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Typification
🕑 Added 2024-05-22 01:12:19 +0000 UTCthe Joyce special
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Miyaa
@OldGoat • It’s not just for thanksgiving or any other holiday. It is one of the things that will taste good regardless whether you got the ingredients from a Dollar General, an ALDIs, to all the way at the rich ends of the grocery store spectrum, that is a Whole Foods or an Erewhon.
Carrie
I have never seen of or heard of it in a can. That's a horrific thought. 😳
OldGoat
Thank you. Questionable Content helps me remain relevant in my dotage.
OldGoat
Mac and double cheese. The fat slows the absorption of the starch in the pasta.
OldGoat
Iriz.
OldGoat
Parmesan? I hope you mean freshly grated and not that mummified stuff in a can. Fresh Romano or Asiago would work well, too.
OldGoat
@Miyaa Thanksgiving at every meal?
BookBeard
Ugh, you are so not down with the youths. You mean to say she took a hit off that sweet mary jane bud flower! https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=5300
Carrie
For the squeaky h8rs, a bit of olive oil solves it while adding another subtle layer of flavor. For Parmesan, Kraft is my minimum acceptable quality if it's freshly opened. (I think is okay but not even close to some properly stored wonderful.) Adding parmesan to almost any appy or entre then is total wonderfulness.
William Burns
Roast veggies whenever you can.
William Burns
Dust them with grated parmesan while still quite hot, before serving. The good stuff, not Kraft. No more squeaky.
Joe
damn. another webcomic to read??
Joe
been there. done that. as one of the kids. I'm not THAT old.
Jose Alfredo Villalobos
I’m sure she had goals after she finished college but cube town is such a mess that it would be easy to lose your center. There’s an AI guy running around causing mischief on purpose and nobody would notice because the entire area is so goddamn chaotic. That’s not to speak of the realtor chameleons that may or may not have the ability to sell you space.
enchantedsleeper
@Magic Chopstick Games Today I learned! I enjoyed this article https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo which also gave me a new preparation method to try :D
enchantedsleeper
It's also possible that what she "had" before was less curiosity and more academic ability and drive. You don't necessarily need curiosity to achieve a lot academically. But once you get out of education... now what?
enchantedsleeper
@eduardo It's a reference, in that specific wording ^^ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/why-not-both-why-dont-we-have-both
Brad
I love the Dumbing of Age reference here!!! Well played!
dcy665 .
I thought slashes were illegal?
KingAtticus
I feel like it’ll be the former, but it could easily come off as the latter
alphanor
I think I hit a nerve with the brussels sprout mention!
SilverbackRon
Well this was in the late 60's, early 70's and they had five kids to feed. Boxes of Kraft mac & cheese and cans of green beans was probably affordable. Feed the entire family for a couple bucks.
Ursus Ridens
OK, you had weirdly creative parents. But on your recommendation I'll try it if I can get my wife to agree. (Which is a big if; she'll probably insist on fresh green beans.)
Melissa
It's an indicator of 'has been using Willow's pot vape.'
OldGoat
Is it just my monitor, or maybe my vision, rendering the whites of Liz's eyes a pale pink?
Andrea Andrew
Joyce/Dorothy/Joe. Or Joyce/Dorothy.
Andrea Andrew
Woah!!! That reference! Who will be the Dorothy to Liz’s Joyce?
Magic Chopstick Games
Thing is, brussels sprouts *used* to be terribly bitter, nasty things—like for a significant chunk of my not-all-that-long lifetime—but someone figured out how to breed out the bitter and made them one of the better-tasting veggies out there today. All they need these days is a little olive oil, salt, and a nice hot roast, and they’re delightful
eduardo
¿Por qué no ambos?… might be better spanish
Sean Kinlin
I love roasted Brussels sprouts, but something I've also done a few times, especially with smaller sprouts, is pickle them. Very tasty.
Stephen Wells
I realise that it's not the point of the strip, but DAMN Iris looks good from that perspective. Maybe she should spend more time facing away from Willow and see what happens :)
David Paul
My parents do Brussels Sprouts like mashed potatoes. Comes up a treat 😋
David Paul
She misinterpreted people ordering fresh ground coffee.
David Paul
A bit of salt prior to steaming helps retain flavour.
Jim
Iris is either about to say something gruff yet endearing or she's going to say something very mean.
Opus the Poet
Dina is Becky's girlfriend and now lover, Becky was Joyce's BFF when they were both homeschooled. And Joyce is the autistic homeschooled girl of Fundy upbringing who is now agnostic tending atheist who yesterday in-comic slept topless with a boy after getting drunk on whiskey flights at Hooch Place. And everything is like that program within a program on Dinosaurs, "Way Too Complicated".
Steve DeGroof
I read this first thing in the morning, before finishing my coffee. My sleep-addled mind wondered if Iris had worked at Indiana University.
Opus the Poet
I understood that reference dot gif. Joe x Joyce OTP.
