---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will never understand why they cook on…"
description: "\"I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, 'Well, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg"
---

#  I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell…

![“I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, 'Well, here it is. You can't have any. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.'” quote by Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg)

> “I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, 'Well, here it is. You can't have any. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.'”

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The absurdity of televised cooking, where the product is untouchable and unsavory.

**In simple terms:** TV cooking shows are funny because you can’t actually eat the food.

Key Takeaway

Question the value of experiences that are only visual.

Themes

absurdity media consumerism

Mood

humorous observational

Type

comedy satire

When to use this quote

- marketing
- media criticism
- event planning
- educational demos

Key Concepts

spectatorship illusion authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we watch things we can’t use?
- What makes visual media compelling?

A Different Perspective

May ignore the educational aspect of cooking shows.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cook/) [Cook Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cook-tv-3397679/) [Cooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooks/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Taste End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste-end-328485/) [Thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanks/) [Tv Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-smell-3397680/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Understand Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-cook-3397681/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [Nowadays, everyone writes a cookbook. Models, singers, whatever, everybody thinks that they can do it and cook on TV. What they don't understand is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-d-acampo/nowadays-everyone-writes-a-cookbook-models-singers-whatever-everybody/)

[Gino D'Acampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-d-acampo/)

> [Who bothers to cook TV dinners? I suck them frozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/who-bothers-to-cook-tv-dinners-i-suck-them-frozen/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [It just comes down to taste at the end of the day, and that's something you can't really analyze. Yeah, I think to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-booth/it-just-comes-down-to-taste-at-the-end-of-the-day-and-that-s/)

[Sean Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-booth/)

> [“The end is the same. It is the path that separates men. When we taste that end, we will do so with our heads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-end-is-the-same-it-is-the-path-that-separates-men-when-we-taste/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus. It would get richer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life-was-a-thing-that/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [My mother was making $135 a week, but she had resilience and imagination. She might take frozen vegetables, cook them with garlic, onion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mother-was-making-135-a-week-but-she-had-resilience-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My favorite thing to cook is anything that comes out okay. I'm very fond of certain pastas and sauces that I can just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/my-favorite-thing-to-cook-is-anything-that-comes-out-okay-i-m-very/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

> [Anyone can cook, and most everyone should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bittman/anyone-can-cook-and-most-everyone-should/)

[Mark Bittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bittman/)

> [I'm not an amazing cook. But I can follow a recipe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-m-not-an-amazing-cook-but-i-can-follow-a-recipe/)

[Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/)

> [I'm a terrible cook, but if I could cook, I would see that in art as well, it's how much creative energy you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/i-m-a-terrible-cook-but-if-i-could-cook-i-would-see-that-in-art-as/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

> [When I wrote 'Fast Food My Way' in 2004, I hoped that my friends would prepare my recipes. Now, more people cook from that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/when-i-wrote-fast-food-my-way-in-2004-i-hoped-that-my-friends-would/)

[Jacques Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/)

> [I can cook, I can breathe, I can live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/i-can-cook-i-can-breathe-i-can-live/)

[Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/)

> [I love to cook for my husband and daughter. I enjoy going to the market for fresh vegetables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/i-love-to-cook-for-my-husband-and-daughter-i-enjoy-going-to-the/)

[Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/)

> [He makes his cook his merit, and the world visits his dinners and not him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/he-makes-his-cook-his-merit-and-the-world-visits-his-dinners-and-not/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [I'll cook the water...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-ll-cook-the-water/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

## More by Jerry Seinfeld

> [“i chose not to run”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-chose-not-to-run/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [We’re all trying to get to the same island, whether you swim, fly, surf, or skydive in, it doesn’t matter. What matters is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/we-re-all-trying-to-get-to-the-same-island-whether-you-swim-fly-surf/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [I have a nice bookshelf in my office, but not my house. I'm crass, but not that crass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-have-a-nice-bookshelf-in-my-office-but-not-my-house-i-m-crass-but/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [There's no downside to fame and people who whine about it make me sick. It's the greatest thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/there-s-no-downside-to-fame-and-people-who-whine-about-it-make-me/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [We're all trying to get to the same island — whether you swim, fly, surf, or skydive, it doesn't matter. What matters is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/we-re-all-trying-to-get-to-the-same-island-whether-you-swim-fly-surf-2/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [I was in the drug store the other day trying to get a cold medication...Not easy. There's an entire wall of products you need.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-was-in-the-drug-store-the-other-day-trying-to-get-a-cold-medication/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [I went up to the camp and Paul had me eat my first oyster I had never had an oyster in my life. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-went-up-to-the-camp-and-paul-had-me-eat-my-first-oyster-i-had-never/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [Then, finally, the third year, begging the parents, I got the Superman Halloween costume. Cardboard box, self-made top, mask included. Remember the rubber band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/then-finally-the-third-year-begging-the-parents-i-got-the-superman/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [This is really a crazy idea, you know. It probably won't work, but that will be interesting, too. You have to motivate yourself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/this-is-really-a-crazy-idea-you-know-it-probably-won-t-work-but-that/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [If you get something right, you really feel it, right in your chest, on stage. I think it's an incomparable experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/if-you-get-something-right-you-really-feel-it-right-in-your-chest-on/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [People have an infinite attention span if you are entertaining them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/people-have-an-infinite-attention-span-if-you-are-entertaining-them/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [It's hard to do nothing because you tend to do something and then you have to drop everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/it-s-hard-to-do-nothing-because-you-tend-to-do-something-and-then-you/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [A really hard laugh is like sex-one of the ultimate diversions of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/a-really-hard-laugh-is-like-sex-one-of-the-ultimate-diversions-of/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [There are many things you can point to as proof that the human is not smart. But my personal favorite would have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/there-are-many-things-you-can-point-to-as-proof-that-the-human-is-not/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [You know what I never get with the limo? The tinted windows. Is that so people don't see you? Yeah, what a better way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/you-know-what-i-never-get-with-the-limo-the-tinted-windows-is-that-so/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

[Explore all 342 Jerry Seinfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

## More Cameras quotes

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/)

[Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/)

> [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/)

[Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/)

> [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/)

[Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/)

> [There's nothing like the energy in a small comedy club room or a small theater when it's going really well. I can see everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/there-s-nothing-like-the-energy-in-a-small-comedy-club-room-or-a/)

[Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/)

> [When they took me to do the camera test for the vampire make up, after they put the prosthetic on, I went though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/when-they-took-me-to-do-the-camera-test-for-the-vampire-make-up-after/)

[Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/)

> [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/)

[Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eccleston/many-times-i-ve-sat-with-a-camera-and-another-actor-and-seen-all/)

[Christopher Eccleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eccleston/)

> [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/)

[John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/)

> [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/)

[Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/)

> [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/)

[Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/)

> [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/)

[Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/)

> [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/)

[Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/)

[Browse all 2,666 Cameras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, 'Well, here it is. You can't have any. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jerry Seinfeld"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on-tv-i-can-t-smell-it-can-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cameras"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on-tv-i-can-t-smell-it-can-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/jerry-seinfeld-880_cameras_i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on_2793610.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the…” — Jerry Seinfeld",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jerry Seinfeld",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I will never understand why they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on-tv-i-can-t-smell-it-can-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/i-will-never-understand-why-they-cook-on-tv-i-can-t-smell-it-can-t/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
