5 Life Lessons To Learn From My Favorite Netflix Show

My latest obsession on Netflix is the show Somebody Feed Phil. If you have never watched it, it’s the traveling cooking show by Phil and Rich Rosenthal. Phil was the creator of one of my favorite shows, Everybody Loves Raymond. 

Initially, I loved watching the show because it was funny and light-hearted. As I watched more and more seasons, I began to notice how the show taught me some essential life lessons. Funnily, none of them are related to cooking. 

In this blog post, I want to share what we can all learn from the show and its main character Phil Rosenthal.  

1. Openness To Other Cultures

As Phil travels around the world and into people’s homes, sharing meals with families, you can’t help but become open to people from various backgrounds and food habits. 

I want to share a particular scene from the South Africa episode. Phil visits a woman who runs her restaurant out of her home. She shares a heartwarming story with him. An Italian man came to eat at her place, and after meeting her and her family, he told her, ‘I have never met a Muslim before. You are just like me!’. 

To me, these were powerful words. It proves that we can have misconceptions about people when we don’t dare to explore and know more about them.  

2. Authenticity

When you watch the show, you realize that Phil is not your dare-devil, larger-than-life TV personality. He is cautious and childlike, taking pleasure in the simplest things in life.

The show does a beautiful job of letting Phil be himself. It probably helps that the other creator of his show is his brother. Phil bounces with joy when he loves something he eats while making all kinds of funny faces. 

The brotherly squabble lets us see a personal side of him. Had it been any different, the show wouldn’t have made it to season 6. Instead, it’s a nice reminder of how you shine the best when you are yourself. 

3. Conquering Your Fears

In numerous episodes, you see Phil in situations despite being terrified to be there. Whether it is trying to be a beekeeper, jumping into ice-cold Ireland waters with people he barely knows, or taking the stage on camera doing the Argentinian Tango. 

Phil approaches these situations with the same attitude: I am scared, but I am going ahead. 

You can hear him say that if I can do it, you can too. We can’t take these words lightly. Phil isn’t some professional dancer or an athlete we see here but someone attempting the very things they are scared of doing. 

4. Power Of Community

In many episodes, you see Phil walk into restaurants and invite himself to eat with a group of strangers. I love the, ‘Excuse me, can I sit with you?’. I would love to share all the food with you. 

People are always skeptical, but before you know it, they are cracking jokes and making him a part of their group. 

5. Different Yet Similar

As we travel through the countries with Phil, we realize that people are different yet the same. I recall an episode when he was in Denmark, and while sharing his meal with Phil, the restaurant owner told him very politely that you use a fork and knife to eat your food in Denmark. Phil laughs it off and obliges. 

The same Phil while eating Indian food in South Africa, embraces it when the chef says Indian food should be eaten with your hands. She says you don’t taste the food unless you use your hands. 

This was an example of one having their preferences but being willing to embrace another tradition without inhibitions. Just because we prefer a particular style, we don’t need to alienate those who eat or pray differently. 

Somebody Feed Phil for me, is a breath of fresh air, teaching us life essentials in a place where we least expect them. We can learn things from anyone/anywhere when we open our minds. 

Maybe one day I will also learn how to cook something from the show. I might consider it if they showcase more vegetarian food. But, for now, that’s a good excuse.

Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of I, and we’re all the same in wanting happiness and in wanting to avoid suffering.

~ Dalai Lama