Mitsuki Ayane
fuckin MOOD Liz ~<3
Pejo
Fresh green beans chiming in, I've definitely had some tooth squeaking. It was just a curiosity to me but I could see it being a big issue for folks w/ sensory stuff.
Clifton Royston
Sonofagun, I accidentally stumbled on it. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3766
Clifton Royston
Damn, now that's going to bug me until I find it.
Clifton Royston
Porque no los dos?
Clifton Royston
Dina's from a different webcomic, Dumbing of Age, although she made a brief guest appearance in Coffee of Doom here.
Clifton Royston
Newton didn't actually stop doing scholarship IIRC, he became obsessed with alchemy and spent decades experimenting to try to discover the Philosopher's Stone.
BookBeard
Geez, I know she's out of work since Hex Mex closed but that seems a bit harsh.
Yelling Bird
That sucks. but yeah, cake is the answer there.
Uniquitous
Damn, now I want a double helping of mac & cheese. How could you!?
SilverbackRon
That is funny, I grew up on Mac & Cheese with canned green beans. In fact mac & cheese just doesn't seem right without them.
Kurist Zero
This chapter should have a 5th panel, which is just the Mortal Kombat "Friendship!" scene with both Liz and Iris looking away from each other awkwardly 🤣
Graydon Armstrong
Yemisi: “Eating Willow's ass would just make you envious! Your taunt remains meaningless!”
BookBeard
Irisabeth?
BookBeard
Yes.
BookBeard
In a big pile next to the coffee machine. It's why they asked her to leave.
BookBeard
Nah, Liz is short because of evolution. For gremlins, being small and concealable is a vital survival trait.
Bagge
Liz so desperately needs to learn that she doesn't suffer from some kind of special genius-burnout, but something that's pretty common for young adults her age
Populuxe
Did Iris live in Bloomington, Indiana?
enchantedsleeper
Who's Dina? I'm missing a reference from this strip
enchantedsleeper
Can't tell if you mean Iris or Liz xD
enchantedsleeper
Mmmm. Mac and cheese
enchantedsleeper
Brussels sprouts are only bitter and unpleasant if you overcook them. Steamed, they're delightful, though possibly a bit boring. But mostly their reputation comes from bad preparation. One of my favourite recent discoveries is shredded Brussels sprouts. As the name implies, you shred them up and fry them until they're crispy. I had some made by my cousin the Christmas before last and they were A-MA-ZING. I tried to recreate them myself and they weren't AS good, but I still really like the concept. Further experimentation required.
Minzoku Bokumetsu
I don't, bc diabetic =( (I mean, if I'm gonna have carbs, CAKE)
Minzoku Bokumetsu
she kept the grounds in the cafeteria
Scott Haley
It looks like Iris is about to impart some good advice to Liz, who won't remember this conversation at all the next morning.
Diptych
I must be eating different sprouts to everyone else, because I've never found them bitter or unpleasant, even when just steamed and served without any seasoning. I'm told that sprouts were bred to be pleasanter-tasting a few decades ago. Are the old varieties still in circulation? If so, either I've never had them, or I lack the genetic marker that makes sprouts bitter or something.
Clarence the Liar
This is basically the theory behind bonsai. I wonder if lack of social contact is the reason why Liz is so short. The "Great Man" theory is one of the most destructive beliefs, both on a personal level and for society as a whole, imo.
Diptych
I've heard that interpretation, but... if it was a slam, it's a bit of a weak one, y'know? Attributing your own success to the foundational work done by those who have come before you using an existing quotation, but the quotation mentions tall people so you're actually using it to dig at someone who isn't very tall? Not exactly the zinger of the century. I certainly wouldn't assume that was the *only* reason he was using that quotation.
Clarence the Liar
To the Brussels sprouts haters—try them drizzled in olive oil and salt, then roasted on a baking tray or grilled. It takes that sulphuric funk away and leaves them crispily tender and fragrant in a much milder and more complex way. It's hard to describe so you'll have to try it yourself if you like to try out different foods.
Fart Captor
robutts :3
William Cole
Yes. But it's awfully hard to tell the difference from inside the depression (as me how I know).
BookBeard
Hey, don't knock the all-cereal diet. Steve seems to be doing alright.
Carl Fink
The "shoulders of giants" thing is probably a slam at fellow scholar Robert Hooke, who was quite short. At least, one biography of Newton that I've read said that. (Hooke came up with the inverse square idea, although it was certainly Newton who fully worked it out. They bickered over that for decades.)
Alex H.
As unhealthy as double mac and cheese with no vegetables is, it still seems much healthier than Dina's diet of cereal (and only cereal) for every meal. Also, I wonder if Liz's dislike of vegetables is in any way related to her height?
jonesnori
I like 'em all.
Amelia Lewis
And also not control-return. Dammit. Shift-return. So: Mac and cheese and cherry tomatoes chopped in half. Mac and cheese and olives. Mac and cheese and steamed broccoli. Mac and cheese and black beans. Mac and cheese and croutons (or stale bread broken into bits)
Amelia Lewis
Argh, dammit, keep forgetting not to hit return by itself.
