The Oscars are this Sunday, which means watch parties in people’s living rooms, which means the weirdest collections of potluck food you’ll ever find. If you’re going for a movie theme, then nothing about an Oscars-party menu will make sense because you’ve got to work backwards from the food names; the point is the pun, and the food is just a plus. And when you’re sacrificing edibility for concept, those puns better not be half-baked. So here are 23 ideas for your watch-party menu this year, recipes not included.
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A Meal(ia) Perez Starring Karla Sofia Gastronomy
This will be the name of your menu.
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A Confit Unknown
You won’t have to be scrounging for your next meal when you serve a decadent duck confit! This dish doubles as a nod to star Timothée Chalamet’s terminal Frenchness.
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The Strudelist
Did you know Hungarian Jews (like our boy Lazlo) have a famed savory strudel? They made it with cabbage. But don’t worry: If you’d rather leave the Old World behind and serve a sugary-sweet American/Germanic apple strudel, you can say you’re “echoing themes of the film.”
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A Real Pain au Chocolat
Written by, directed by, and starring Patisserie Eisenberg.
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Flowzen Flowgurt
With capyberries.
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FonDune: Part 2
Spice the fondue up as you wish, and Muad’dip whatever you’d like in it.
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Beignet Gesserit
Yum!
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Pickle Boys
Pickles.
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Steak au POV
Another Nickel Boys homage. It would have been a French Dip, but Au Jus Ellis-Taylor was snubbed!
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Chili Con Clave
These cardinals are real spicy and full o’ beans!
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Molten Conclava Cake
Only the Fiennes-est.
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Popecorn
Duh.
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Beef Stroganora
It’s Russian — and a really easy potluck food!
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Chicken Stripper With a Crust of Gold
An Anora dish for pickier eaters.
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One Shortcake in the Emerald City
… One shortcake full of so much to chew!
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Flying Dunkies
This is just a box of Munchkins. Which … actually works even better.
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The Glizzard and I
Hot dogs with relish!
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The Sloshcars Hosted by Conan Imbibin’
This will be the name of your bar/drinks area.
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Cardinal Bellini
This is going to be the showstopper cocktail of the evening — not just because it’s a delicious frozen peach drink, but because you’re going to present it with a fancy mixology dry-ice effect to simulate white Pope-smoke.
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The Innocentius
A nonalcoholic Cardinal Bellini.
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Amstel Here
Beer!
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Shiraz-lo Toth
Wine!
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The Substance
Any neon-green batch cocktail. Probably an appletini. Use high Qualley-ty booze.