With the recent fuss in the news about horse-meat getting accidentally sold in Wal-mart, I recalled an episode of “All In the Family” with a sub-plot in which Gloria cooks a horse-meat dinner. Yet nobody I’ve mentioned this to remembers it.
The episode starts with the Meat-head coming home from work and Gloria is in the kitchen making dinner. (They were still living with Archie & Edith at the time.) When he asks how she could afford to pay for steaks, she blithely remarks that it’s horse-meat, her friend brought them back from New Jersey, and remarks “a lot of people are eating it now.” Of course, Meat-head & Gloria agree that they have to keep this fact a secret from Archie, because he will not be “open minded” enough to try it if he knows this isn’t (cow) beef. It leads to one big laugh during the episode, when they all sit down at the table to eat and Archie exclaims “Hold your horses!” (about something completely different, but Meat-head & Gloria both freeze in panic.)
It was not the main plot of the episode, it was a sub-plot although I don’t actually remember what the main topic they were discussing that week. People accuse me of making this up, but I swear I saw this. Does anybody else remember it? Help!
A classic, and both the horsemeat and the conversion plots had really funny lines. (Archie trying to find out if Edith got tricked into converting to Catholicism: “Did you eat a cookie?!”)
Meathead was as aghast at first as well until she tricks him into eating a piece, after which he’s fine with it. It made me want to try horse meat, which I still haven’t done but wouldn’t be averse to.
IIRC, the horse head used in The Godfather, which was a real horse head, came from a New Jersey slaughterhouse.
No. The dinner is interrupted because he has to go make an ass of himself with the Lorenzos over his suspicions of their trying to convert Edith, and the final scene is when he comes back home and asks them to reheat the steak because “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”. In true sitcom style, Gloria and Mike collapse laughing, but it’s still funny.
My favorite line of the episode is Edith’s, who does know what the meat is and is sickened by it. When Gloria tells her a horse is an animal that can be eaten just like a chicken she cries out: “But the queen don’t ride a chicken!”
Roaming through the streets of Berlin, I saw a butcher shop called “Ross” - figured it was a family name. Like most butcher shops in Germany, you can also go in and order some sandwiches and other prepared food. I ordered a “Boulette” - a specialty of Berlin - sort of a mini-meatloaf they eat like a hamburger with a roll - you can eat them warm or cold. It was very good - nicely spiced. And cheap! I mentioned this to a friend and the next time we were walking around, I took him there to try one. He saw the name “Ross” and laughed. “Ross” was not a family name. That is the German word for meat from horses (like “Schinken” (ham) is meat from pigs, “Rindfleisch” (beef) is meat from cows, etc.). He refused to try it.
IIRC, Michael also did that thing where you imitate the sound of a galloping horse by slapping your hands on your thighs. Archie thought he was piggishly wiping his hands.
Sampiro has already quoted the other thing I recall from this episode: “But the queen don’t ride a chicken!”
You are correct - should have written “Schweinefleisch” (Pork) instead of “Schinken” (Ham).
Yeah, German is direct and to the point. I always like to use the example for the German word for “birth control pills”…they call them “Antibabypillen”. How’s that for blunt?!
Sorry for this slight hijack.
Regarding this episode of All In The Family - I must have either forgotten or not seen this episode! I thought I had seen them all, but don’t remember the horse-meat show!
Not altogether a hijack. In this episode Archie suspects Edith of unwittingly turning Catholic, and in another episode he suspects her of unwittingly dating a German (played by Polish-Israeli actor Theodore Bikel), so there’s a connection.
Then on an even later one, her German ersatz boyfriend returns with his German girlfriend, played in a dual role by Jean Stapleton.
Point: apparently Norman Lear didn’t like hiring Germans.
Thanks. I just watched the whole thing. It’s still funny after all these years, and the underlying message regarding religion is still so very poignant.
I remember the episode. My favorite exchange comes when Archie confronts Father Majeski (Played by Barnard Hughes) and the priest gives him some advice.
Father Majeski: Don’t talk to me; talk to your minister.
Archie: The Reverend Fletcher?
Father Majeski: FELCHER.
Archie: Whatever…Geez why should I talk to that dumb bell? He’s responsible for turning more Protestants into Catholics than YOU are.
Archie: I’m afraid my wife is gonna turn into a Catholic!!
Father Majeski: You make it sound like a horror movie. How did this happen? Under a full moon?
Great, wonderful episode. Really proves that All in the Family is just as good today as ever.
The character of Father Majeski was recurring. He was introduced in another good episode where Edith dents the Father’s car with a can of cling peaches (in heavy syrup). Or mmm-hmms according to Edith’s hilarious monologue.
Honest to god, they don’t make television that funny anymore.
Most shows today are either way too afraid of offending to make jokes about Catholics or horse meat or racism so they have the smark aleck kids and wacky neighbors but nothing with any substance, or (like the MacFarlane/South Park contingent) they love to offend for the sake of offending so the jokes are edgy but neither realistic nor poignant. All in the Family was certainly controversial in its time (especially the first season), but can you imagine what it would be up against today? This episode alone would likely have The Catholic League, PETA, various anti-horsemeat factions, probably some anti-Polish defamation groups just for good measure, allegations that Archie was emotionally abusive, etc., all over the net and on any news show that would give them airtime.
It irks me when I watch the show on cable and they’ve taken out words like fag, spade, Hebe, and anything else that might be considered offensive. Like Huckleberry Finn, the show was one of the most powerful indictments ever against racism, and by having Archie as a surprisingly complex character it was one of the first to really seriously address the psychology of racism, and yet it was at the same time hysterical. Just a brilliant show.