Philip Rosenthal, a Hofstra University alumni, recently saw his food-traveling documentary series called “Somebody Feed Phil” air its seventh season on Netflix. In this season Rosenthal travels to different cities and capitals of the world such as Washington, D.C., Kyoto, and Iceland.
The camera work was amazing, with viewers particularly enjoying the camera closeups of the views of the neighborhoods and cities shown. It was also enjoyable to see the wide shots of Rosenthal eating the food and the closeups of the food that was being served to Rosenthal and his guests.
In September of 1996, Rosenthal made huge airwaves in television when he created the CBS sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” which starred Queens College alumni Ray Romano. Most of the series’ episodes were based on Rosenthal’s own experiences.
For example, the second episode of the fourth season (The Can Opener) where Ray and Debra fought over a can opener was based on an actual spat between him and his wife, Monica Horan.
Over the course of ten years, from 2005 to 2015, Rosenthal tried to deliver a food traveling series to different networks. Finally, after ten years, Rosenthal got his big break in 2015 on PBS, when he had his own food-traveling show, “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having,” which only aired for one season.
It was similar to the concept of “Somebody Feed Phil,” where Rosenthal explored culinary specialities and unusual cuisines around the world, such as Barcelona, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Paris, Italy, and Tokyo. Guests throughout that series included Allison Janney, Martin Short, and Ray Romano.
Some of my favorite episodes of “Somebody Feed Phil” include the trips that took place in Washington, D.C., Kyoto, and Iceland. In the episode that focused on Washington, D.C., I really enjoyed the scenery of Washington, D.C., and how the food encapsulates the scenery of the episode. The documentary aspect of how the scene goes back and forth to Phil, giving his views on what the city means to him, was another nice touch.
In the Kyoto episode, I mostly loved how peaceful the atmosphere was and the very gentle and kind community showcased throughout. What truly inspired the whole scenery of the episode was Kyoto’s artful approach to dining, as Phil slurps soba, and meets an omurice virtuoso and wanders around town — beloved by many food lovers.
This show has inspired many people, including myself, to become cooks as well as wanting to travel around local cities or even around the world to try some of the best food humanity has to offer.
Most of all, my favorite episode was the Iceland episode because it gave me a lot of good places to recommend when I go to Iceland in May. Maybe that’s just my stomach speaking.
