“Can I Please Feed You?” 4 Lessons About Food from Queer Eye Season 6

One of our favorite Netflix shows is Queer Eye. We’ve spent many hours of quality time watching the Fab Five guide people on journeys of personal growth. We love a show that gives us all the warm fuzzies and reminds us to take care of ourselves!

While we love all five experts, we’re always excited to see Antoni Porowski cook with each episode’s hero. From low country boil to avocado and grapefruit salad, each new recipe provides an opportunity for growth and reflection. It’s not just about learning basic cooking skills. A lot of personal breakthroughs happen in the kitchen.

Season 6, which dropped at the end of 2021, is set in and around Austin, Texas. Since one of us has lived in the Lone Star State, we can vouch for how seriously Texans take their food. It’s no surprise, then, that food is involved in many of this season’s most poignant moments. We didn’t expect to cry over crawfish, but there’s a first time for everything, right?

Unfortunately, we can’t all spend time in the kitchen with Antoni. Still, we can learn some valuable lessons from the culinary segments of Season 6. Here are four of our biggest takeaways.

Food Brings People Together

It’s no secret that we’re firm believers in the power of food to bring people together. This season, the Fab Five and their heroes experience this power firsthand.

Food often carries the legacies of our ancestors and loved ones who are no longer with us. This is the case for Todd in Episode 5, who opened Plookys Cajun Boiling Pot with his late wife. The restaurant was her dream, and Todd honors her legacy by keeping it running. It’s a tangible way for Todd to remember the love of his life, while giving others a place to connect over food.

Earlier, in Episode 1, honky-tonk owner Terri teaches her grandson to make her own grandmother’s banana bread recipe. It’s a beautiful moment of bridging past and future generations and ensuring a family legacy will live on.

Terri isn’t the only hero this season who learned to cook from her family. Angel (Episode 2), Emilio, (Episode 4), and Jereka (Episode 6) are all seen preparing dishes they’ve made with their mothers and grandmothers. Though they come from different cultural backgrounds, we see how important of culinary heritage is to each of them. In Angel’s case, making lumpia with her mom also creates an opportunity for conversation about identity, love, and family.

As competitive as the food and restaurant industry can be, there can also be some beautiful camaraderie. In Episode 9, Sarah from OMG Squee gets connected with other local Asian chefs, finding some much-needed community. Food, and the connections it fosters, can help people feel less alone. (Even though Antoni is the food guy, we have to give Karamo a shout-out for this moment!)

Food Nourishes Our Ambitions

“Teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.” Replace “fish” with “cook,” and you unlock a whole new world of possibilities. From self-taught bakers to aspiring chefs, food often helps people find a sense of purpose.

Take Sarah, for example. She’s an entirely self-taught baker whose Asian-inspired flavors and designs have earned her quite a following. Sarah and her partner built OMG Squee after experiencing burnout in their previous careers. Baking has given Sarah a new purpose, much to the delight of her customers and fans.

Food can also help us show others that we support their dreams. In Episode 10, Reggie’s son, Reggie Jr., is a master chef in the making. His skills are impressive, especially for someone so young, and he’s got his sights set on culinary school. Spending time in the kitchen lets Reggie Sr. bond with his son and demonstrate his unconditional love and support.

Food Shows Others We Care

Preparing and sharing food is an act of love. Food represents an investment of time, effort, and resources. It’s not just the dish itself that we appreciate- it’s the fact that someone thought enough of us to make it.

Emilio from Episode 4 clearly understands this, as he makes sure his vegan classmates will have food options at prom. Antoni is touched as Emilio explains how his desire to take care of others came from his mother. Even when money was tight, Emilio’s mother made sure he had something to eat. Something as simple as potatoes wrapped in a tortilla can still be a powerful symbol of love and care.

In times of plenty, we make sure others are taken care of by sharing extra food. In Episode 6, Jereka describes how her family used to share the peaches they grew with neighbors and friends.

Food is also one of the most common forms of hospitality offered to guests. When the Fab Five arrive at OMG Squee, a stunned Sarah asks, “Can I please feed you?” She is excited to share her work and make these unexpected visitors feel welcome in her bakery. (No worries if you can’t offer your guests mochi donuts decorated like cute little bears. A simple glass of water can still get the message across.)

Food Is Self-Care

Just as sharing food shows others we care about them, cooking and eating are ways we can care for ourselves. In some cases, this simply means giving our bodies the nutrients we need so we can feel our best. (Sarah here- can you tell I’m a dietitian?)

Episode 8’s hero, Chris, is a nonprofit director who devotes most of his time to serving people experiencing homelessness in Austin. However, as a bariatric surgery patient, it’s crucial that he also takes care of his own needs. Antoni gives Chris some tips to jazz up his usual protein shake, maximizing both nutrition and flavor. It’s certainly a departure from Antoni’s usual Instagram-worthy dishes, but the important thing is that it’s nourishing.

Jamie, the animal rescuer featured in Episode 7, is also used to putting others’ needs way ahead of her own. With Antoni’s help, she whips up a plant-based dish that is healthy, delicious, and easy to prepare. The underlying lesson is that self-care doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. Small, occasional actions can still go a long way.

Final Thoughts

It’s difficult to pick a favorite episode or season of Queer Eye because they’re all just so darn good. That said, we love Season 6 because the significance of food in the heroes’ lives is consistently emphasized. In each episode, we see food fulfill the hunger for connection, belonging, and love (for self or others).

We tip our cowgirl hats to Antoni and the producers on a fantastic season! Now, what will they cook up next?