Netflix’s new Queer Eye reboot has only been around since 2018, and it’s already making waves in pop culture. People are falling in love with the Fab Five and their heroes (the lucky participants that get the Fab Five treatment). Between Tan’s fashion, Karamo’s insight, Bobby’s design skills, and Jonathan’s contagious positive energy, the Fab Five are already going down in heartwarming, binge-watching history. It’s Antoni, however, who has stolen the world’s salad-eating hearts.
Antoni Porowski, the show’s food expert, actually didn’t begin his career as a chef. According to Refinery29, he was an actor before meeting Ted Allen, the food and wine expert on the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, who recommended he try out for the Netflix reboot. The rest is delicious and meme-able history. So meme-able, in fact, that we gathered our ten favorite Antoni memes below.
Fine Cuisine
A classic meme mixes with classic Antoni. Anyone who has watched the show understands Antoni’s deep-rooted love for avocados. He can do just about anything with the popular, green fruit. Whether it’s avocado toast, avocado and grapefruit, or a fresh guacamole, this food expert will make it happen with flair and ease. The question remains; is an avocado fine cuisine? It is when it’s prepared by Antoni.
Third Wheeling
When Antoni attended a hockey game with Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale, he ended up getting stuck in a situation that most people can relate to. Pete and Kate ended up just making out, leaving Antoni to awkwardly third wheel his way through the game, focusing on anything but the two lovebirds.
The moment instantly blew up on Twitter and the memes just started pouring in, with fans offering to go save him and others assuming that he was distracting himself with thoughts of avocados.
Snacc
Antoni is famous for a lot of things. He’s one of the stars of Queer Eye, he’s got a New York Times Bestselling cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, he’s had a handful of acting gigs, and he frequently appears on talk shows. Perhaps the most important part of his livelihood, though, is the fact that he is unfairly good looking. He has an approachable-yet-mysterious James Dean-esque charm that is impossible to deny. In other words, he a snacc.
Shoulder Towel
Tan is the show’s fashion expert, so most things having to do with style and clothing typically go to him. Antoni, however, managed to steal some of that spotlight with his kitchen towel thrown over the shoulder. Granted, this is more about the functionality of being able to wipe your hands while cooking than fashion statements, but it’s still a cool look. It’s basically the French tuck of the kitchen.
I Love Pickles
Antoni is one of the more relatable members of the Fab Five. He rocks a shoulder towel, gets stuck as the awkward third wheel, and loves pickles. When he found out that their hero was a fellow lover of pickles, he jumped at the opportunity to indulge and was instantly smitten.
Those who also love pickles will understand that there is nothing quite like a fresh, crisp, dill pickle. Except, of course, drinking pickle juice, which turns out isn’t Antoni’s favorite.
Cleaning The Fridge
When the Fab Five shows up to a hero’s house, the first thing they do is assess the situation. Tan raids their closet, Bobby inspects the layout of their home, Jonathan rifles through their medicine cabinet, and Karamo gets an idea of their family life. The awkwardness is alive and well for most of them, as they try to sift through a stranger’s belongings. Antoni, on the other hand, has absolutely no problem going through their refrigerator, eating their leftovers and throwing stuff away that he disapproves of. He is the nutritionist that we all need.
Corgis
Who doesn’t love dogs? It’s nearly impossible to ignore their adorable little faces and paws, especially when it comes to corgis. Their big ears and little legs make them the perfect dog to cuddle, and Antoni couldn’t agree more.
When he walked into their hero’s home and realized that there was a corgi, he nearly died of cuteness. He immediately scooped up the dog and basically held it for the rest of the episode. Looking at the corgi, or any corgi for that matter, it’s hard to blame him.
Love At First Avocado
At this point, Antoni’s love for avocados has been pretty well established. Here, though, his love is more apparent than ever before. His eyes sparkle and his heart wells up as he looks upon the Fab Five’s hero slicing one of the delicious, green fruits. It’s like a proud parent watching their child do something that they taught them, or like someone seeing their spouse on their wedding day for the first time. It truly is a magical moment when Antoni sees someone slicing an avocado, and it’s a moment that we all deserve.
Jeans And Tees
If Tan walked into someone’s closet and saw that all they had were jeans and graphic tees, he would just throw the whole closet out and start over. Somehow, however, Antoni wears just that and he makes it work spectacularly well. He rocks tees, tanks, and even crop tops. Plus, he seems to have avoided judgment from Tan thus far. We still don’t know what “James Dean Speed Queen” means, but it doesn’t matter when it looks that good.
Grunting
When a food is good, it’s worth talking about. When it’s really good, however, it transcends words. It leaves people in shock, left to only make animalistic sounds to reassure those around them that they are indeed still alive, just descending into a heavenly food coma. Antoni knows this feeling all too well, as do those who eat his food. Upon biting into a grilled cheese sandwich in the first season, all he could do was grunt. We’ve all been there.
