this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
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[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I wondered if there was a TV Tropes page for this, and was surprised to not find one. Maybe I just missed it.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

This is the most fitting:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodSandwich

With these being adjacent:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LateForSchool
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ToastOfTardiness

One explanation is that food spoils very quickly in studio lighting (especially after multiple takes), so the food shown are fake inedible props.
The trope's purpose is to show an intact family preparing a hearty breakfast, then giving an excuse for why the actors aren't actually eating it.
Additionally, characters can't drive the story forward through conversation while chewing. Eating isn't relevant to the plot.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I've been listening to a lot of TV and movie podcasts. Fake food is often more expensive than real food. Unless there is a good reason, food is more often than not real.

But it's rarely eaten.

Actors have to do several takes and if they eat in the shot, they have to eat in every shot. A lot of young actors who don't know often learn this very early in their career to never eat the food because they will forever be sick of it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Unless they're great actors and only need one shot!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

For most shots, multiple shots can't be avoided.

You have to get coverage of the principal actors and unless they are all facing the same way, you always have to get shots in one direction and one shot the other direction.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Can't they do that with multiple cameras and save time?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

When they can, they do. But it's not always possible.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

Actors have to do several takes and if they eat in the shot, they have to eat in every shot. A lot of young actors who don't know often learn this very early in their career to never eat the food because they will forever be sick of it.

I think it was Zach Braff that mostly chose to have soup on the Scrubs set for this reason! And if I remember correctly Donald Faison never learned that lesson 😅

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Seems like maybe another trope is a character refusing to eat when they are upset or grieving. This happens in real life, too, of course. But it's kind of a frequent go-to for writers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, they're elements of that scene, but not the whole thing, which seems strange because it's such a common one. I know I've seen it many, many times over the years.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

One of my favourite takes on this trope:

https://youtu.be/R-Uq20BUFOo?t=50s

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

Brad Pitt doesn't seem to have any problems eating on film, but you make everything you do look good when you're that charismatic and handsome.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Additionally, characters can't drive the story forward through conversation while chewing.

Brad Pitt enters the chat

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You will likely not notice this unless you happen to be very hungry when it happens; then it will drive you up the wall.

😅

And how it happens in Wikies, i stumbled across balut. People do/eat weird things to be considered en vogue.