We've all been there: the fridge is empty, the grocery store is closed or too far away, and it's still too early to sleep till breakfast. What to do?

Kim's Convenience is a CBC comedy that tells the story of a Korean-Canadian family that runs a variety store in Toronto. While they don't actually run a convenience store, the cast spends a lot of time making believe that they do. So we put Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Appa), Jean Yoon (Umma), Simu Liu (Jung) and Andrew Phung (Kimchee) to the test, asking them for their best 3-course dinner menus made only with items you can buy at the nearest convenience store.

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Appa):

Starter: Mediterranean bean salad made from a can of chickpeas and some vinaigrette.

Main: Rice with Spam cut up and fried with garlic and frozen vegetables.

Dessert: Toasted marshmallows. There's usually a little torch you can buy at convenience stores and I'd use that to make toasted marshmallows.

Chef's comment: "In a convenience store, dessert is a slam dunk."

Simu Liu (Jung):

Starter: Potato salad, by which I mean crushed ketchup chips.

Main: Two beef patties and ramen.

Dessert: Cookies and cream bar.

Chef's comment: "That's zero prep. You can buy it and serve it right there."

Andrew Phung (Kimchee):

Starter: Noodles.

Main: Freshly sliced beef and shrimp meat.

Dessert: Japanese dessert.

Chef's comment: "I actually did this three-course meal in a Japanese convenience store; it was delightful!"

Jean Yoon (Umma):

Starter: Bagged salad.

Main: Instant ramen with a fresh egg and frozen vegetables mixed in.

Chef's comment: "This is really lunch. You can't have dinner from a convenience store."

Season 3 of the CBC original comedy airs on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) on CBC and you can stream all episodes on the CBC Gem streaming service.

Clifton Mark is a former academic with more interests than make sense in academia. He writes about philosophy, psychology, politics, and pastimes. If it matters to you, his PhD is in political theory. Find him @Clifton_Mark on Twitter.