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22 foods & drinks from our 22 favorite sitcoms
Desilu Productions

22 foods & drinks from our 22 favorite sitcoms

We eat a lot of food, and we watch a lot of TV comedies, so we can’t help but notice when foods appear in our favorite sitcoms. There are even some foods that make us think of specific TV episodes—which helped us choose the items in this list! Here are the most memorable 22 foods & drinks from our favorite sitcoms (with some bonus items just for fun).

 
1 of 22

30 Rock: Sandwiches

30 Rock: Sandwiches
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30 Rock’s Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) enjoys a lot of foods—from hot dogs and pizza to donuts and “night cheese”—but her absolute favorite food is sandwiches. That includes meatball subs (with extra bread), a sandwich supplied by the crew’s Teamsters (which is rumored to be roast beef, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and a gravy dipping sauce), and the “Liz Lemon,” which, as specified by the namesake, is “turkey, pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing, coleslaw, and potato chips.”

 
2 of 22

Arrested Development: Chocolate-covered bananas

Arrested Development: Chocolate-covered bananas
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There’s always money in the banana stand—the Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana stand, that is, which serves up chocolate-covered bananas with or without nuts. You could even get a G.O.B., named after Gob Bluth (Will Arnett), which is a frozen banana with double the chocolate, double the nuts, and two sticks. 

Honorable mention: Cornballs made with George Bluth’s (Jeffrey Tambor) appliance from the 1970s, the Cornballer.

 
3 of 22

The Big Bang Theory: Chinese takeout

The Big Bang Theory: Chinese takeout
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Sheldon (Jim Parsons) sticks to a relatively rigid meal and activity schedule that includes mee krob and chicken satay with extra peanut sauce from Siam Palace, barbecue bacon, cheeseburgers from Big Boy or the Cheesecake Factory, and pizza (from various spots). However, the biggest constant has been “The Big Bang Theory” gang’s Friday night routine, which is reserved for Chinese takeout (from Szechuan Palace or Golden Dragon) and vintage games. Their order? Steamed dumplings, General Tso's chicken, beef with broccoli, shrimp with lobster sauce, and vegetable lo mein.

 
4 of 22

Bob’s Burgers: Burgers

Bob’s Burgers: Burgers
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What else could we pick for “Bob’s Burgers” besides a burger? And we don’t just mean a regular hamburger or cheeseburger, but Bob’s “Burger of the Day,” which includes creative creations that highlight a featured ingredient using one or more puns. Examples include the “Kales From the Crypt Burger,” the “Sympathy for the Deviled Egg Burger,” and the “Poblano Picasso Burger.”

 
5 of 22

Broad City: Jawbreaker

Broad City: Jawbreaker
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Out of all the food that appears in “Broad City,” the most memorable scene is the Season 1 episode in which Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana (Ilana Glazer) get stoned, go to a candy store, and Ilana breaks her tooth biting into a Jawbreaker like it was an apple. Famous last words: “Kids used to say it would take them, like, a week to get to the center of one of these bad boys. But I know the trick to getting right to it.”

 
6 of 22

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Yogurt

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Yogurt
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Hitchcock and Scully (Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller) get a lot of attention on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” for how much they eat, as well as some of the strange things they eat, but Terry’s food obsession is the most consistent mention of one particular food: yogurt. Terry (Terry Crews) loves this high-protein food, which is constantly referenced on the show, and the actor says fans send him all kinds of yogurt all the time…although he doesn’t actually eat it for safety reasons.

 
7 of 22

Cheers: Beer

Cheers: Beer
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There’s a full bar and various snacks available at Cheers, but the item we see most often is beer. No brand, just beer served in a mug. It’s what Carla (Rhea Perlman) is constantly pouring for customers, it’s what Cliff (John Ratzenberger) and Norm (George Wendt) order every time, and you’ll even see Frasier (Kelsey Grammar) drinking a draft brew most of the time—something he seldom did on the “Cheers” spinoff “Frasier.”

 
8 of 22

Community: Chicken fingers

Community: Chicken fingers
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During our time in college, chicken fingers were by far the most popular item served in the student cafeteria, which is why we loved the Season 1 episode of “Community” that was entirely devoted to how people at Greendale go ga-ga for this same food. It’s so popular that Abed (Danny Pudi) created a mafia-like syndicate to control the food’s distribution. 

Honorable mentions: Let’s Potato Chips (a fictional brand featured on many TV shows and ubiquitous at Greendale) and buttered noodles (Abed’s favorite food).

 
9 of 22

Frasier: Sherry

Frasier: Sherry
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Frasier (Kelsey Grammar) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) are sophisticated psychiatrists, so their drink of choice is sherry…unlike their father Martin (John Mahoney), who sips Ballantine beer. Often the first thing Frasier asks his brother when he visits his apartment is whether or not he’d like a sherry—always served in a small sherry glass, of course. 

Honorable mentions: Caviar (which the brothers eat by the handful in one episode) and Dom Pérignon.

 
10 of 22

Friends: A trifle

Friends: A trifle
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Whenever we hear someone mention a trifle, we think of the Thanksgiving dessert Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) made on “Friends.” It contained ladyfingers, jam, custard, raspberries, bananas, and—due to the cookbook pages getting stuck together—beef sauteed with peas and onions. “It tastes like feet!” Ross (David Schwimmer) famously commented…although Joey (Matt LeBlanc) actually liked it. 

Honorable mentions: Cheesecake (from Mama’s Little Bakery - Chicago, Illinois), Nestlé Toll House cookies, and, of course, coffee.

