On the surface, the Netflix unscripted documentary Somebody Feed Phil appears to be your typical food-and-travel show. But four episodes in, you realize that you’re watching something totally different: Phil Rosenthal, the charming, funny, and guileless host, is actually inviting you to join him as he explores kinship, connection, and true belonging – food and travel are just his vehicles. And it’s no wonder it works: Phil was the showrunner/executive producer of the hit CBS comedy series Everybody Loves Raymond, which was nominated for over seventy Emmy Awards and won fifteen – in other words, if there’s anything that Phil knows well, it’s what makes for good TV. But there’s something more: in a world that is becoming more cynical, Somebody Feed Phil illustrates undeniable interconnection. Phil might be the person who’s eating all over the world – but we’re the ones being nourished.
Your show Somebody Feed Phil is described as “food serving as the entry point for deeper understanding and connection.” What is it about food — especially trying food that might be foreign to you — that fosters connection and understanding?
Well, what I always say about food is food is the great connector, and then laughs are the cement. Food is the great connector because every human being does it: we can’t help it, we’ve got to eat. So when I meet someone, whether they speak English or not, or we’re in our home country or not, we connect over food because it’s instantly relatable. We’re both doing something together that we always do. And so the first thing that happens when you share a meal is you’re a little more comfortable. And the worst thing that happens is, at least we ate, right? Honestly, I think they should force members of Congress and the Senate to eat together more, because eating together humanizes you instantly. And the best part is if the food is good, now we’re all in a good mood.
Most people are nice. Most people are better than their governments. So I just feel so great about the world, so positive about it. It’s so beautiful. I just want to keep it nice.
One unexpected aspect of Somebody Feed Phil, given you’re traveling all over the world, is how much your home and family features in the episodes. Why was that important to include?
Several reasons. First of all, if it’s just me all the time, I think it’s boring. Secondly, I come from the world of sitcoms, and the sitcom that I’m known for is about a family. And so it just felt natural to include my family, and I knew it would be relatable. I’m not a Hollywood guy. I’m a guy who’s a dad and a husband and a son and a brother.
And I know if you’re planning a vacation, odds are you’re going to bring your family, if you’re lucky enough to have a family. Besides, every TV show, regardless of the kind of show it is — from news broadcasts to cop shows, to sitcoms, to soap operas — they’re all about a family. And recurring characters are the stuff of great TV. There’s never been a successful show that didn’t have recurring characters, right? So I’m using everything I learned about how to tell a story on TV, it just happens to be in the service of everything I love, which is family, friends, food, travel, and laughs.
A lot of times when people travel, they try really hard to be “cool” and “not look like a tourist.” You seem to revel in being an enthusiastic tourist wherever you are, in what appears to be a very conscious choice. Why is this?
Because I can’t be anything I’m not. Because I am a tourist. I’m just trying to be as specific as possible to my experience because I believe that people relate to each other’s specificities. So even if my specifics aren’t yours, you’re going to relate to it because you have a specific in your life that feels similar. And if you’re generic and you try to be like everybody, guess what? You miss everybody.
In fact, you know how I sold the show? I sold it with one line — this is a true thing: When they asked me what the show would be like, I said, “Well, I’m exactly like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of everything.”
What have your international travels taught you about kinship and interconnectedness?
Most people are nice. Most people are better than their governments. So I just feel so great about the world, so positive about it. It’s so beautiful. I just want to keep it nice.
So even if my specifics aren’t yours, you’re going to relate to it because you have a specific in your life that feels similar. And if you’re generic and you try to be like everybody, guess what? You miss everybody.
You also have a nonprofit called Somebody Feed the People. How does this organization expand on the work from Somebody Feed Phil?
I’m the luckiest person you’re ever going to talk to. That’s how I feel. And because I believe that’s true, I’ve got to pay it forward a little. It started during the election when they shut a bunch of polling places, so that the lines would be gigantic when people were going to vote. I thought that was criminal. So I thought, “What could we do for the people waiting in line? Well, what if we fed them?” And then after the election I thought, “Hey, people are still hungry, we still need to feed people!” So we give money to organizations that feed people. And it still continues — everything’s on my website, philrosenthalworld.com.
