January 18, 2009

• My love hate relationship with Pizza Hut

  I have thought about this and why I crave Pizza Hut so often.  You see it’s easy to see why when you look back.

  When I was a kid we had the book it program at school.  For those of you who are not sure what this is it is basically an incentive program setup to get kids to read.  Here is some more information on Book It.  I loved pizza as a kid ( who didn’t though right? ) and did not mind reading.  My parents were both avid readers and always read to me as a kid.  So the teacher would set some goals of what we needed to read and if we met that goal by the end of the month then you would get a coupon for a free personal pan pizza.  There was not a month that went by where I did not meet this goal.  In fact at some point I get a medal because in all the years I was involved with book it I never missed a goal.  To me there was no better incentive than a delicious pan pizza all to myself.  I would even remind my parents about my free coupon when it was on the fridge.  I could never wait.  That was how at a young age Pizza Hut was associate with Reward to me.  More than that it became associated with warm feelings.  I worked hard, achieved a goal, made my parents proud, and I get a pizza to enjoy.

  As if all that was not enough I grew up in the age of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Can anybody tell me what pizza chain was in the TMNT video game on the NES system.  That’s right it was Pizza Hut.  Now we have tossed into the mix the coolness factor where the Turtles and Pizza Hut are linked.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eat at Pizza Hut so I must too.  Anybody remember the original VHS copy of the first live action Turtles movie as well?  There was a pizza hut commercial before the movie played.  It was the one where the kid was bored in left field but then the ball comes out to him, and he is freaked.  He closes his eyes and puts his glove in the air and catches the ball winning his team the game.  They all cheer and congratulate him and then celebrate at Pizza Hut.  I am 25, and have not seen that VHS in at least 15 years.  I still remember it vividly though.

  This trend of Pizza Hut as good and a reward followed me through out my life.  When I was in high school my parents would occasionally go out of town, which meant I was stuck at home and could not have anyone over.  I did once and got busted because the neighbors are spies.  Anyways what I would do instead is rent movies, have soda, and you guessed it order Pizza Hut.  Again this was a way of comforting myself and making a bad situation good.  I got a whole pizza to myself and watch horror movies no one else would like.

  When In College my roomate and I who lived on the same dorm floor and then moved into a house together where we lived for 2 years would order Pizza Hut to have fun. That’s right we didn’t have much money so Pizza Hut would make us salivate like Coyotes who had not eaten in days.  Coyotes who now spot a wounded animal that they can take.  It’s insane I realize but when you can’t afford much Pizza Hut can be a real treat. 

  So how do you break this chain?  How do you convince yourself you do not want something that you really really do want even though you are fully aware that it is terrible for you?  My whole life this chain has been a reward and something to enjoy but it should not continue this way.  Do you have something like this for yourselves?

  • 4:54 pm
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