explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2161: An Apple a Day

2020-06-22T01:41:06Z

Bipasa das: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2161
| date = June 10, 2019
| title = An Apple a Day
| image = an_apple_a_day.png
| titletext = Even the powerful, tart Granny Smith cultivar is proving ineffective against new Gran-negative doctors.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|An apple a day keeps the doctor away}}" is a common English {{w|proverb}} and {{w|rhyme}}. The suggestion is that eating one apple daily will keep you healthy, and therefore reduce your necessity to go to the doctor or, more literally, to {{w|house_call|have the doctor come to you}} as was likely the case when this proverb was first used.

[[Megan]] is giving a talk, starting with the common proverb, before continuing with "At least, it used to." In a normal scenario, this might have been to imply that eating apples is no longer enough to stay healthy. However, in this comic, this expression is reinterpreted to mean that an apple used to repel a doctor. It also suggests that keeping doctors away is of great importance, presumably because doctors in this scenario are undesirable. The method of action of apples is not specified; they could act as repellents, analogous to {{w|insect repellent}}, or possibly as lethal agents, as {{w|antibiotics}} are to {{w|bacteria}}, or {{w|fungicide|fungicides}} are to {{w|fungus|fungi}}.

Megan continues with her reinterpretation, mentioning that doctors have become resistant to apples[https://www.essayonfest.online/2020/04/an-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-essay.html] so two or even three may be needed. As control agents become more widely used, organisms which are less sensitive to the control may become more common, as is happening with mosquitoes becoming insensitive to repellents[https://www.nature.com/news/2010/100503/full/news.2010.216.html], or {{w|antimicrobial resistance}}, and {{w|pesticide resistance}}. Such resistant organisms may require higher doses, or use of multiple control agents.

In the worst cases, doctors have become completely immune to apples (i.e., {{w|superbugs}}). A poster behind Megan shows [[:Category:Doctor Ponytail|Doctor Ponytail]] with three apples above her. Megan advocates using the 'finest' apples only in these cases (a reference to {{w|Multiple drug resistance|multidrug-resistant}} {{w|pathogens}}, where some antibiotics are only used as a last-resort to reduce the development of resistance to them).

This comic is a clear reference to the {{w|Antibiotic misuse|overuse of antibiotics}} in modern society, leading to an increase in {{w|antimicrobial resistance}} ("Superbugs"), which has seen increasing awareness in the last few years. The {{w|World Health Organization}} had the first [https://antibioticawareness.ca Antibiotic Awareness Week] in 2015, where a talk similar to the one in the comic would seem appropriate. Similar problems occur in growing plants, where various pests (whether insect, fungi, microbes, or plants) adapt to control measures, making control less effective.

In the title text, this is taken further: "Gran-negative" is a pun on {{w|Gram-negative}}, a category of bacteria. A well-known technique called {{w|Gram staining}} distinguishes two classes of bacteria (Gram positive versus Gram negative) on the basis of properties of their cell walls. In this case, Granny Smith apples are supposedly effective against Gran-positive doctors (since the name begins with "Gran"), making them ineffective against new Gran-negative doctors.

{{w|Honeycrisp}} and {{w|Granny Smith}} are two different cultivars of apples. Granny Smith apples are a refreshingly tart green apple, which have mixed reviews among apple eaters. Conversely, Honeycrisp are a very sweet apple, considered by some to be "an ideal apple for eating raw", and is the state fruit of Minnesota.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is facing straight out of a slim panel as she stands behind a lectern addressing the reader.]
:Megan: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
:Megan: Or at least, it used to.

:[The comic zooms out revealing that Megan and the lectern are standing on a podium. Megan is pointing behind her, with a stick, to at a poster prominently featuring Doctor Ponytail with three apples over her head.]
:Megan: Over time, some doctors have developed a resistance to apples. Keeping them away takes two or three apples instead of one.
:Megan: And there are worrying signs that a few doctors may have become completely immune.

