Discussing the food in the movie Tommy Boy (1995)
Food is a character in Tommy Boy, in this week’s episode of 614 feast podcast my friend Sam Famolaro and I discuss and analyze the movie through the lens of food. We mentioned all the food scenes that stood out to us, did we miss any?
The movie starts out with a young Chris Farley dropping his lunch box to stop a dog that was chasing him. Cut to a frat party with frat party food, Tommy Boy nailed it, Tommy and his rugby friends had a party and they just had one pizza box and a bag of chips. Very realistic college party vibes.
Sam asked me when I went from college parties with no effort to adult parties with charcuterie boards and effort. It’s hard to pinpoint, Sam’s theory is once you’re a homeowner you start to care and make an effort. I think renting your own apartment counts too.
The M&M scene from Tommy Boy
It’s so funny because it showcases the characters' personalities so well. David Spade is so worried about his car, he’s prim and proper. Tommy is a wild card silly goose, eating candy in his car and of course, makes a mess. Sam’s unpopular snack opinion is he doesn't like M&M’s.
What’s the best road trip snack?
Sam and I both agree Combos are the perfect road trip snack. Also, we both only eat Combos on road trips. What’s the best movie theater snack? Sam says the obvious choice is popcorn. His secondary choice is Twizzlers. We talk about sneaking snacks into movie theaters. Also, is movie theater food good? Soft pretzels, burger, pizza, etc. it’s very expensive and low quality but is it worth it?
More food relevant plot points for Tommy Boy (1995)
Tommy Boy has a mini fridge in his office. I think it’s super cool and great for drinks and hot sauce. Sam doesn’t think a mini fridge is a worthwhile thing to have.
Rob Lowe is introduced getting off a bus, drinking milk from a carton, then punching the glass where a kid’s face is then he throws the milk carton in a baby’s face.
Tommy’s love interest offers him a bear claw and Sam has never even heard of that donut, in Sam’s defense, it is a mediocre donut.
What’s the most difficult food to eat while driving? Tommy eats fries in the car and grossly squirts ketchup into his mouth. Sam says fries are definitely hard, I’ve eaten nachos and a gyro while driving.
When Richard and Tommy are arguing about Tommy failing at sales, Richard says your dad could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves. Tommy misses the point completely and only focuses on the ludicrous idea of a ketchup popsicle, hilarious.
Tommy want wingy
The Tommy Want Wingy scene is iconic, Tommy’s desire to get chicken wings made him be a good salesman. He was kind of charming, kind of confident, very convincing, and he got his wings.
Sam and I say it’s ridiculous to order a shrimp cocktail from a random diner in the middle of nowhere.
After Tommy’s first sale, the next scene shows them at the hotel and Tommy says he’s going to leave to get a pizza. He asks a pretty lady where the gym is and eventually comes back to the hotel sans pizza.
Which movie character would you go to brunch with?
Sam said Ray Zelensky and I said Tommy.
Utica New York food staples
Sam tells me about Utica food staples.
Moon Pie cookies which are very similar to a black and white cookie.
Tomato pie which is a cold thick crust pizza with a layer of tomato sauce and parmesan cheese on top,
Utica greens commonly escarole sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Per Wikipedia most recipes include hot cherry peppers, pecorino cheese, breadcrumbs, prosciutto or another cured meat, and sometimes chicken broth.
Chicken riggies which is basically penne ala vodka with chicken
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