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Parks and Recreation foodie moments are drool-worthy. Be it during Ron vs. Chris’s burger cook-off, April and Andy eating turkey chili off a frisbee, or Leslie’s undying love for JJ’s Diner, the series is really all about foodies working for the government.
And being a ladle-deep foodie myself, I like to search for fun food compilations from this series just to get inspired and let my happy chemicals flow! While watching this popular TV show, I realized that the foods many characters like go well with their personality. Some are sweet, some sassy, and of course, some are Ron.
So I have compiled a list of characters and their foods, proving that people eat what they are (sounds dark, I know.) Some of these foods I have already eaten or cooked, while some are on my glutton wishlist.
Ben and His Calzone
Lowcalcalzonezone: Ben’s Little Nepoli.
Benjamin “Ben” Wyatt (portrayed by Adam Scott) is a man of his word..calzones. He is a visionary who truly loves calzones even when these pockets of meat and cheese betray him (spoiler? Maybe)
To him, calzone IS the fast-food option for Italian cuisine. Pizza? He knows what that abomination might be, other than an un-tucked calzone. Ben looks at calzone as a dish that is its container. You can call it a pizza pocket, but he can’t hear you.
Calzones are like portable pizzas, filled with the most exciting and mouth-watering ingredients and baked to perfection. You can add nearly anything inside a calzone base. While meat, cheese, sauce, and veggies are the staple fillings, you can flip the game!
In the episode “Pie-Mary,” he registers in a pie contest where Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) cannot. Not only was this a way to overthrow a notion of women’s limited visibility in terms of a politician, but also question the harsh light they fall under if they mess up something as simple as a pie.
But Ben goes further to question the foundation and terminology of the pie by baking a calzone for the contest. For a while, it makes us think, yes, of course! Bottom crust-filling-top crust = pie OR calzone? Why not both?
Ben is savage to turn an Italian savory meat dish into a dessert calzone so he could have his wife’s back. He even wears an apron with “In the Zone” to the event, a sweet gesture to show his support for the calzone while supporting his beloved.
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Why does Ben = calzone?
Saying it without imagining Ben’s pronunciation of this word is nearly impossible.
But that is who Ben is. His ideas make you ponder them for a while, think if you have heard about them before, and try finding connections to related topics.
For example, his board game idea, The Cones of Dunshire, reminds me of Catan, but it is not.
And that is how I think of calzones. One bite into these flaky meat pies, and you are instantly reminded of a pizza, only folded.
While the classic calzone has meat, cheese, and marinara sauce, anyone can flip the game and put their favorite ingredients instead. Calzone lets you experiment around with various fillings without showing the world what they are (thanks for being a snitch, pizza.)
As we have seen in the episode, Pire-Mary, you are one step away from turning calzone into a dessert pie. Ben loves his ideas to death. He is super-creative about everything he makes and loves them like his children.
Ben is an imaginative, supercharged character. He is a sweet, nerdy boy, always stringing up great ideas and being a constant support to Leslie, like how the sweet marinara sauce beautifully contrasts yet syncs with the savory and chewy pepperoni slices, a pretty cute and powerhouse combination.
Leslie and Her Sweet Cravings
Of course, it is not healthy. But this is fiction, and today we are talking about food, not health.
She loves everything sweet, so much that she thought a brownie she ate once in college was edible. But it was just too darn delicious, enough to make her feel high.
- The best thing you can bribe her with—sweets!
- The best thing to make her day a breeze—sweets!
- Want to be on her good side? Raging desserts!
She loves sugar so much that she single-handedly invented a new “spice” called salger. It makes you do a 2+2 and see why Ben loves her dearly. Leslie’s favorite spot in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana, is JJ’s Diner. According to the owner, she has spent US$ 1000 once for an entire year there, ordering pancakes.
Not to forget, she LOVES whipped cream on nearly everything. Canned whipped cream to Leslie is what plushies are to kids. In one episode, Ben was concerned about how less cream she added to her waffle, as that is so not her.
Leslie can never have enough sugar. Once, she snatches coffee from her her best friend, Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones,) while hurrying and asks her to put in more sugar next time.
