TV Tuesday: Food, Glorious Food

[yourlibrarian]

Although there are a number of unscripted shows specifically about food, there are sometimes fictional series where it's a strong element as well.

Which shows make you hungry? Which ones made you want to try new things?

Comments

[jo]

Mostly I get distracted by unrealistic food-related stuff on TV. Chief culprit being beverages, notably characters walking around with take-out coffee and the thing is clearly empty, and they also never get burned taking a sip. Or offering someone a mug of coffee/tea that is also clearly empty. Like, I get not giving the actor an actual take-out cup of scalding hot coffee, but at least fill the thing with water so they carry it properly maybe?

The only non-cooking TV drama that heavily featured food that comes to my mind is Hannibal. His dinners looked heavenly, as long as you ignored the fact that the main ingredient was human.

[yourlibrarian]

Haha, I don't think I could possibly forget that! But it's funny you mention the beverage issue because my partner notices it every time and it annoys him as well. I agree, put something in those cups so they don't just tilt them, wave them around, or handle them in such an obvious way.

[naushika]

I haven't watched any scripted shows about food really, but the topic makes me think of Fringe, which often featured food as a comedic bit:








Just as a few examples, hah. The fandom got a lot of joy from making food-related content from the show, in particular Walter's candy obsession and the show's general love of bacon. I once bought a 20 pound bucket of Red Vines in celebration of the show, and to eat while watching.

[yourlibrarian]

Oh interesting that it became a fannish thing!

[naushika]

Oh yeah! Red Vines were an integral part of the fandom. During a (one of many) risk of cancellation, the fans sent a bunch of Red Vines to the Powers that Be as a renewal campaign.

[wendelah1]

Excellent example. I miss Fringe.

[naushika]

Me too!! I just recently rewatched the show from beginning to end again and I went through so many feels while watching. It was sooo goood.

[meridian_rose]

My fave from Fringe is Mr Papya, the friendliest of fruits :D

[naushika]

Haha, can't forget Mr Papaya!!

[yourlibrarian]

Although I can't say it's in the least a food oriented show, it's interesting how often food comes up in The Americans. So often they're making dinner or someone is coming over to eat, or sometimes food is used as a cultural marker.

One thing I've noticed about TV shows (and even moreso in fanfic) is how often pizza is the food on screen. Every once in a while it's Chinese takeout but pizza is super common. I find it particularly interesting because so many shows are written if not made in Southern California where Mexican is so common. You'd think it would appear more often.

I know that I've noticed kebabs and chips come up very often in British shows. However I always remember that in As Time Goes By, they were often getting a curry and Lionel loved custard tarts.

[starfleetbrat]

Pizza is probably easier prop wise.

[jo]

That reminded me of Big Bang Theory -- feels like pretty much every episode either had the gang eating takeout at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, or having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where Penny worked for several seasons. Sometimes both!

[starfleetbrat]

Hmm most of the food related shows I like are more about the restaurant than the food. For example:

Aftertaste - and Aussie show (comedy drama) about a young woman who wants to start a pastry business but ends up in partnership with her grouchy uncle who is a celebrity chef who has been cancelled after going viral. Its mostly about them clashing and trying to get a restaurant set up and opened. She does make some interesting desserts though, some inspired by the female anatomy.

The Bear - about a dude who is a fine dining chef who returns home to run the family sandwich shop after the death of a relative. Its very good.

[yourlibrarian]

Aftertaste sounds like fun, and I don't think I've heard of it before.

[wendelah1]

The only show that comes to mind is a British comedy, Doc Martin, set in a small fishing village in Cornwall. Other than the medical and relationship stuff, it's almost all food-related: characters cooking, characters opening a restaurant, people helping out at said restaurant, an epidemic of food poisoning (both food and medical!). There are also episodes centered around the pub, a fish-and-chips stand, an ice cream truck, an illegal distillery. I got hungry for fish and chips, for sure. There was nothing new to me about the food but I would love to have visited Cornwall, pre-pandemic.

[yourlibrarian]

It looks like a lovely area. I have Doc Martin in a queue in some streamer somewhere. I recall in Vera she is often eating chips, and I have gotten hungry for them more than once 😄

[wendelah1]

It's a fun, gentle comedy. I highly recommend it, as far as I've watched, through series 7.

[executrix]

Quite a few scenes in Billions are either set in restaurants or in homes where fancy private chefs prepare delicacies.

[yourlibrarian]

True! I haven't seen the final season yet but you're right about some tempting eats coming up from time to time.

[meridian_rose]

Australian comedy-drama "My Life is Murder" has the main character making various breads which she sells to local restaurant alongside her police consultant work.

What drives me up the wall about food in tv shows is the waste. People sit down for one minute at a fully laden breakfast table or at dinner time, and then walk off without eating. Same with expensive drinks at a bar, one sip and then they leave. There might be practicalities behind it but to me it's very unrealistic that people never actually eat!

I did appreciate "Blood and Treasure"'s Lexi, a woman who was always quick to eat, usually someone else's food. One scene her partner had to wait for her to finish chowing down a hot dog before she could answer him. Nice to see a woman who enjoys eating :)

[yourlibrarian]

Is that the one with Lucy Lawless? If so, I think I saw a few episodes through Hoopla but then never continued.

Yes! I had this same conversation on Pillowfort a week or so ago. It started with discussing how so many books have people not hungry, pushing away food, losing their appetite, picking at their food etc. even though they ought to be starving. But the same point was brought up, about the enormous amount of food waste in TV and film.

It stood out to me when in a S5 episode of The Americans, the son throws away a piece of toast with jam on it because he said there wasn't enough jam! (Instead of, you know, adding more) And for once this got called out as his sister said she would have eaten it. Also, at a restaurant meeting where someone walks off leaving their food uneaten, another person starts eating some of it and then at a third person's look points out that it wasn't even touched.

[meridian_rose]

Yes, the Lucy Lawless one :) We get it via Alibi in the UK, I'm sorry it's not airing more widely elsewhere, it definitely has some good moments.

(Instead of, you know, adding more) Agh! At least his sister stepped in. I know my mum would go bananas if we'd tried that when we were kids!

[naushika]

"People sit down for one minute at a fully laden breakfast table or at dinner time, and then walk off without eating."

Oh my gosh this one drives me bananas! It's a full spread of pancakes, bacon, eggs, cereal - it probably took like an hour and a half to make and assemble everything, then nobody eats it. And the mom character is just like "gee whilikers, everyone's in a rush I guess!" as if she wouldn't be pissed to have wasted all that time and food. LOL.

[annavere]

An obscure choice, but the short lived show Life, from 2007, had a protagonist who was endlessly enthusiastic over fruit (he'd been in prison and couldn't get fresh fruit there) and I did notice while watching it that my fruit purchasing became both more frequent and more adventurous. It must have been effective. :)

Also, I can never watch Twin Peaks without desperately craving pie and coffee and donuts. Not as healthy, but just as memorable.

[yourlibrarian]

"Damn fine pie" will never not get used during pie consumption.

[meridian_rose]

I saw a cafe in Lichfield on a recent visit called Damn Fine Cafe and it had a pie of the day. I wondered if it might be a Twin Peaks reference :) (They're in Bird Street but there is a Dam Street with the Dam Fine Barbers)