:[The comic zooms in again on Megan behind the lectern.]
:Megan: So we must stockpile our finest apples in reserve, using them to fend off only the very worst doctors.
:Megan: Honeycrisps still work on most of them, but we don't know for how long.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] 
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Food]]

2161: An Apple a Day

2020-05-12T13:19:06Z

Bipasa das: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2161
| date = June 10, 2019
| title = An Apple a Day
| image = an_apple_a_day.png
| titletext = Even the powerful, tart Granny Smith cultivar is proving ineffective against new Gran-negative doctors.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|An apple a day keeps the doctor away}}" is a common English {{w|proverb}} and {{w|rhyme}}. The suggestion is that eating one apple daily will keep you healthy, and therefore reduce your necessity to go to the doctor or, more literally, to {{w|house_call|have the doctor come to you}} as was likely the case when this proverb was first used.

[[Megan]] is giving a talk, starting with the common proverb, before continuing with "At least, it used to." In a normal scenario, this might have been to imply that eating apples is no longer enough to stay healthy. However, in this comic, this expression is reinterpreted to mean that an apple used to repel a doctor. It also suggests that keeping doctors away is of great importance, presumably because doctors in this scenario are undesirable. The method of action of apples is not specified; they could act as repellents, analogous to {{w|insect repellent}}, or possibly as lethal agents, as {{w|antibiotics}} are to {{w|bacteria}}, or {{w|fungicide|fungicides}} are to {{w|fungus|fungi}}.

Megan continues with her reinterpretation, mentioning that doctors have become resistant to apples so two or even three may be needed. As control agents become more widely used, organisms which are less sensitive to the control may become more common, as is happening with mosquitoes becoming insensitive to repellents[https://www.nature.com/news/2010/100503/full/news.2010.216.html], or {{w|antimicrobial resistance}}, and {{w|pesticide resistance}}. Such resistant organisms may require higher doses or use of multiple control agents.

In the worst cases, doctors have become completely immune to apples (i.e., {{w|superbugs}}). A poster behind Megan shows [[:Category: Doctor Ponytail|Doctor Ponytail]] with three apples above her. Megan advocates using the 'finest' apples[https://www.essayonfest.online/2020/04/an-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-essay.html] only in these cases (a reference to {{w|Multiple drug resistance|multidrug-resistant}} {{w|pathogens}}, where some antibiotics are only used as a last resort to reduce the development of resistance to them).

This comic is a clear reference to the {{w|Antibiotic misuse|overuse of antibiotics}} in modern society, leading to an increase in {{w|antimicrobial resistance}} ("Superbugs"), which has seen increasing awareness in the last few years. The {{w|World Health Organization}} had the first [https://antibioticawareness.ca Antibiotic Awareness Week] in 2015, where a talk similar to the one in the comic would seem appropriate. Similar problems occur in growing plants, where various pests (whether insect, fungi, microbes, or plants) adapt to control measures, making control less effective.

In the title text, this is taken further: "Gran-negative" is a pun on {{w|Gram-negative}}, a category of bacteria. A well-known technique called {{w|Gram staining}} distinguishes two classes of bacteria (Gram-positive versus Gram negative) on the basis of properties of their cell walls. In this case, Granny Smith apples are supposedly effective against Gran-positive doctors (since the name begins with "Gran"), making them ineffective against new Gran-negative doctors.

{{w|Honeycrisp}} and {{w|Granny Smith}} are two different cultivars of apples. Granny Smith apples are a refreshingly tart green apple, which have mixed reviews among apple eaters. Conversely, Honeycrisp are a very sweet apple, considered by some to be "an ideal apple for eating raw", and is the state fruit of Minnesota.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is facing straight out of a slim panel as she stands behind a lectern addressing the reader.]
:Megan: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
:Megan: Or at least, it used to.

:[The comic zooms out revealing that Megan and the lectern are standing on a podium. Megan is pointing behind her, with a stick, to at a poster prominently featuring Doctor Ponytail with three apples over her head.]
:Megan: Over time, some doctors have developed a resistance to apples. Keeping them away takes two or three apples instead of one.
:Megan: And there are worrying signs that a few doctors may have become completely immune.

