The Food of The Gilmore Girls

[corvus]

The Gilmore Girls is a show airing Tuesdays on the WB. It's not a food

show per se, but food plays a large part in almost every episodes.

There's coffee seeking Lorelai, the obsessive and talented chef Sookie, Jackson

the equally obsessive produce guy, Luke the diner owner, Taylor the

market and Olde Fashioned Soda Shop owner, and weekly dinners with the

grandparents where often whats on the table is the focus of the converstation.

There's a whole heck of a lot of food related stuff happening on this

show, and I like it. Any other fans of the show notice the food as much

as I do?

Jalapeno chopotle cream sauce mac'n'cheese-ly your,

-corvus

[Fat Guy]

Setting aside for the moment that this season of Gilmore Girls is totally inferior to previous seasons -- so much so as to be almost unwatchable -- and also setting aside the overall downward quality and intelligence arc of the series, I do agree that there are a ton of interesting (and in some cases surprising) food references especially for a network TV show. I can't think of any other popular show that has mentioned Alain Ducasse, for example. Last night there was indeed some great material in terms of the kids' party, with the green mac-and-cheese. In the previous episode, I cringed but was still impressed with the coining of the term "Lorelaid" as a verb meaning to suss out the best of food in a category.

[Rhea_S]

I caught last night's episode and all I really remember from the show was some naked guy on the floor and the food at the Lord of the Rings children's birthday party, specifically the green mac and cheese (green due to jalapeno) and the rum-raisin tiered birthday cake decorated with fresh fruit. Even a ditz like Chef Sookie should know kids rarely eat jalapenos or raisins. Other menu items: hummus, fresh veggies with lemon aioli, gravlax, charcuterie. Food looks great, but I can do without all the whining on that show.

[MichaelB]

My wife really enjoys the program -- so it is usually the watching fare during dinner at our house. I do enjoy the preoccupation with food.

It is comforting to know that there may be people (albeit make-believe) who think about and talk about food as much as I do. It is even beginning to creep into my real work. The other day I answered the phone and a very long-time client began the conversation "Michael, what is the name of the guy I like to buy chickens from at the Market?"

[BigboyDan]

Well now Fat Guy,

Rory has gone on to Yale. What to do? Looks like the eternal fall-back for shows that have "fulfilled" their premise: boyfriend/girlfriend problems (see "Ed").

I have a seveteen year-old daughter that watches it - I take a peek when Michel is on the screen.

[Fat Guy]

I'm not sure he has appeared at all this season, has he?

[MsRamsey]

I'm not sure he has appeared at all this season, has he?

Only 3 episodes have aired so far!

I agree it's not great so far this season, but it's still better than most.

[corvus]

I'm not sure he has appeared at all this season, has he?

Not yet, but he's still in the opening credits which is a good sign that he'll appear soon.

I fondly recall the bit with Michel, Sookie and the blueberry pancakes.

[TPO]

I do enjoy the food references. I am about as obsessed with coffee and where my next meal is coming from as the Gilmore Girls themselves. And while I'll admit this isn't the best season of the Gilmore Girls so far, but it's a still above some other things that pass as comedies these days. In my opinion, everybody does not love Raymond.

[Fat Guy]

The series is in places a lot funnier than most comedy series, but it's not a comedy series. It's a drama series. Thus Lauren Graham's SAG nominations for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series."

Yanic Truesdale is still in the cast, but missing the first 3 episodes can't be a good indication of how he's prioritized. They only make about 22 episodes a year.

I think somewhere along the way something got lost in the way the food references got written into the script. Along with much of the rest of the cultural references, too many of the food comments have gone from being intelligent, funny, natural, and hip to being middlebrow, leaden, forced, and out-of-it.

[tsquare]

Michel is back - with curly hair!

Do you consider what food to eat while watching this show? Had to make a burger last night...and ice cream. Two items I don't usually eat (at least at home.)

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate ice cream. Rory's, not mine.

Chicken or beef?

[alanamoana]

i don't have a tv here in nyc but when i was home in hawaii i caught a couple of episodes of this show. i actually want to like it but i find the dialogue to be pretty difficult to swallow. i realize it is tv but the "witty repartee" that loralei and rory have (and everyone else for that matter) is tooooo scripted and flip to be anything but annoying. now that i hear from this thread that there's so much food involved, i'll have to download previous episodes to watch on the computer!

[specialteach]

Do you think there is a chef like Sooki (I had a cat whose name was Suki years ago) out there in the real world?

The writers on that show must be real foodies. How else could they come up with such great writing about food?

[Toliver]

I just had to bump this discussion back up.

