Movie Quote of the Day (‘Stranger Than Paradise,’ As A Hungarian Teen Learns About ‘The Way We Eat in America’)

Willie [played by John Lurie]: “You're sure you don't want a TV dinner?”

Eva [played by Eszter Balint]: “Yes. I'm not hungry. Why is it called ‘TV dinner’?”

Willie: “Um... You're supposed to eat it while you watch TV. Television.”

Eva: “I know what a TV is. Where does that meat come from?”:

Willie: “What do you mean?”

Eva: “What does that meat come from?”

Willie: “I guess it comes from a cow.”

Eva: “From a cow? It doesn't even look like meat.”

Willie: “Eva, stop bugging me, will you? You know, this is the way we eat in America. I got my meat, I got my potatoes, I got my vegetables, I got my dessert, and I don't even have to wash the dishes.”— Stranger Than Paradise (1984), screenplay by Jim Jarmusch and John Lurie, directed by Jim Jarmusch

TV Quote of the Day (‘The Odd Couple,’ As Felix Explains Why He Worries About Oscar’s Health)

Felix Unger [played by Tony Randall] [on why he’s concerned about the health of slob roommate Oscar Madison]: “I watched him eat eight hot dogs today and only saw him chew two.”—The Odd Couple, Season 2, Episode 8, “Fat Farm,” original air date Nov. 12, 1971, teleplay by Albert E. Lewin, directed by Mel Ferber

Quote of the Day (Erma Bombeck, on Kids’ Uncanny Sense Around a Kitchen)

“Kids were equipped with radar long before it went commercial. They knew when there were bananas hidden behind the popcorn popper in the pantry. They knew when there was a candy bar in the meat keeper in the refrigerator. It was not possible for a leftover piece of pie to survive a child in search of breakfast. When a dish rattled, they heard it, no matter where they were.”— American humorist Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing From America's Favorite Humorist (1996)

Quote of the Day (P.J. O'Rourke, on Eating as a ‘Vital Skill’ in Campaigning)

“A vital skill in running for office — especially during presidential primaries — is the ability to eat six pancake breakfasts and five spaghetti dinners a day at town halls, volunteer fire departments, VFW Posts, Elk Lodges, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions Club, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and B'nai B'rith.” —American humorist P.J. O'Rourke, “Politicians Ought to be Licensed,” Washington Post, Oct. 23, 2019

Quote of the Day (Calvin Trillin, on Skyscraper Restaurants)

"I never eat in a restaurant that’s over a hundred feet off the ground and won’t stand still.” —American journalist, humorist, and gourmand Calvin Trillin, American Fried: Adventures of a Happy Eater (1974)

(Photo of Calvin Trillin taken at a discussion at Dartmouth College, February 2011.)

Quote of the Day (Orson Welles, on ‘Intimate Dinners for Four’)

“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people with me.” —Actor-director-writer-gourmand Orson Welles (1915-1985), quoted in Simon Callow, “The Glutton Who Gorged Himself on Women,” The Daily Mail (U.K.), Dec. 4, 2015

Quote of the Day (Comic Jim Gaffigan, on His Salad Dilemma)

“I hate when I try to order a salad and my mouth says, ‘I'll have a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.’"—Stand-up comic Jim Gaffigan, tweet of Apr. 29, 2014

Quote of the Day (Comic Caroline Rhea, on What Should Occur Constantly This Holiday)

“I constantly walk into a room and I don't remember why. But for some reason, I think there's going to be a clue in the fridge.” – Canadian comic Caroline Rhea, quoted in “50 Surprising Reasons We Love America,” Reader’s Digest, July 2013

(Photo of Caroline Rhea taken at San Diego Comic-Con, July 2010, by The Consortium.)