:[The comic zooms in again on Megan behind the lectern.]
:Megan: So we must stockpile our finest apples in reserve, using them to fend off only the very worst doctors.
:Megan: Honeycrisps still work on most of them, but we don't know for how long.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] 
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Food]]

820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2

2020-04-24T03:32:37Z

Bipasa das: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 820
| date = November 17, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 2
| image = five_minute_comics_part_2.png
| titletext = Dear Wiccan readers: I understand modern Wiccans are not usually all about the curses and hexes. But Darth Vader was recently converted from Episcopalianism and he's still figuring it all out.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the second of three "five-minute comics" Randall posted during a week in November 2010. The introduction to the comic explains everything you need to know about the circumstances behind it.

Randall obviously made more than three of these five minutes comics, and one of them was published later, for a short period of time by a mistake, but an android xkcd browser picked it up while it was on-line and saved it. Since then it has been added to explain xkcd. So here is a complete list of all four comics in the entire [[:Category:Five-minute comics|Five-minute comics]] series:
*[[819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1]]
*[[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]
*[[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]
*[[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]

Here is a list with explanations for each of the small comics:
*1. The first comic pokes fun at improbable conspiracy theories. {{w|Dealey Plaza#Grassy knoll|The grassy knoll}} is a location famous among conspiracy theorists who believe it to be the location of an unknown accomplice in the {{w|assassination of John F. Kennedy}}.
:It turns out that, somehow, this will all lead up to a theory that perfectly explains the {{w|September 11 attacks}}.

*2. When a woman described as having a "glow" about them, it's usually just a vague sentiment of attractiveness, specifically during pregnancy, which here very suddenly reaches its conclusion as a ''[https://www.best-for-babies.com/best-baby-foods-in-india baby]'' is unceremoniously plopped into the world.

*3. "{{w|Cogito ergo sum}}" is a philosophical statement in Latin, formulated by {{w|René Descartes}}, translated as "I think, therefore I am". Descartes wanted to build a philosophy from scratch, starting with something he could be absolutely certain of. "Cogito ergo cogito", is Latin for "I think, therefore I think." This can even beat "cogito ergo sum" in uncontroversial; it is a {{w|tautology}}, which is why the off-screen character describes it as "playing it safe."

*4. The comic on the far right is a reference to {{w|trick or treating}}, a major part of the modern {{w|Halloween}} holiday. Children go from door to door saying, "Trick or treat?". The ''trick'' is a non-serious threat to play a trick on the person if no treat is provided (but see also {{w|Mischief Night}}). Normally, the person at the home then gives them candy (a ''treat'') as a response. Here, a Megan-like character, likely Danish, visits nightmares upon small children by gifting them blood.

*5. To bail out of a plane means to escape the plane, usually via the {{w|Ejection seat|cockpit's eject mechanism}}. To bail out a boat means to manually drain water coming onto the ship with buckets. The pilots here have confused the two, although if a plane was somehow taking on a large amount of water, bailing out that water would be a reasonable course of action.

*6. Sometimes, TV shows will tell true stories while playing up the drama angle for rating purposes. In these cases, they will often air a notice similar to "The following program is a dramatization of real events" before the show, to indicate that the story they're about to tell is true, albeit not as a literally accurate retelling of events. Here, the disclaimer is technically true, although the events are normally devoid of any drama whatsoever. To add some, Cueball screams for no reason.

*7. {{w|Black light}}s are a kind of lamp that filters out sub-purple light. This means that the only light it gives off is a small amount of purple light, plus plenty of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, but it is noticeable in a few ways; it hurts the eyes, which is why it's hard to focus on things under a black light; it causes sunburns, although the amount given off by a black light is far too insignificant to do this in a real-time; and it causes a fluorescence reaction in semen, some food stains, and dust making them appear to glow, which is why the robes look dirty. As such, a "{{w|Lightsaber|blacklightsaber}}" would, indeed, be a bad idea.
**It also causes a fluorescent reaction in several types of cloth - most notably white cotton, which is why it has been used in discothèques, because of the way people in white T-shirts will light up.
** Interestingly, there is a "Black Lightsaber" in Star Wars canon; a unique, one-of-a-kind weapon known as the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darksaber Darksaber].

