Phil Rosenthal of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ Compares Himself to ‘Anthony Bourdain
Somebody Feed Phil traces its roots back to Everybody Loves Raymond, which Phil Rosenthal created. Star Ray Romano had zero interest in traveling anywhere—until Rosenthal wrote an episode that required his character to travel to Italy. The experience transformed Romano into an eager globetrotter and inspired Rosenthal to create the PBS documentary series I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, the James Beard Award–winning precursor to his Netflix show.
No comfort zone: Rosenthal pitched Somebody Feed Phil based on his inherent squeamishness: “I said, ‘I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain—if he was afraid of everything.’ He was a brilliant adventurer and a true chef. I am none of these things. I am an American tourist. I guess there has to be a show for the guy sitting on the couch watching Anthony Bourdain and saying, ‘He’s amazing. I’m never doing that.’”
Try it, you’ll like it (maybe): The promise of bugs on a restaurant menu can keep Rosenthal up all night. “I’m not that worldly when it comes to these things,” he admits. “But if it’s there and it’s offered to me and it’s on my plate, out of politeness, I’m going to eat it. And I’m usually pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t disgusting and that it was, in fact, fine. I always say, if nobody told you that there’s a worm in your salad, you wouldn’t know there’s a worm in your salad.”
Strictly an eater: Despite his love of great food (and investing in restaurants; he’s invested in more than 25 restaurants, according to Fast Company), Rosenthal isn’t eager to try his hand in the kitchen. “I’m like a guy who loves magic, and the magic wouldn’t quite be as magical if I knew how the trick was done.”
Most surprising destination: Saigon. “I was expecting some war-torn country,” says Rosenthal. “The only exposure I had to Vietnam were war movies—Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Platoon and stuff like that. We go and we’re just happy tourists in a beautiful city, a beautiful country. I can’t wait to go back.”
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His other passion: “There’s a reason you want to go to Paris, there’s a reason you want to go to Venice—it’s architecture,” says Rosenthal. “Chicago has this power of architecture, certainly in a modernist way. But, wow, it is stunning. I think it’s the most handsome American city.”
More to explore: “I haven’t been to India. I could do a whole series just set in India,” Rosenthal says. “I haven’t been to mainland China; I haven’t been to New Zealand. I’ve only scratched the surface of the Earth.”
First love: Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. “At 4 years old, I wanted to marry her. I knew we’d be perfect for each other. I knew there were problems—I lived in New York and she lived in the clouds above London. I knew there were issues, but she was the perfect woman for me at 4.”
The podcast: Naked Lunch. In each episode, Rosenthal and co-host David Wild catch up with a guest—from chef Wolfgang Puck to Sheryl Crow and Allison Janney—over lunch at one of Rosenthal’s favorite Los Angeles eateries.
Dream dinner party guests: “I love anyone funny. There’s nobody better to have dinner with than people who make you laugh,” says Rosenthal, who still gets together with his colleagues from Everybody Loves Raymond. “We laugh and laugh and laugh, and that’s the secret of life. I always say food is the great connector and then laughs are the cement.”
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