The most iconic scenes in television follow a range of different themes, from visual or physical comedy and careful plotting to the shock of murder and mayhem.
I’ve compiled my list of the best food scenes from television over my 40 something years on this planet. They all feature brilliant acting, a quality written script, and flawless execution. Below you’ll find nine tremendous clips, and the writing does include some spoilers. You may be familiar with some of these shows, while others may make you dive for the remote.
1. Kevin’s Famous Chili – The Office
The Office was often at its best when characters voiced over a connected piece of footage that made them look foolish, fatuous, or flat out hilarious.
The sheer, humiliating terror of watching the hapless Kevin spill an entire pot of his ‘famous chilli’ in the middle of the floor – and trying to scoop it back in by making everything so much worse – is juxtaposed by his cheerful, innocuous bragging about the quality of his signature dish and how important it is to him.
I’ve never wanted the ground to swallow up someone else in pity while I laughed so hard in my life.
2. Ron Swanson Loves Meat
This is a montage – or an homage – to food in all of Parks and Recreation’s 8 epic seasons. They are situations in which manly man Ron Swanson gets to eat a heart-burning amount of meat with the rapacious glee of Homer Simpson. I had to put them together because they would have completely dominated the list if picked apart from each other. “They call it a Swanson,” just might be my favorite line from any television show.
3. No Soup for You – Seinfeld
The Soup Nazi episode is one of the all-time Seinfeld greats, but I love this scene in particular. From George doing anxious George things while trying not to ruin the soup transaction for a second time that day – and slinking away with his soup – to Elaine chewing the scenery with her over-the-top brashness contrasting her shock at being banned for one year, is sitcom television perfection.
“You’re pushing your luck, little man!”
4. The Final Scene – The Sopranos
Except for a single bowl of fried onion rings, the final scene of the Sopranos contains no food at all. Just a rocking song, shady peripheral figures, and the members of the family trying to meet up for dinner together at their favorite local restaurant.
It’s a scene that has provoked endless conjecture, polarizing fans with its opaque, ambiguous snap to blackout ending. Does Tony get shot, or is this a glimpse into the paranoid world in which he lives now? Whether you agree with the ending or not, the final scene is widely lauded for being one of the most intense, interesting, and taut viewing experiences from the show.
5. How to Get a Free Meal – The Golden Girls
The passing of Betty White earlier this year prompted me to go back to my own teen years of the early-mid 1990s, when I had to sit and watch along as my parents laughed along with the studio audience of The Golden Girls.
This scene is one of the show’s very best, with Estelle Getty’s Sophia turning a terribly expensive restaurant mistake from White’s character Rose Nyland, into the best possible outcome for the dining party. While Getty owns the scene with, “you’re supposed to take off your socks before you step on the wine,” the other Golden Girls’ responses to her impromptu performance are what make it brilliant television.
7. Kitchen Rebel – M*A*S*H
I grew up watching M*A*S*H, it’s my dad’s favorite show of all time. Being syndicated also meant that it was shown continuously in re-runs in Australia throughout the 1990s.
The longer I watched it myself and grew more aware, the more I understood that M*A*S*H was far more than ‘just’ a sitcom. It was a complex social, relationship, identity, and political commentary as well. A great example of this was when, of all people, the laconic, wisecracking Hawkeye (Alan Alda) snapped in the mess tent, then started a mini revolt. Gone were the jokes and sly humour, replaced by a man so incensed by the day-to-day drudgery of war that he just couldn’t take it any longer. This is a memorable scene from one of television’s most enduringly relevant shows.
7. Perfect Penny Killed my Husband – Grey’s Anatomy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVQbrbdob1A
Admittedly, I’m not a Grey’s fan. But it’s a popular show in my household, and if I want to watch football on Friday nights, then occasionally I have to take one for the team.
I love this scene though. What should be a cheerful dinner amongst colleagues collapses under the weight of tension, anxiety, dislike, and suspicion. It’s also relatable, if not for the subject matter, for the awkwardness and that one member of the group having charged through too much wine before dinner. Oh yeah, and Perfect Penny killed Meredith’s man! In hindsight, I probably would have made a more clearly defined seating plan…
8. The Pie Interrogation – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ruining a pie is horrible in any circumstance, but defacing a pie your boss – who just happens to be the Brooklyn Nine-Nine police captain – owns is downright stupid.
The sight of Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) confronting his subordinates with the full array of tricks from decades of police interviews, still makes me giggle, and I’ve seen this clip more than twenty times. And no, I’m not telling you who trashed the pie.
9. The Candy Factory Conveyor – I Love Lucy
Comedic perfection. Everything about this scene, from the intimidating line supervisor to the duo’s sheer incompetence, is hilarious when looked through the lens of Lucille Ball. I like how the pair settle into their work and get much worse as they concentrate harder – either rushed or laidback with equal measure. It’s like watching my sons try to clean up their room.
Conclusion
Food scenes are some of the most dramatic, funny, and important scenes that you’ll find on television, whether they’re comedies, drama, or theater. Everybody has to eat, and the way people behave at dinner, functions, or even just buying lunch can be endlessly interesting.
What are the food scenes in television shows that resonate most with you?