*8. Most judicial systems have a {{w|jury}}, a panel of impartial laymen that, primarily, determines the guilt or innocence of a suspected criminal. "Ladies and gentlemen" is a formal way of addressing a crowd, and so Cueball addresses the jury as "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury."
: However, it turns out the jury consists only of women, so the "gentlemen" part is not needed. This poses a problem to Cueball's defense, which apparently relied on somewhat sexist tactics. This, sadly, is not too uncommon in real life.

*9. The commander's first line is a line from ''{{w|Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope}}''. In the original film, the commander was cut off by {{w|Darth Vader}} using {{w|Force_(Star_Wars)|the Force}} to strangle him, delivering the rebuttal "I find your lack of faith disturbing."
: Instead of belief in the Force as in the movie, the "ancient religion" referred to here is actually {{w|Wicca}}, a modern pagan religion with two deities that is most notable for practicing magic, and is related to {{w|voodoo}}. So, naturally, Darth Vader puts a hex on the commander's family. (Although to modify a quote from the Internet, Wiccans hexing you as punishment is like a hippie threatening to punch you in your aura.)
: The title text notes that modern Wiccans don't really practice the whole "putting hexes on people" thing, which is true. Episcopalianism probably refers to the {{w|Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church of the United States}}, which was founded during the American Revolution to replace the Church of England in the colonies.

==Transcript==
:Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes.

:--Randall

:;Comic #1
:[A ninja is hiding under a diving board as a man runs along it.]

:[The man jumps on the end of the board and hits the ninja in the head, knocking him into the pool.]

:[The ninja floats in the water. A bullet passes through the man's head.]
:''thwipp''

:[The man is lying bleeding on the diving board, the ninja is still unconscious on the pool.]

:[A sniper is at the top of a hill. The sign in front of the hill says "Grassy Knoll".]

:[Someone is pointing at the diagram of the previous panel.]
:Off-panel voice: Wait, so ''what'' does this have to do with 9/11, again?
:Cueball: I ''said'' I'm getting there!

:;Comic #2
:[Cueball is studying Megan.]
:Cueball: You look different.

:Cueball: You have this... glow about you.

:[They stare in silence.]

:[A baby falls out of Megan.]
:''plop''

:;Comic #3
:Megan: Cogito ergo cogito.
:Off-panel voice: Playing it safe, huh?

:;Comic #4
:[Two children dressed up as ghosts are standing in front of Megan at a door, each carrying a bag.]
:Children: Trick or treat!

:[Megan doesn't move.]

:Child: Um hi. Why are you just standing there?
:Other Child: Candy?

:[Another silent panel as the children stare up at Megan.]

:[The second child looks in their bag.]
:Other Child: Oh God, my bag of candy.

:Other Child: It's filling with blood.
:Child: We should go.

:;Comic #5
:[A jet is flying across the panel.]
:Pilot: Bail out! Bail out! Bail out!

:[The pilot and copilot have buckets, and are bailing water out of the cockpit.]

:;Comic #6
:The following is a dramatization of real events.

:[Cueball is at a counter, with several jars.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAA I'm making a sandwich! AAAAAAAAAA!

:;Comic #7
:[Two people are carrying lightsabers and wearing robes.]
:Cueball: Oh God, my eyes won't focus right! And your robe looks... really dirty!
:My blacklightsaber was not a success.

:;Comic #8
:[Cueball is standing.]
:Cueball: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
:Off-screen voice: It seems we happen to be all ladies, actually.
:Cueball: ...in that case, this defense is going to appear extremely ill-advised.

:;Comic #9
:[Darth Vader is sitting between two people, at a table.]
:Cueball: Your sad devotion to that ancient religion hasn't helped you conjur up the stolen data tapes, or given you—
:Darth Vader: ''HEY.'' Wicca is a legitimate belief system!

