We’re here. In the MAB Lab. It’s 2:53 AM. We thought we were done with the magazine–everything looked great, art was credited, article icons were added. Turley then informed us there were bleed issues (no, we’re not dying… magazine bleeding). But this isn’t a sob story. This is about pizza.

What is it that is so appetizing, humanizing, and fulfilling about that toasted bread slathered with melted cheese, tomatoes, and, in tonight’s case, ham and pineapples? What makes David turn to Dan and inform him that he is very hungry and Dan reply to David telling him he has already ordered a large pizza? What is it about the way each pizza is cut providing the optimal sharing situation? It is so easy to give Zach a piece and ask for a slice of his calzone. Still, he is jealous he did not get pizza. Oh, the joys of late night pizza.

The answer is simple. Pizza is the quintessential early, early, early, early morning experience. It is the “Oh, shit, I shouldn’t have stayed up this late, but I’m hungry anyway…” sort of treat that greets you anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes after you order it. It warms the stomach on a cold Boston morning, and, in turn, it warms the soul.

And think of the variations. There’s a combo for everyone. Cheese. Pepperoni. Olives. Ham. Sausages. Onions. All of the above. You can even get creative with the crust. It’s like an edible Build-a-Bear with the destination of ingestion. It’s like a random act of mating in which any genome of deliciousness is possible. Oh, the joys of late night pizza.

Perhaps it is the lunacy of 3 AM that serves as a muse for this sudden description of appreciation. Maybe it is the attention to detail that comes with finishing a magazine that suggests the need for our display of gratitude. Whatever the reason, the ecstasy of late night pizza consumption is under appreciated and, perhaps, unrivaled.

– By Dan and David