Marge feels slighted that Bart and Lisa have more fun with Homer on weekend outings, and wants to be known as Fun Mom. They end up starting a food blog, and the ever-hungry Homer wants in on it.
This episode contains examples of:
- Arcade Sounds: Although most of the games at the E4 Conference look current, you can clearly hear Space Invaders in the background.
- The Bore: Another episode about Marge dealing with this. However this time it's deconstructed since Marge is upset about it since it means that her children would rather spend time with Homer than her. Attempts to be fun end in disaster and lead to her children almost outright hating her before they stumble on the Etheopian restaurant.
- Homer also deconstructs it, since he see's Marge being the bore as her duty and being the 'fun one' as his. When Marge ceases being the bore it upsets Homer since he's no longer the one the kids want to spend all their time with.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: In her desperation to get the kids' minds off Homer's absence, Marge tries to emphasize her new status as the fun mom by scarfing down her food while saying "D'oh!" rapid-fire.
- Compressed Vice: Marge is able to make foodieism her parental niche because Homer, though a Big Eater, is not an adventurous one and has a basic, blue-collar taste, meaning that he's reluctant to embrace the more exotic fare Marge and the kids are trying. This strongly contrasts with prior and subsequent episodes that make him anything from an enthusiastic gourmand with an often-Bizarre Taste in Food to an all-out Extreme Omnivore (though it does recall Season 2's "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish").
- Death Glare: Maggie surprisingly gives one to Marge when she deliberately gives Homer the wrong address to hog the fun time with the kids.
- Food Porn: The episode has many detailed shots of exotic food. Although it may be a subversion in that they are...too different to be appetizing for some.
- Foreign Queasine: The episode is primarily about subverting this. Marge ended up taking Bart and Lisa to an Ethiopian restaurant due to being stranded in Little Ethiopia because of car troubles. Despite their unfamiliarity with the entire culinary style, they become hooked with trying new and exotic foods. As it so happens, Homer is a Big Eater but also a Picky Eater, and is turned off by the unusual stuff they are exploring.
- Fun with Acronyms: At the Cross-Games, Flanders explains that "GAMES" stands for "Gathering of American Messengers for Evangelical SPORTS". "SPORTS" being another acronym for "Strict Parental Oversight Rather Than Sports".
- Homoerotic Subtext: At E4, the Earthland Realms sequel Earthland Realms 2: The Outing of the Elves could refer to the elves going on an outing, or the elves being outed.
- Incredibly Lame Fun:
- Marge's first attempt to have a fun outing with Bart and Lisa was taking them to the X-Games, but it turns out the flyer was deceiving and the "X" was actually a cross turned 45 degrees and was more of a religious revival ran by Flanders and Lovejoy. Her idea of something daring is to test-drive a convertible.
- At the game expo Lisa finds a Guitar Hero knockoff called Marching Band, which includes a side-quest where they have to study for their physics exam on the 12 hour bus ride back home. Being Lisa, she loves it.
- It's Easy, So It Sucks!: Bart starts playing a graphic fantasy game, with the designer behind him claiming it will takes weeks to complete it. Bart finishes it in minutes, finding it boring, and the designer is distraught.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Marge when her selfish actions have led Homer to be caught (literally) in the crossfire of a Meth lab.
- Mythology Gag: Grand Theft Scratchy appears as one of the video games featured at the game convention.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Marge redirected Homer away from the science-themed restaurant they were going to, but the address given turned out to be a meth lab. Homer thus knocks on the door asking if they are the ones cooking some science-stuff...
- Picky Eater: Homer (believe it or not) tells the family he hates exotic food over regular and plain items like burgers or whatever's in the fridge.
- Serious Business: Mel dramatically announces that Marge is ordering from an untranslated page of the menu.
- Shout-Out: A dessert from one of the restaurants Marge, Bart and Lisa visit for their blog causes the man who eats it to have a similar reaction to the one Anton Ego had when he ate ratatouille.
- Women Are Wiser: Deconstructed. Marge resents that she has to be the responsible one in her marriage while her husband gets to act like their children's best friend and do fun stuff with them.
