Season 4 · Episode 22 · 1996
Are You Being Served?
15 cultural references across 7 categories.
Art
2Dresden Shepherdess
A porcelain figurine from Dresden, Germany, known for its fine decorative ceramic tradition associated with the Meissen porcelain manufactory.
“This Dresden Shepherdess? A peace offering I made to Maris when I was foolish enough to point out an extra syllable in a Haiku she'd written.”— Niles
Louis Quatorze
Louis XIV style, referring to the ornate decorative arts style from the reign of French King Louis XIV (1643-1715). Here referring to a candelabra in that style…
“Louis Quatorze! What better way to apologise for the time I attempted to grow a moustache?”— Niles
Food/Dining
4Fricassee
A French cooking technique involving braising meat in a white sauce, typically used for chicken or veal.
“Well, at least you stopped short of saying, 'I'll be fricasseeing you.'”— Roz
Tartar
A culinary preparation, as in steak tartare or tartar sauce. Used here as a pun on 'ta-ta' (goodbye).
“let's not say goodbye, but rather 'tartar' for now”— Frasier
Chez Shea
fictionalA restaurant mentioned in the show, likely fictional, used as the venue for a family dinner.
“Now we thought it might be nice to have a family dinner this evening at Chez Shea”— Frasier
Swedish meatball
A traditional Scandinavian dish of seasoned ground meat formed into small balls, a staple comfort food.
“Wait. Tuesday is Swedish meatball night for the staff. Cook always keeps them in the refrigerator.”— Niles
Historical Figure
1Literature
2Haiku
A traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
“A peace offering I made to Maris when I was foolish enough to point out an extra syllable in a Haiku she'd written.”— Niles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
A Sherlock Holmes novel by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring a legendary ghostly hound. Frasier's 'Lady Baskerville' allusion compares Maris to the sinister figure a…
“Well I guess we're just going to have to wait until Lady Baskerville comes back from the spa!”— Frasier
Other
4Are You Being Served?
British sitcom that aired on BBC from 1972-1985, set in a department store. The episode title is a play on this show's name and the phrase 'being served' (with …
“Are You Being Served?”— Frasier
Styrofoam
Expanded polystyrene foam known for being extremely long-lasting and virtually non-biodegradable.
“Well, in that case you should outlive Styrofoam!”— Frasier
Society cat burglar
fictionalAn allusion to the gentleman thief archetype popular in literature and film, such as Cary Grant's character in 'To Catch a Thief.'
“Even as a child I always fancied I might make a first-rate society cat burglar.”— Niles
Koi pond
An ornamental pond stocked with koi fish, a symbol of luxury in Japanese-influenced garden design.
“that's three meatballs in a row right in the koi pond!”— Frasier