We are a nation that loves to be entertained, with a little something to munch.
Popcorn, Junior Mints, Raisinets and movies. Hot dogs, nachos and baseball. Cold pizza, Red Bull and YouTube.
And television? There are hundreds of shows on an equally large number of channels, and we've come a long way since the frozen TV dinners of several decades ago.
So what do you eat while watching your favorite show?
With so many season premieres and season finales filling up the next few months, we suggest foods that complement the personality, the content, the total zeitgeist of a few popular TV shows.
Yes, we've completely ignored cooking-related and calorie-counting reality shows. Would you ingest anything other than baby carrots and large amounts of a frisky prosecco during those things? I think not. And yes, we know, we know, you should (a) be sitting down with your family at the dinner table instead of plopped in front of the TV, and (b) these may not be the most nutritious suggestions on the planet, but you're not doing this every day, right?
So with all the soon-to-air season finales or premieres in mind, we offer a few ideas on what to eat with 10 shows:
"American Idol" (Fox): Ham (gooey and cloying) plus a really cheesy potato casserole. Note: Good with any show that "celebrates" America's, um, talent: "America's Got Talent" (NBC) and "Dancing With the Stars (ABC)," etc.
"Friday Night Lights" (NBC): Bad hot dogs, cheap chips and cold coffee with non-dairy creamer. Or upscale the eats with barbecue and fried pickles.
"Glee" (Fox): Carryout from Olive Garden, heavy on the breadsticks. Or sloppy joes and potato chips. Or toss a slushies party.
"Gossip Girl" (CW): Strictly liquid diet (i.e. coffee or Cristal)
"Mad Men" (AMC): Martinis, iceberg salad, coq au vin, red table wine, scotch, fruit cocktail, brandy, Salisbury steak.
"Modern Family" (ABC): Cereal. Frozen TV dinner and a big glass of milk
"NCIS" (CBS): Leroy Jethro Gibbs (coffee), Abby Sciuto (Caf-Pow) and Timothy McGee (Nutter Butters)
"The Good Wife" (CBS): Big steaks, red wine, Italian beef sandwiches with soggy fries or hot dog on a sesame seed bun with neon-green relish. May induce heartburn if consumed watching "The Chicago Code" (Fox).
"30 Rock" (NBC): Cheesy Blasters, doughnuts and "funky juice" - white wine, ice and Sprite - cinnamon nuts (from Nuts 4 Nuts)
"True Blood" (HBO): Deviled eggs, devil's food cake. Or Bloody Marys, steak tartare, blood sausage. Good with any bloody show, i.e., "The Vampire Diaries" (CW) and "Being Human" (Syfy) or gutsy procedurals ("CSI" on CBS.)
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