 
11 of 22

How I Met Your Mother: Pineapple

How I Met Your Mother: Pineapple
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In the first season of “How I Met Your Mother,” Ted (Josh Radnor) blacks out during a night of drinking and can’t remember how he twisted his ankle, burnt his jacket, hooked up with a random girl (Danica McKellar), and ended up with a pineapple on his nightstand. The first three mysteries get solved in the same episode, but the pineapple’s origin doesn’t—until a Season 9 deleted scene reveals Ted stole it off the porch of The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan). 

Honorable Mentions: “The best burger in New York” and pizza from Gazzola's in Chicago.

 
12 of 22

I Love Lucy: Vitameatavegamin

I Love Lucy: Vitameatavegamin
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Our all-time favorite “I Love Lucy” episode is “Lucy Does a TV Commercial,” in which Lucy schemes her way into an ad for a health tonic called Vitameatavegamin. After numerous takes in which Lucy sips on the tonic containing 23% alcohol, she soon becomes drunk and slurs her way through the commercial in one of the most memorable scenes in “I Love Lucy”—and television—history.

 
13 of 22

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Milksteak

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Milksteak
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Charlie (Charlie Day) has a unique palate on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” He eats dog food, grass, raccoon meat, barnacles, paint, and an entire pear (including the core, stem, and sticker), but he says his favorite food is milk steak. Unfortunately, milk steak is exactly what it sounds like, and Charlie even attempts to order it in a restaurant, boiled over hard, with “your finest jelly beans.”

 
14 of 22

King of Queens: The Doug

King of Queens: The Doug
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Many of the jokes and storylines of “King of Queens” highlight how much Doug (Kevin James) likes to eat—specifically, how much he likes to eat unhealthy things. He’s a regular at numerous fast food joints, he obsessively crafts the perfect Super Bowl spread, he enters a wing-eating competition, and he even creates his own sandwich and tries to get it on the menu at Cooper’s, his usual hangout. That sandwich, “The Doug,” consists of pastrami, onion rings, and a dab of horseradish.

 
15 of 22

Modern Family: Wedge salad

Modern Family: Wedge salad
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In a Season 2 episode of “Modern Family,” Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) get into a huge argument, but the former can’t figure out why his wife is mad. They eventually make up and go out to dinner, where Phil recommends the wedge salad. Claire immediately flips out, because the reason she was previously mad was due to her recommending a wedge salad (amongst other things) to Phil for years, but he didn’t try it until a friend made the suggestion.

 
16 of 22

New Girl

New Girl
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In the “New Girl” episode “Spiderhunt,” we are introduced to the fact that Nick (Jake Johnson) has a special sauce that has been in his family for generations. We don’t know everything that goes into it, but it contains ingredients like mayonnaise, bologna, matzah, peppercorn, and sprinkles, and it tastes like the inside of a bear…and that’s a compliment.

 
17 of 22

The Office: Chili

The Office: Chili
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The absolute best cold open in the 10-season run of “The Office” is the one with Kevin’s chili. Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) describes in detail how he makes his family’s famous chili recipe and says it’s “probably the thing I do best.” As he’s walking into the office, he drops the massive pot on the carpet, spilling chili everywhere, and tries in vain to save the contents using a clipboard and a letter tray.

 
18 of 22

Parks & Recreation: Waffles

Parks & Recreation: Waffles
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Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) is obsessed with calzones, but that’s not established until several seasons into “Parks and Recreation.” However, Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) love of waffles is a running joke throughout the entire series. Her go-to spot for waffles is JJ’s Diner, and she always orders them with plenty of whipped cream.

 
19 of 22

That ‘70s Show: Popsicles

That ‘70s Show: Popsicles
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Where do the kids on “That ‘70s Show” hang out the most? The Formans’ basement. What are they always eating in the basement? Popsicles, due to the close proximity of the chest freezer. 

Honorable mention: Candy, the favorite food of Fez (Wilmer Valderrama). 

 
20 of 22

Schitt’s Creek: Herb Ertlinger Fruit Wines

Schitt’s Creek: Herb Ertlinger Fruit Wines
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The scene that first solidified our love for “Schitt’s Creek” was in the first season’s sixth episode, in which Moira (Catherine O’Hara) makes a commercial for Herb Ertlinger Fruit Wines. The actress has a few too many samples of the product she’s promoting, making it hilariously difficult for her to get through her lines and even more difficult for us to make it through this absolutely iconic scene without completely cracking up.

 
21 of 22

Seinfeld: Junior Mints

Seinfeld: Junior Mints
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There are so many “Seinfeld” episodes that memorably involve food, but the one food we can’t hear mentioned without thinking of the show are Junior Mints. After all, the Season 4 episode “The Junior Mint” is all about this candy and how Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Kramer (Michael Richards) accidentally drop one into a patient undergoing a splenectomy. Honorable mentions: Chocolate babka, black & white cookies, Pez, soup, a big salad, eclairs (from the trash), bagels, and many, many more.

 
22 of 22

The Simpsons: Pink-frosted donuts

The Simpsons: Pink-frosted donuts
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If you showed someone this donut and asked them what show it makes them think of, most people would say “The Simpsons”—even folks who might not be fans of the long-running animated series. Donuts, specifically the pink-frosted kind with rainbow sprinkles, are now synonymous with Homer Simpson, and some actual donut shops even offer this treat with a name that’s a nod to Homer or the show, including at Universal Studios!

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