Another time, her co-worker April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) bribed Leslie with one iced mocha with ‘extra extra’ whipped cream. Next seen, we see Leslie pouring more powdered sugar into the drink.
Desserts and sweetness are more than comfort foods to Leslie Knope. It is her identity. In another episode, we see her stacking up snack supplies for a stakeout and bringing the most childish snacks like whipped cream cans, pork rinds, and candy necklaces.
Leslie is sweetness and energy dialed to a hundred.
Why does Leslie = sweets?
Even as her role in the Parks department is massive and goes on to become a powerful figure for the city’s constitutional rights and safety, Leslie is a child at heart. She is a sweet, motivated lady who knows her goals and worth. Her character does not portray the ever-so-serious, no-nonsense leader but a guide for all to make Pawnee a happy city for all.
To me, Leslie is like a glittery unicorn, full of joy, fun, and excitement. Except, as adults, we know that energy level is only possible when you are dousing your meals with sugar, syrup, and sweetness overload.
She is an enthusiastic and driven role model for all who has a mind of her own. Her character traits are independent and strong, just like a dessert dish.
You might need sugar to balance out an overpowering salty dish. But never the opposite. Desserts have an energetic yet comforting feel about them.
They make you feel like everything is alright, all the puzzle pieces are well-slotted, and you are on holiday. That is exactly what Leslie wants the city of Pawnee to experience every day.
Ron Swanson and His Love for Meat
Who loves meat? Ron loves meat!
Well-cooked, perfectly charred, simple, and perfect cuts of steak, served with sides, some mash, and whiskey, is how Ron likes to have his grub.
Ronald Ulysses Swanson (Nick Offerman) is one of the best fictional characters I have known. He knows what he wants in life, is unapologetic, values his closest friends, and is the ultimate foodie of them all.
He is not a man ashamed to spell out his culinary intrusive thoughts, like the turf and turf, along with his whiskey and cigar. And he can consume it in one go because he is a free American!
In my opinion, Ron started food pics before any of us. In the episode “Indianapolis,” he is more excited about visiting Indianapolis because of the food than his department receiving a commendation.
He shows us his album, where he kept all the pictures of his steak adventures at Charles Mulligan’s Steakhouse. And he is smiling in all the photos! The man truly loves his steak.
Ron’s passion for food speaks out on various occasions, all of which are work-related. His only reason to go for Government functions is to eat their delicious food. The same goes for bowling alleys for any campaign or any other clubs.
We also see his general disregard for the ladies working at a strip club in the episode “Tom’s Divorce.” His only reason to stick around is their free breakfast buffet. Plus, it has bacon!
He looks at meat not only as a comfort food but also as a reason to sometimes, unwillingly even, socialize.
Why does Ron = meat?
Now, I cannot relate all meat dishes to Ron. He loves a well-cooked meat piece without any frills and extra drama. He believes that cooking meat does not have to be a science experiment but a simple meal that makes your day.
Oh, and the man truly detests vegetables.
In the episode “Soulmates,” he and his boss, Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe,) have a burger cookoff to settle their argument: red meat vs. lean meat. Whoever wins gets their burger served at the commissary lunch, and Ron is not ready for health-freak Chris to change it to a turkey burger.
This episode also highlights Ron’s love for food as his only driving force to come to work, where they serve a hamburger. While Chris’ Asian-fusion burger sounds like a gourmet nutrition classic, Ron’s simple hamburger is just a grilled patty on a bun with nothing.
And guess who wins, Ron! Because Turkey can never beat a cow. Ron likes his food the way he is, i.e., no-nonsense, simple, confident, with a robust personality. He is an original character that writers can take inspiration from, an OG. And that is how he loves his food: classic and brutally honest, and true to its description.
The Takeaway
Pawnee’s government employees love their grub. These three characters take the cake (Leslie eats all the pieces) when it comes to enjoying their meals.
I am not saying that the show portrays healthy eating habits, and we should follow suit 100%. But it does offer vibrant, exciting, and refreshing moments where the characters enjoy their favorite foods when having a sad, happy, or exciting moment in their lives.
