What am I now? Animal House and Food Rebellion

John Belushi as Pluto in Animal House

If you came of age during the ‘70s then you know the movie Animal House. And rebellion. Before college was curated for brochures and “student life” became a brand strategy, there was Animal House — chaotic, stupid, hilarious, and sexually honest. It poked fun at everyone. Written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, it celebrated everything the modern campus has edited out: bad decisions, no consequences, and the kind of laughter that could get you expelled today.

And the food? This was America before food got fancy, fast, or “clean.” Mystery meat, Jell-O cubes, pudding cups, cafeteria trays — a pre-wellness era where eating could be quite flavorless and institutionalized, but far less processed by today's standards. Watching it now feels almost anthropological. You can smell the instant coffee, hear the clatter of tin trays, and do everything to avoid considering overcooked green beans.

The infamous food-fight scene isn’t just comedy — it’s social anthropology. John Belushi's scenes are epic - from the food fight to the scene where he say's "let's see if you can guess what am I now". I can only imagine the out takes to that film. The cafeteria becomes a battleground where rules are meant to be broken, mashed potatoes fly, and freedom is chugging down copious amounts of beer and bourbon.

And yet, beneath all antics, the film is slyly prophetic. After the mayhem, after the toga parties (which inspired toga parties everywhere) and flying lunch trays, we get the iconic “where are they now” cards:
- Bluto, the ultimate slacker, becomes a U.S. Senator.
- Otter, the charmer, goes into plastic surgery.
- Hoover becomes a lawyer.
- Pinto ends up in Washington.
- Neidermeyer, the campus villain, meets his end in Vietnam.

That’s the punchline — and the truth bomb. The generation that raised hell grew up to run the country, reshape the economy, and invent Silicon Valley.

Animal House reminds me of a time before rebellion was performative, before screens captured every stunt where personal interaction in the real world, not texting, sexting nor snapping. It was a world where you could screw up, challenge authority, laugh, move on — and still grow into someone respectable. A time when irreverence wasn’t dangerous; it was part of the curriculum.

So yeah, if you're under the age of 40 stop kidding yourself that those Boomer and Xer grandparents of yours are out of touch - they're not, (we can see right thru you) and we know exactly how to get away with a ton more than most kids today will ever know.