I may have too-much-food-on-the-brain thanks to eGullet, but after watching last night's episode, I could swear the writers of the show just have to be eGullet lurkers/members.

Last night, among many of the food references, Lorelai actually mentioned Sookie brining either a turkey or a chicken in a molasses and salt water mixture. I just about did a spit-take with my decaf when I heard that. "Hey, that's eGullet talking!"

Alright, confess! Which one of you writes for the show?

edited to add: Can we get an eGullet Q & A with the writers? That'd be a hoot.

Edited November 17, 2004 by Toliver (log)

[emilymarie]

I just had to bump this discussion back up.

I may have too-much-food-on-the-brain thanks to eGullet, but after watching last night's episode, I could swear the writers of the show just have to be eGullet lurkers/members. 

Last night, among many of the food references, Lorelai actually mentioned Sookie brining either a turkey or a chicken in a molasses and salt water mixture.  I just about did a spit-take with my decaf when I heard that.  "Hey, that's eGullet talking!"

Alright, confess!  Which one of you writes for the show?  

edited to add:  Can we get an eGullet Q & A with the writers?  That'd be a hoot.

←

Yes, last night's episode was full of food references: Lorelai talking about those briny pork chops, which she said Sooki marinates in a salt and molasses solution. I immediately thought to myself: Hmmm, salt/molasses brine. Interesting. Rori's college pal brings back hors d'ouvres from a party. One of the little treats apparently contains bacon wrapped around something bacon should never be wrapped around, after which Rori and pal comment on how weird rich people are. And of course, Lorelai's parents, though total cliche's, are a hoot with their scotch clean, butlers doing their food shopping, etc. Sooki's obsessive, perfectionist, produce-purveyor husband is also fun, especially when he starts going on and on about his fruits and veggies.

It's good to know I'm not the only person over 18 who watches this show.

[ludja]

Michel was on last night: I agree that he should be on more!

Until I saw this thread I didn't really think about how much food stuff there is on the show--Rory and Lorelei's takeout food, the coffeeshop, dinner's at the parents and now food up at Yale.

Food and drilnk were a big part of the Yale tailgate episode last year as well.

[Fat Guy]

This season is much improved over last, although last night's episode was probably the weakest of the year on account of the absence of the most interesting new character: Logan. I thought, however, that the pork chops were brined in bourbon and saltwater. Wasn't there a comment that it sounded like a cleaning solution or something? I just erased it from the DVR so I have no way to check.

[emilymarie]

This season is much improved over last, although last night's episode was probably the weakest of the year on account of the absence of the most interesting new character: Logan. I thought, however, that the pork chops were brined in bourbon and saltwater. Wasn't there a comment that it sounded like a cleaning solution or something? I just erased it from the DVR so I have no way to check.

←

On the tip of my tongue. I was trying to figure out what Lorelai likened the brine to and I think you're right, FG--cleaning solution!! My memory's not up to speed right now, so it coulda been molasses, coulda been bourbon. And I fell asleep early last night...

Does anyone remember this quote from Wayne's World? I thought that I had monno for a whole year. Turns out I was just really bored (or somesuch). How I'm feeling right now!

[patti]

Fat Guy's right, the pork chop brine was a bourbon and salt water solution.

I would've liked to have seen more of what Paris was binging on and I got a kick out of her bit about the cheesy bread. "Where's the cheesy bread? I ordered cheesy bread!"

[birder53]

I want to know how much bourbon vs saltwater to use in the brine! Would this really work? I might just have to find Star Hollow andorder it myself.

[hillvalley]

I just had to bump this discussion back up.

I may have too-much-food-on-the-brain thanks to eGullet, but after watching last night's episode, I could swear the writers of the show just have to be eGullet lurkers/members. 

Last night, among many of the food references, Lorelai actually mentioned Sookie brining either a turkey or a chicken in a molasses and salt water mixture.  I just about did a spit-take with my decaf when I heard that.  "Hey, that's eGullet talking!"

Alright, confess!  Which one of you writes for the show?  

edited to add:  Can we get an eGullet Q & A with the writers?  That'd be a hoot.

←

I had the same thought process

I end up hungry after each episode.

[yushoe]

meat on a stick anyone?

(from an episode a couple of weeks ago)

[Fat Guy]

I thought Paris's pizza looked awful.

[Jason Perlow]

I thought Paris's pizza looked awful.

←

Steven, you SO do not watch Gilmore Girls. If you do, I'm going to have to beat the crap out of you.

[Toliver]

I thought Paris's pizza looked awful.

←

I agree. But then I chalked it up to looking so bad because it was "prop pizza".

Sadly, I think I've eaten some of that in my day.