Not the dramatic kind. The quiet one. The kind where you pause an episode, stare at the screen for a second longer than usual and suddenly start thinking about eggs or noodles or rice you weren’t planning to eat at all.

Some shows have a way of doing this effortlessly. Food shows up mid-scene, mid-conversation, mid-feeling. It isn’t announced. It isn’t explained. It’s just eaten. And somehow, that’s exactly what makes it stick.

Here’s a look at the dishes that didn’t just stay on screen, but followed people into kitchens, cafés and late-night cravings.

The Bear omelette: The Bear

This omelette doesn’t arrive with drama. Sydney makes it quietly, carefully, almost reverently. Soft eggs folded just right. Boursin melting into the centre. Chives scattered on top. And then the surprise crunch of crushed sour cream and onion chips. It looks rich, buttery and deeply comforting without trying to impress. Watching it feels like being let in on a secret. No wonder people paused the episode, replayed the scene, and immediately went looking for eggs.

 Naruto’s ramen: Naruto

Ramen in Naruto is never just food. Ichiraku Ramen is where Naruto goes after a win, after a loss and when he just needs to feel okay. The steam rising from the bowl, the slices of pork, the swirl of narutomaki. It’s affordable, filling and always waiting for him. For millions of viewers, this is where ramen stopped being unfamiliar and started feeling like comfort. Even now, one bowl is enough to bring that feeling back.

Matthew McConaughey’s tuna salad: 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast

This isn’t a scene from a show, but it became a food moment all the same. On the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, Matthew McConaughey called himself a “tuna fish salad master maker” and walked through his go-to Sunday tuna salad,and it sounded nothing like the tuna salad you grew up with. He talked about mixing quality tuna with a lemon-vinegar hit, a mayo blended with wasabi, red onion and dill pickle gherkins, sweet corn and frozen peas, crunchy jalapeño chips, crisp apple bits and just a touch of agave.

The internet reacted fast. TikTokers filmed their attempts. Grocery shelves started selling versions of it. People were surprised by how well the odd combo worked and how textural the salad felt on a plate. What started as an off-hand food chat turned into a conversation about reinventing something as simple as tuna salad — and that’s why it stuck.

–Pajeon: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty

Pajeon takes on a different weight in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. It’s no longer just a rainy-day pancake or bar snack. In the show, it’s cooked slowly, with care, treated as something worthy of attention. Crisp edges, soft centre, spring onions threaded through batter, oil sizzling just enough to be heard. That shift mattered. Viewers didn’t just clock the dish, they noticed how it was handled. Soon enough, pajeon started showing up again on feeds and in home kitchens, recreated the way it looked on screen. Simple ingredients, elevated by patience.

Dalgona coffee

When actor Jung Il-woo whipped up a fluffy coffee and compared it to dalgona candy on television, no one expected what came next. Equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water beaten into a cloud, then spooned over milk. During lockdown, the clip spread everywhere. People tried it at home, filmed it, failed at it, tried again. It wasn’t new, but it was suddenly everywhere. A TV moment turned into a global ritual!

What all these dishes have in common isn’t technique or trendiness. It’s timing. They appear when characters are relaxed, overwhelmed, in love or just trying to get through the day. Food becomes part of the feeling.

That’s when it works. A scene turns into a craving. A craving turns into a search. And before long, the internet is full of people making the same omelette, the same rice, the same coffee, just to see if it tastes the way it looked on screen.

If a show has ever made you pause, rewind, or open the fridge for no good reason, you already get it.

There’s probably at least one TV dish you’re still thinking about! Comment below and tell us which one it was.