:[Darth Vader is drawing a pentagram on the table.]
:Cueball: What are you—
:Darth Vader: Putting a hex on your family.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Five-minute comics| 02]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Five-minute comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1587: Food Rule

2020-04-24T03:28:16Z

Bipasa das: /* Items on the list */

{{comic
| number = 1587
| date = October 7, 2015
| title = Food Rule
| image = food_rule.png
| titletext = I won't eat invertebrates, because I can fight a skeleton, but I have no idea what kind of spooky warrior a squid leaves behind.
}}

==Explanation==
There are various {{w|Vegetarianism|vegetarian}} diets which restrict certain foods for ethical or personal concerns. Real vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat, but some only refrain from eating red meat, although this means they are not true vegetarians. Vegetarianism can go as far as to not eating (or even using) any kind of products coming from an animal (i.e. {{w|veganism}}). The comic is a joke on one of the vegetarian rules, namely ''[http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates/item/910-dont-eat-anything-with-a-face don't eat anything with a face]''. This rule is difficult to follow, because it is subjective whether people think a given animal has a {{w|face}}, causing disagreement about what is allowed and what is forbidden to eat.

[[Randall]] presents a list (see [[#Items on the list|details]] below) of allowed and forbidden food in his diet. For example, he eats meat from typical-looking animals like beef, pork, chicken, and fish. He will also eat plants like fruit, vegetables and grain. But he refuses to eat some of the more odd-looking creatures from the sea like squids, shrimps and oysters. Below the list he explains his rule for what can be eaten: ''I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face'', which is a joke on the disagreements about the ''don't eat anything with a face'' rule. The joke is particularly teasing as it allows most (if not all) kinds of meat, which are the most strictly forbidden foods for even the mildest of vegetarians. Randall does not care about food having faces, he is worried apparently only about having to defend the position that some particular food has a face or not. While it's clear, at least to Randall, that a cow has a face and an apple does not, some beings are harder to classify into one of these categories. For Randall this goes for shrimps, oysters and squids; and apparently actual vegetarians also struggle with these creatures, as can be seen in several on-line questions ([https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080613194541AAwlN90 1].
The title text gives another rule that also would make these same three omissions. This rule is about not eating {{w|Invertebrate|invertebrates}} (animals without a {{w|vertebral column}}, i.e. spineless creatures). As the first four items on the list are meat from four different animals of the type {{w|Vertebrate|vertebrates}} (with vertebral column) and the last three items are from {{w|Plant|plants}}, that explains why these are all OK to eat. But the middle three items are three different animals of the type invertebrates, which Randall does not eat.

Randall's reason for avoiding invertebrates is somewhat outlandish: he fears that the spirits from creatures he has eaten will come back to haunt him. In horror movies, as well as in video games and roleplaying games with fantastic elements, {{w|undead}} creatures often appear as spooky skeletons (i.e. the [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Stalfos Stalfos] of the ''{{w|Legend of Zelda}}''); however invertebrates have no skeleton so Randall can't figure out what kind of spooky undead creature will come after him if he eats them (invertebrates may have a {{w|Mollusc shell|shell}} or another type of {{w|exoskeleton}}, but these do not look at all like the typical mental image of a skeleton). Randall imagines that he'll be able to fight a typical skeleton, but is afraid of the unknown ghostly creature an invertebrate may become after dying.

The comic may also be a joke on the modern {{w|Paleolithic diet|paleo diet}} trend, which emphasizes eating fruit, vegetables, and meat ("anything with a face").

Randall has previously depicted cuttlefish as spooky in [[520: Cuttlefish]], and he's also mentioned his dislike of certain foods (namely {{w|lobster}} - another invertebrate) in [[1268: Alternate Universe]].

