“At my house, we pray after we eat”
People often pray before a meal (such as a grace prayer) to give thanks for the food on the table. The comedian Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) joked:
“My wife is the worst cook in the world. At my house, we pray after we eat.”
That is, Dangerfield prayed that he wouldn’t get sick or die from his wife’s cooking. Dangerfield told the joke from at least 1977.
“No prayer before eating. Here, the chef knows how to cook!” is a related restaurant joke.
Wikipedia: Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen, November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrase “I don’t get no respect!,” and his monologues on that theme. He is also remembered for his 1980s film roles, especially in Easy Money, Caddyshack, and Back To School.
14 May 1977, Oelwein (IA) Daily Register, “Chamber Happenings” by Bob Sieleman, pg. 7, col. 5:
Rodney Dangerfieid said his wife was a terrible cook “At our house we pray after we eat.”
4 October 1982, Trenton (NJ) Times, “Fifty years in the barber business—and still counting” by Frank Tyger, pg. C1, col. 5:
“My wife is a lousy cook,” complains Rodney Dangerfield. “In my house we pray after we eat.”
Google Books
Nothing But Winners:
Over 6,000 One-Liners, Alphabetized and Categorized for Easy Reference
By Pat Williams and Ken Hussar
Wilmington, DE: TriMark Pub. Co.
1984
Pg. 498:
In my house we pray after we eat.
Google Books
One Minute Messages:
An anthology of “old popular” and “new original” thoughts, stories, poetry and prose
By Dan Clark with Michael Gale
Sunrise Publishing
1986
Pg. 9:
At my house the food is so bad we pray after we eat!
June 1988, Boys’ Life, “Think & Grin,” pg. 65, col. 2:
First Scout: Our patrol chef is a terrible cook.
Second Scout: How bad is he?
First Scout: So bad that we pray after we eat.— Michael Cormier, Germantown, Wis.
Google Books
It’s Not Easy Bein’ Me:
A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs
By Rodney Dangerfield
New York, NY: HarperCollins
2004
Pg. 185:
My wife is the worst cook in the world. At my house, we pray after we eat.
Google Books
GIT-R-DONE
By Larry the Cable Guy
New York, NY: Crown Publishers
2005
Pg. 61:
The food here sucks so bad we pray after we eat!
Google Books
Quotes, Jokes & Anecdotes:
How to Spend Two Hours Chuckling
By Gerard O’Boyd
Leicestershire: Matador
2012
Pg. 73:
My wife has to be the worst cook ever. In my house we pray after we eat.
Rodney Dangerfield