"Free food always tastes better"

“Free food (always) tastes better” is a popular saying, even though the food is the same if one pays for it or not. “Free food always tastes better” has been cited in print since at least 1989.

“Free beer (always) tastes better” has been cited in print since at least 1992.

Google Books
Comatose Christianity:
A wake-up call for Christians
By Ronald B. Carlson
Nashville, TN: Christian Communications
1989
Pg. 3:
Free food always tastes better, and those pizzas were no exception!

Google Groups: comp.unix.bsd
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (A Wizard of Earth C)
Date: 30 Oct 92 03:55:02 GMT
Local: Thurs, Oct 29 1992 10:55 pm
Subject: Re: Finding untranslated params for IDE drives (w/ pgm)
(...)
Free old drives are better than new ones you are charged for, just like free food tastes better. 8-).

1 March 1994, Charlotte (NC) Observer, “Rage puts on really big show for area media,” pg. 1B:
You learn three things in the professional sports journalism business: (1) Free food tastes better than food that costs money. (2) If you don’t eat the food, somebody else will and you might actually have to pay for something. (3) You can either watch your waist expand like the national debt or run 30 miles a week just to break even.

Google Books
True Identity
By Bernie Sheahan
Sisters, OR: Palisades
1996
Pg. 29:
You know my motto: FFTB, Free Food Tastes Better — or in this case, free cappuccino.

Google Books
Speed Shrinking
By Susan Shapiro
New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin’s Press)
2009
Pg. 180:
“Free food always tastes better,” says the well-paid director.

Facebook
Free food always tastes better!
(Joined Facebook on February 12, 2010—ed.)

Calorie Count
Free food tastes better
randomv3
May 26 2010 18:29
There is always TONS of free food on the floor below mine. In the mornings there are kolaches, breakfast burritos with bbq meat(this is texas), donuts, and occasionally fruit. In the afternoons there are always cookies and sometimes cakes(I once found cheesecake factory cheesecake…seriously…who gives that away???).

For some reason free food always tastes better to me.