===Items on the list===
Here is a list with explanation for each item on Randalls food list:
*{{w|Red meat}}, includes meat from most adult {{w|mammals}}, but many people will probably think of {{w|beefsteak}} from {{w|cattle}}.
*{{w|Pork}}, is meat from {{w|Domestic pig|pigs}}. While technically a "red meat" (according to the US Department of Agriculture) it is popularly considered "the other {{w|white meat}}", hence its own bullet point.
*{{w|Poultry}} are domesticated birds; most people will think of {{w|Chicken (food)|chicken}}.
*{{w|Fish}} covers a very large group of animals, most of them are not eaten on a regular basis, but a large group of fish are {{w|Fish as food|used as food}}.
*{{w|Shrimp}} is used to refer to {{w|Decapoda|ten-footed}} {{w|crustacean}} and some of these are {{w|Shrimp (food)|used for food}}. In the UK they often go under the name {{w|prawns}}.
*{{w|Oysters}} refers to a family of {{w|mollusca}} within the class {{w|bivalvia}} (i.e. body enclosed in shells consisting of two hinged parts). Most people will probably think of the {{w|Ostreidae|true oysters}} specifically the {{w|Ostrea edulis|edible oyster}}, which are not the only edible oyster!. Note that {{w|pearl oyster}} is not a true oyster.
*{{w|Squid}} are {{w|cephalopods}} (also of the mollusca family ) with eight arms arranged in pairs and two longer tentacles. They are closely related to {{w|cuttlefish}} and {{w|octopuses}}.
*{{w|Fruit}} is a part of a flowering plant. Common fruits are ''[https://www.essayonfest.online/2020/04/an-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-essay.html apples]'', {{w|oranges}}, {{w|bananas}} and {{w|pear|pears}}. But in principle anything that comes from a flower is a fruit, including grains. Although in a culinary sense there is a distinction between vegetables and fruit, any part of a flower is actually a vegetable. See below and also see [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]].
*{{w|Vegetables}} are any kind of plant. But in everyday it refers to any part of a plant that is consumed by humans as food as part of a {{w|Umami|savoury}} meal, thus excluding fruit, {{w|Nut (fruit)|nuts}} and cereal grains. For instance a {{w|tomato}} would be seen as a vegetable due to its taste and as a fruit botanically – see the Venn diagram {{w|Fruit#Botanic fruit and culinary fruit|here}}.
*{{w|Grain|Grains}} are small, hard, dry {{w|seeds}}. Usually when mentioning these people will think of breakfast {{w|cereal}} grains. Typical grains are {{w|corn}}, {{w|rice}} and {{w|wheat}}. As mentioned above grains are botanically both a fruit and a vegetable.

==Transcript==
:[There is a caption above a list of food with indication whether it is OK or not to eat. Below is another caption.]

:My food rule:
:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Red meat
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Pork
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Poultry
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fish
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Shrimp
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Oysters
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Squid
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fruit
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Vegetables
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Grains
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|}
:I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]

1587: Food Rule

2020-04-24T03:27:02Z

Bipasa das: /* Items on the list */

{{comic
| number = 1587
| date = October 7, 2015
| title = Food Rule
| image = food_rule.png
| titletext = I won't eat invertebrates, because I can fight a skeleton, but I have no idea what kind of spooky warrior a squid leaves behind.
}}

==Explanation==
There are various {{w|Vegetarianism|vegetarian}} diets which restrict certain foods for ethical or personal concerns. Real vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat, but some only refrain from eating red meat, although this means they are not true vegetarians. Vegetarianism can go as far as to not eating (or even using) any kind of products coming from an animal (i.e. {{w|veganism}}). The comic is a joke on one of the vegetarian rules, namely ''[http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates/item/910-dont-eat-anything-with-a-face don't eat anything with a face]''. This rule is difficult to follow, because it is subjective whether people think a given animal has a {{w|face}}, causing disagreement about what is allowed and what is forbidden to eat.

[[Randall]] presents a list (see [[#Items on the list|details]] below) of allowed and forbidden food in his diet. For example, he eats meat from typical-looking animals like beef, pork, chicken, and fish. He will also eat plants like fruit, vegetables and grain. But he refuses to eat some of the more odd-looking creatures from the sea like squids, shrimps and oysters. Below the list he explains his rule for what can be eaten: ''I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face'', which is a joke on the disagreements about the ''don't eat anything with a face'' rule. The joke is particularly teasing as it allows most (if not all) kinds of meat, which are the most strictly forbidden foods for even the mildest of vegetarians. Randall does not care about food having faces, he is worried apparently only about having to defend the position that some particular food has a face or not. While it's clear, at least to Randall, that a cow has a face and an apple does not, some beings are harder to classify into one of these categories. For Randall this goes for shrimps, oysters and squids; and apparently actual vegetarians also struggle with these creatures, as can be seen in several on-line questions ([https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080613194541AAwlN90 1].
The title text gives another rule that also would make these same three omissions. This rule is about not eating {{w|Invertebrate|invertebrates}} (animals without a {{w|vertebral column}}, i.e. spineless creatures). As the first four items on the list are meat from four different animals of the type {{w|Vertebrate|vertebrates}} (with vertebral column) and the last three items are from {{w|Plant|plants}}, that explains why these are all OK to eat. But the middle three items are three different animals of the type invertebrates, which Randall does not eat.

