Picture this. Your boss is coming over for dinner. It’s a big deal – so you’re preparing a gorgeous roast. Only the best for the Superintendent. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. Just after your esteemed guest arrives, you realize the roast is burnt.  «Oh, egads!» you exclaim in the privacy of the smoke-filled kitchen. «My roast is ruined! But what if I were to purchase fast food and disguise it as my own cooking?» The thought tickles you. «Delightfully devilish, Seymour.» Before you can escape the kitchen to fetch some sort of quick sustenance, the superintendent enters the kitchen and sees you about to climb out of the window. You quickly come up with an excuse for the behavior, explaining that you’re simply stretching out your calves. 

When your boss asks about the smoke coming out of your oven, you blurt that it’s actually steam – steam from the steamed clams you’ll be serving. He accepts the explanation and leaves the kitchen, and you dash out of the window and to Krusty Burger, where you purchase a replacement meal of burgers and fries. Once you’re back at home, you tell the superintendent that he’d better be ready for some mouthwatering hamburgers. He’s confused. «I thought we were having steamed clams,» he says. Your mind races to come up with yet another explanation. «Oh no, I said ‘steamed hams’. That’s what I call hamburgers.» His skepticism is palpable. «You call hamburgers ‘steamed hams’?» he asks. You say that it’s a regional dialect – upstate New York. The superintendent is surprised – he’s from Utica and has never heard anyone use the phrase. «It’s an Albany expression.» Albany is the only other upstate city you know. You don’t get to leave Springfield very often. 

Your guest bites into the burger, and remarks that it tastes very similar to Krusty Burger. After insisting that it’s a family recipe, he also points out that the burgers are clearly grilled. You stick to your story, and walk to the kitchen, which you notice is somehow on fire. Great. Just what you needed. How can so many bad things happen to one man? You head back to the superintendent and try to force him out. «Well, that was wonderful. A good time was had by all. I’m pooped.» Surprisingly, he agrees that it’s time to get going – and then notices flames coming from the kitchen. «Good lord, what is happening in there?!» You’re officially out of good ideas. «Aurora Borealis?» you say meekly. He’s incredulous. «Aurora Borealis!? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within your kitchen!?» You insist it’s true. He asks to see it. You simply tell him «No.» As he leaves, despite the refusal, he says you steam a good ham. The ruse worked. Everything is going to be okay – once you put out that fire. 

If you’re unfamiliar with this tale, we need you to watch the Simpsons episode «22 Short Films About Springfield,» which first aired in 1996. The scene has become something of a cult favorite among fans of the television show, which obviously means there are also tons of related memes. We’ve collected a small fraction of them for your viewing pleasure.