French bread in lieu of traditional pizza dough, PMPs are sold nightly at Johnny's Hot Truck, located on Stewart Avenue just behind the West Campus dorms. Do not confuse the Hot Truck with Louie's Lunch Truck on the corner of Thurston and Wait, which serves an array of fast foods, but not PMPs. (Louie's Lunch Truck will be featured in an upcoming issue.)
The PMP was created by the Hot Truck's original owner Johnny Petrillose in 1960 who determined that he could offer a better quality product in Ithaca's frigid temperatures by selling hot subs made-to-order instead of pizza by the slice. Melting cheese and homemade tomato sauce sandwiched between crusty French bread comprise the basic PMP which has developed an almost cult following among students. In fact, Cornell alumni have been known to drive from as far as Boston through snowstorms when a craving for one of the Hot Truck's signature sandwiches has become unbearable. And, I have heard of more than one instance of a student who has fallen asleep embracing the remnants of his cherished PMP. It has even been rumored that the PMP provided the inspiration for Stouffer's popular frozen French Bread Pizzas.
As the Hot Truck's popularity has grown, over 25 variations on the PMP theme have been developed, many conceived by students. Most cost less than five dollars. Of course, once you have a handle on the PMP lingo, you can request your own creation.
Some Critical Hot Truck Terms:
Grease & Garden - mayonnaise and lettuce