INKED UP

The Stories Behind All of Carmy’s Tattoos on ‘The Bear’

A ranking of all of Jeremy Allen White’s body art on the hit show, and what they all mean.

The Bear has taught us about many things: toxic workplaces, unresolved childhood trauma, the dangers of dating a hot chef, and so much more.

Through “Yes Chef!” memes and Jeremy Allen White look alike contests, The Bear has become iconic—inspiring cultural discourse and endless Halloween costumes.

This week, the newest season of the show launched a thousand more memes. So what better way to celebrate than an analysis of Carmy, the show’s beating heart, through one of his most distinct traits: his sexy chef tattoos.

These tattoos, designed by Allen White and Ben Shields, come together to represent the layered, frustrating, and lovable character we all wish would just be normal and talk to his girlfriend (or coworker, we’re not picky.)

At its heart, Carmy Berzatto’s character represents an internal struggle that has fascinated the American public for a long time. How much can we give up for power, for influence, and for fame before there is nothing left of ourselves to give? As the show goes on, we may find out.

Below, we revisit the many different dimensions of Carmy, our favorite chef and the crash out king of Chicago, through ranking his elaborate tattoos:

9. ‘773’ Tattoo

The fact that Carmy loves his hometown and community so much is embedded into The Bear. There’s a reason for that. Show creator Christopher Storer was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and based The Beef off of a real restaurant that his friend’s father owned, called Mr. Beef.

This tattoo is a representation of how important Chicago is to Carmy, but also the community he wants to serve. Carmy is in the restaurant business to encourage celebration and bring people together. While the theme is great, an area code tattoo is a little generic. So we’re putting it at Number 9.

8. Globe in Measuring Cup Tattoo

This tattoo is a bit more open to interpretation, as Shields and White haven’t commented too much on it. It features a globe in a glass measuring cup. Fans have interpreted it as symbolizing how cooking means the world to Carmy, or how Carmy knows he must sacrifice his life to be the best at cooking. Another interpretation is that Carmy sees cooking as something that brings the whole world together.

Either way, this is one of the more generic tattoos, so it’s sitting at Number 8.

7. Snail With the Words ‘Live Fast’ Tattoo

This is another one that is open to interpretation. Personally, I like to think it’s a little bit of a joke. The contrast of a snail and the “Live Fast” feel a little tongue-in-cheek. Maybe this is Carmy acknowledging that perfection is always out of reach, or maybe it is celebrating his underdog roots, as Carmy always felt out of place growing up.

Either way, this one is a little bit more distinct and has a bit more character, landing it at Number 7.

6. Knife Stabbing Chef’s Hand Tattoo

This one feels pretty straightforward. It’s a tattoo of a hand, presumably a chef’s, with a kitchen knife straight through it. The message feels simple: Cooking is a b----. Funny, direct, and a little bit surprising, so we gave it Number 6.

5. Fish Tattoo

As we learn in the show, Carmy’s life has been tumultuous, from a high-stress career as a top chef all the way back to his high-stress home life as a child. This unstable home life is explored in episodes like “Fishes” and “Tomorrow.” We learn to understand the family’s complexity—his brother’s penchant for storytelling, his mother’s jarring instability, his uncle’s disarming sense-of-humor.

We wouldn’t understand Carmy without that insight into his childhood experiences, so even though this is just a tattoo of a fish, we’ll give it Number 5.

4. ‘SOU’ Knuckle Tattoos

This tattoo is on Carmy’s knuckles, and stands for “Sense of Urgency.” Fans of the show will see the connection to Chef Terry’s “Every Second Counts” sign.

In reality, this might also be a reference to the famous Chef Thomas Keller. Chef Keller has signs that say “Sense of Urgency” on display in each of his restaurants. The show creator of The Bear Christopher Storer directed a documentary on Keller, called Sense of Urgency. Presumably, this is the inspiration for the “Every Second Counts” sign as well.

The “Every Second Counts” sign in “Forks” is such an iconic moment, that it only felt right to give this tattoo Number 4.

3. Two Angels with the Sun Tattoo

At Number 3 on the list, we have the angel tattoo. This tattoo features two cherub-esque angels holding up the sun. Tattoo Designer Ben Shields has said that this tattoo is meant to represent the lighter side of Carmy’s character, in contrast to his occasionally darker nature. In a GQ interview, Allen White mentioned he sees it as potentially representing Carmy’s siblings.

This tattoo is beautiful, and also represents the best of Carmy: his love for his siblings, and generosity with other people. For that, it’s Number 3.

2. Grim Reaper Shaking Hands With a Bottle of Whiskey Tattoo

At Number 2, we have the Grim Reaper tattoo. This tattoo ties into a lot of different elements of Carmy’s life. Carmy lost his brother Mikey to Mikey’s struggles with addiction. Carmy also handles his own mental health struggles.

This tattoo, which features a head-on confrontation with death, is said to represent the darker elements of Carmy’s personality, according to tattoo designer Ben Shields. There is also something a bit fun and innovative about personifying both Death and Alcoholism in this way. For the originality, we give this tattoo Number 2.

1. Flower Tattoo

In the Number 1 spot, we have the flower tattoo that Carmy got for his brother Mikey after Mikey’s death. Mikey’s presence looms over the show. His death by suicide is the catalyst for Carmy’s return to The Bear. This event shapes Carmy’s actions in the show more than almost any other. The tattoo of the flower—gentle, elegant, earnest, and sweet—earns Number 1, because of that.

Sarah John

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