Much as it has been within our society, food has long been a part of the humor and culture of The Simpsons, a show that executes satirical send-ups of everything from fast food, family restaurants, school lunches and chili cook-offs — the staples of the American diet. While Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and his considerable appetite are certainly well-represented, the spotlight is definitely shared with other members of his family, as well as some show’s secondary characters. Here are just some of the best culinary moments from The Simpsons that indulged the cartoon family’s undying love of food and echoed our own.
The Sir Loin-A-Lot Challenge.
Homer, eager to try new steakhouse, The Slaughterhouse, orders their 16-pound steak, known as the Sir Loin-A-Lot. This gets the attention of the trucker, “Reliable” Red Barclay (Hank Azaria), who warns him that “this one’s not for greenhorns.” Before long, the two are in an eating contest against one another, and Homer realizes he may be in over his head. Soon after, he realizes he’s become everything he’s ever hated.
Homer Becomes A Food Critic.
Accidentally crashing the retirement party of The Springfield Shopper’s food critic, Homer is offered a job as her replacement. Using Lisa’s (Yeardley Smith) help, his love of food becomes infectious, until his fellow critics urge him to stop giving so many positive reviews. This, of course, leads Homer to be the target of an international assassination plot.
The Good Morning Burger.
One of The Simpsons’ many in-show commercials, The Good Morning Burger boasts a cheeseburger with bacon, ham and topped off with a fried egg. Homer, laying on the couch breathing heavily, can barely contain his excitement (or his drool).
Homer Packs Bart’s Lunch.
With Marge (Julie Kavner) making her way with a career as slot jockey in Mr. Burns’ casino, she leaves her family to fend for themselves. Homer’s incompetence as a parent comes out numerous times throughout the episode, including one such instance when Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Milhouse (Pamela Hayden) look to trade lunches, and Bart finds out all he really has to offer is some peanut butter smeared on a playing card.
“Sixty Four Slices of American Cheese.”
Because sometimes you have to stay up all night and eat sixty four slices of American cheese. Preventing a burglary from Mr. Burns and Smithers (both voiced by Harry Shearer) is just an added bonus.
Lisa Gives Up Meat.
After visiting a petting zoo and befriending a series of increasingly cute baby lambs, Lisa finds herself unable to cope with the idea of eating animals. She then tries to forcefully convert the rest of Springfield to her new dietary choices, with enough gazpacho for all. She also steals Homer’s BBQ pig, which gets launched through the air in a majestic flight. It’s just a little airborne. It’s still good.
Homer’s Beloved Sandwich.
Having barely touched the giant sandwich at a company picnic, Homer promises to give it a good home. Though its size makes storing it a challenge, Homer continues to eat it long after the mayonnaise starts to turn, and he ends up with food poisoning, which costs him a trip to Duff Gardens. Although it does gain him a viewing of The Erotic Adventures of Hercules, so it balances out.
The “All You Can Eat” Lawsuit.
Lionel Hutz (Phil Hartman), always on the lookout for a good lawsuit, convinces Homer to sue The Sea Captain (also Azaria) on the grounds of false advertising, given that his restaurant, The Frying Dutchman, wasn’t able to satisfy his hunger, despite claiming to be all-you-can-eat. After all, they drove around all night looking for another all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant — before Homer went fishing.
“More testicles mean more iron!”
She didn’t have a lot to work with, but Lunchlady Doris (Doris Grau) always seems to try and make the most of it, when not complaining about the meat content of gym mats, that is.
The Ribwich.
In a nod to the McDonald’s McRib, Homer gets addicted to the Krusty Burger’s annual sandwich, consisting of the meat of an unknown animal pressed into the shape of ribs, and spends the rest of the episode trying to chase that sweet, euphoric trip across the country.
Apu Selling Expired Meat.
Homer keeps landing in the E.R. after eating tainted meet from the Kwik-E-Mart, so he’s given a hidden camera in a giant yellow hat by a local news team to try and expose Apu. Homer, unsurprisingly, blows the operation, and Apu learns a valuable lesson — never trust the confidentiality of a giant, smashed hat left on the floor of a convenience store. Also, don’t sell expired meat, which is kind of important.
Homer’s Window To Weight Gain.
Desperate to do anything to get out of five minutes of morning calisthenics, Homer elects to gain enough weight to put him at 300 pounds in order to qualify him for disability, and a chance to work from home. Along with some help from Bart and Dr. Nick (Azaria yet again), Homer discovers his “window to weight gain.”
Nachos, Flanders’ Style.
A misunderstanding has Bart and Lisa taken into foster care and placed at the Flanders’ household. Ned (Shearer) does his best to help them fit in. He even makes them nachos one night, Flanders’ style — that’s cucumbers with cottage cheese — which admittedly sounds better than unflavored ice milk, or a piece of plain white bread and a glass of water on the side for dipping.
The (maybe) Poisoned Sushi.
When the family goes out for an adventurous meal, Homer likes it to the point where he tries almost everything on the menu, right up to the fugu. With the skilled hands of the Master Chef (San Shimono) busy with Edna Krabappel in the back of her car, this leaves inexperienced sushi chef Toshiro (Joey Miyashima) to prepare the dish, which he fears may have poisoned Homer.
Marge’s Pretzel Franchise.
Marge, finding herself kicked out of the investment club, The Investorettes, decides to invest in her own pretzel franchise. After failed attempts to draw in customers with coupons and big promotions, Homer turns to the mob for help monopolizing Springfield’s snack foods.
The Annual Chili Cook-Off.
Despite Marge’s best efforts, she’s unable to keep the annual chili cook-off a secret from Homer, and once he finds out, he learns that Chief Wiggum (Azaria again) had a little surprise in store for the “Pope of Chili Town.” Feeding him a batch of chili cooked with special Guatemalan insanity peppers proves too spicy for him to handle, at least at first.
“Mom, that’s veal!”
Starting off their vacation to Itchy And Scratchy Land with a nice family dinner, Marge becomes immediately mortified once Bart and Homer start ordering eyeball stew and brain burgers with extra pus. Learning that the restaurant, Tavern On The Scream, has violent names for everything on their menu, Marge tries to go along with everything by ordering the baby guts, which is veal. It doesn’t go well.
Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag.
Moe (Azaria once more), deciding to get rid of the dank, renovates his dive bar into a family restaurant. It’s the kind of place you wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring your family — just don’t bring any old people. His success is short-lived, however, when he realizes that his promise to smile every time he brings a customer their check is too much for him to bear.
“Give me 700 Krusty Burgers!”
After Homer ends up responsible for getting everyone in his boat lost on the Junior Campers’ expedition, things begin to look bleak. Their last morsel of food is gone and their boat is hopelessly adrift and sinking. Suddenly, Homer smells hamburgers, leading them to a Krusty Burger on the verge of being shut down, given that it’s operating on an unmanned, offshore oil rig.
Homer’s Football Snacking Regimen.
Stay hungry, Homer. Stay hungry.
