Why would anyone just order a plain cheese pizza when the toppings are so much better?

My mother and grandmother immigrated from Italy. The pizza they made, and the pizza that was available at the local pizza joints in NYC back then, were very simple.

Cheese pizza was a staple.

We ate pizza as a side dish to accompany a meal or as a snack. And in a really good traditional Italian pizza it's the dough itself that takes center stage. But the big pizza companies today are selling a very different product.

I suppose this is not an answer to your question about contemporary pizza, but you triggered some childhood memories and I felt compelled to talk about them.