Amelia Lewis
Mac and cheese is the joyous foundation of any number of feasts:
Miyaa
You know what is surprising good with mac & cheese? Those beyond meat sausages. Way better than hotdogs!
Miyaa
Newton spending the last half of his life as the “Epic Rap Battles of History” puts it “on some Harry Potter business.” (Weird Al rapping as Newton was just genius. Genius.)
Miyaa
Only with cream of mushroom soup and fried onion strips.
Diptych
He did also famously write that he only saw what he did by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Miyaa
Maybe it could be «Sugardaddy» the most popular Dutch song of 2024 thus far.
Magic Chopstick Games
Sure, double Mac and Cheese is nice, but have you considered Nug Night
Miyaa
I too do agree with Hanners’ conclusion that day old macaroni and cheese is superior to pizza and Chinese takeout, in that order.
Miyaa
I do love a double macaroni and cheese, but as bad as my university cafeterias were, I was happy with a grilled cheese/macaroni & cheese combo. (Always wanted that metal box with a roller that you put a Texas toast on to roll melted butter on the toast before you toasted on the griddle and add your cheese.)
Elf Sternberg
Iris: "Eat My Ass!" Yemsi: "You don't poop! Eating your ass would be perfectly sanitary! Your taunt is meaningless!" iris: "Eat Willow's ass then!" (Meanwhile, Pintsize, witnessing this, vibrates with the intensity of a sentient who has Found His People.) https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4545
Carl Fink
Solitary geniuses are kind of a thing, historically. Newton hated almost everyone on Earth. He did have friends, but he spent most of his time in isolation or with one assistant when he was doing his best work. Then he stopped doing scholarship to run the Mint.
Miyaa
That’s what I was thinking!
BookBeard
Scientific research and mac and cheese? Liz needs to talk to Hanners about this (after she finishes photosynthesizing, of course). https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2943
Drazi
Joyce? I don't remember Liz being homeschooled. Then again, I was homeschooled and everyone says I'm smart. Oh look, Iris Ass!
Diptych
Green beans are the only one of those I had a kid, and I still find them a bit.... starchy? The rest I discovered as an adult. Big sprout fan; don't mind mac and cheese but it's not my very favouritest.
alphanor
Yes, and it's very green.
Captain Button
You're from an alternate parallel universe, aren't you?
alphanor
I think I'm kind of freaky. I don't like mac and cheese, and I do like green beans, brussels sprouts, and lima beans.
Andrea Andrew
Woah, Iris has some cake. Perhaps Willow and Liz would like a slice.
Commodore_Perry
Get some veggies in your diet, young genius.
Tannerbot
Yuuuussss, their social awkwardness meshes well.
joe velsher
Pro tip: sneak the veggies INTO the mac and cheese. Stealth nutrition.
Yelling Bird
I mean, who doesn't want double Mac and Cheese?
Diptych
We are talking about Liz's cafeteria order, though. We don't know whether or not she orders vegetables anywhere else.
Diptych
Sooner or later, Liz is going to have to face up to intelligence not working how she thinks it works. Being smart doesn't mean you unilaterally produce discoveries and inventions for everyone else to use, like the Sun producing light. It just means you have skills you can use as part of the big complex system of everyone relying on everyone else, past and present, to get things done. It's more like being a particularly healthy tree in the forest. If you take the tree out of the forest and lock it in a sub-basement, it's not going to thrive.
Brittany Huckey
I understand that reference
Tabby
Thanks, I'd forgotten that. But yeah, that's another job that'll reinforce that misanthropy :)
Jose Alfredo Villalobos
She didn’t lose her smarts she lost her curiosity. It turned into malaise and depression.
Carrie
Who said anything about it being from a cafeteria in this comment thread...., 🤦♀️
Rich Holmes
In a college cafeteria!? NBL.
Nathan Kinsey
She was also a groundskeeper. Sounds like the college didn't know what to do with her.
NightAngel
I never would have guessed these 2 would have chemistry but I absolutely love it.
Michael Boettger
I'm actually seeing a bit of mutual understanding. A Iris/Liz friendship. A Lizis thing?
Carrie
What about fresh or frozen steamed ones or in soup or fresh in a garden salad? No squeaking...
Pejo
Iris bum, that is all
Tabby
Iris worked in a cafeteria? Explains why she hates interacting with people then XD
Sean Kinlin
It's not easy, bean green.
Sean Kinlin
Panel 1 kind of looks like an album cover.
Magic Beans
If it’s that carrot-broccoli-cauliflower blend that’s had all the flavor steamed out, I’m with you.
Grace Kieser
Canned green beans squeak on the teeth! That's a huge no for me!
Sean Kinlin
Double secret mac & cheese.
Sammitch
Whee! Imposter Syndrome!
Nathan Kinsey
The moment she started to feel superior she warmed up. Shocking.
Carrie
No green beans‽‽‽ 🤦♀️🤷♀️😳
Adam Friedlander
Yeah, that checks out
Doc Gumby
Iris thaws a bit! Miracles do happen!
