'Friends' Taught As A Lot About Food Etiquette

When it comes to the beauty of noshing, there are some critical rules to follow in the area of food etiquette. No one understood this more than the cast of the iconic '90s sitcom, Friends. For 10 glorious seasons, our favorite sextet taught us about the trials of dating, acclimating to adult life, what being "on a break" means, and — most importantly — how to handle food. Even when you're well into your grown-up years, life can leave you in a pickle when it comes to cuisine. Are you allowed to eat those unclaimed tapas at your office? Is the "five-second rule" legit when cheesecake is involved? At what point in a relationship is it OK to eat off your partner's plate? To quote Joey Tribbiani, "JOEY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!" So, yeah, keep that fork on your own entrée.

The do's and don'ts of food etiquette can be a complex subject to understand — believe me, I know. Luckily, there are six of the most uproarious and iconic sitcom cast members to walk us through all the ins and outs of noshing responsibly. Let's all grab a slice of pizza, label our respective lunches for tomorrow (somebody will steal your tostadas if they are not spoken for), and look at seven lessons Friends taught us about food etiquette.

1. Respect Your Date's Food

Is there anything more vexing than having your date spear their fork into your entrée when you haven't even gotten to taste it yourself?! Joey understood the etiquette of keeping your fork and knife on your own dinner plate better than anyone. Of course, he sometimes had trouble sticking to his own rules...

2. Never Eat Your Coworker's Lunch...EVER

During one episode, newly divorced Ross needed the pick-me-up only a turkey sandwich coined "the moist maker" could provide. We all saw the repercussions when Ross' supervisor ate said sandwich, even though it had clearly been labeled. Don't eat your coworker's lunch! GAH!

3. Just Because It's "Organic" Doesn't Mean You Should Eat It

Case in point: Joey eating hair-removal wax.

4. Nothing Ends An Argument Like Dancing With A Turkey On Your Head

Especially if you accessorize the turkey with comically large sunglasses and a hat.

5. Don't Eat Food Off The Floor...Unless It's Cheesecake

As an avid fan of cheesecake and all things sweet, the episode where Chandler and Rachel couldn't stop eating cheesecake truly spoke to me. Just because the decadent dessert fell on the floor didn't mean the feasting had to stop — they simply needed to look for a piece "that didn't have any floor on it."

6. When Using A Cookbook, Make Sure The Pages Aren't Stuck Together

Remember when Rachel made dessert trifle that included ingredients for a shepherd's pie? Yeah, make sure the pages aren't stuck together when using a cookbook. Otherwise, you may end up with a finished product that "tastes like feet."

7. When In Doubt, Order Pizza

If you ever find yourself veering from proper food etiquette, remember that pizza — like Friends — will always "be there for you."

Speaking of pizza, am I the only one who just got really hungry? Let's put these lessons to use with some much needed snacking.

Images: NBC; Giphy (8)