Randall's reason for avoiding invertebrates is somewhat outlandish: he fears that the spirits from creatures he has eaten will come back to haunt him. In horror movies, as well as in video games and roleplaying games with fantastic elements, {{w|undead}} creatures often appear as spooky skeletons (i.e. the [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Stalfos Stalfos] of the ''{{w|Legend of Zelda}}''); however invertebrates have no skeleton so Randall can't figure out what kind of spooky undead creature will come after him if he eats them (invertebrates may have a {{w|Mollusc shell|shell}} or another type of {{w|exoskeleton}}, but these do not look at all like the typical mental image of a skeleton). Randall imagines that he'll be able to fight a typical skeleton, but is afraid of the unknown ghostly creature an invertebrate may become after dying.

The comic may also be a joke on the modern {{w|Paleolithic diet|paleo diet}} trend, which emphasizes eating fruit, vegetables, and meat ("anything with a face").

Randall has previously depicted cuttlefish as spooky in [[520: Cuttlefish]], and he's also mentioned his dislike of certain foods (namely {{w|lobster}} - another invertebrate) in [[1268: Alternate Universe]].

===Items on the list===
Here is a list with explanation for each item on Randalls food list:
*{{w|Red meat}}, includes meat from most adult {{w|mammals}}, but many people will probably think of {{w|beefsteak}} from {{w|cattle}}.
*{{w|Pork}}, is meat from {{w|Domestic pig|pigs}}. While technically a "red meat" (according to the US Department of Agriculture) it is popularly considered "the other {{w|white meat}}", hence its own bullet point.
*{{w|Poultry}} are domesticated birds; most people will think of {{w|Chicken (food)|chicken}}.
*{{w|Fish}} covers a very large group of animals, most of them are not eaten on a regular basis, but a large group of fish are {{w|Fish as food|used as food}}.
*{{w|Shrimp}} is used to refer to {{w|Decapoda|ten-footed}} {{w|crustacean}} and some of these are {{w|Shrimp (food)|used for food}}. In the UK they often go under the name {{w|prawns}}.
*{{w|Oysters}} refers to a family of {{w|mollusca}} within the class {{w|bivalvia}} (i.e. body enclosed in shells consisting of two hinged parts). Most people will probably think of the {{w|Ostreidae|true oysters}} specifically the {{w|Ostrea edulis|edible oyster}}, which are not the only edible oyster!. Note that {{w|pearl oyster}} is not a true oyster.
*{{w|Squid}} are {{w|cephalopods}} (also of the mollusca family ) with eight arms arranged in pairs and two longer tentacles. They are closely related to {{w|cuttlefish}} and {{w|octopuses}}.
*{{w|Fruit}} is a part of a flowering plant. Common fruits are "[https://www.essayonfest.online/2020/04/an-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-essay.html apples]", {{w|oranges}}, {{w|bananas}} and {{w|pear|pears}}. But in principle anything that comes from a flower is a fruit, including grains. Although in a culinary sense there is a distinction between vegetables and fruit, any part of a flower is actually a vegetable. See below and also see [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]].
*{{w|Vegetables}} are any kind of plant. But in everyday it refers to any part of a plant that is consumed by humans as food as part of a {{w|Umami|savoury}} meal, thus excluding fruit, {{w|Nut (fruit)|nuts}} and cereal grains. For instance a {{w|tomato}} would be seen as a vegetable due to its taste and as a fruit botanically – see the Venn diagram {{w|Fruit#Botanic fruit and culinary fruit|here}}.
*{{w|Grain|Grains}} are small, hard, dry {{w|seeds}}. Usually when mentioning these people will think of breakfast {{w|cereal}} grains. Typical grains are {{w|corn}}, {{w|rice}} and {{w|wheat}}. As mentioned above grains are botanically both a fruit and a vegetable.

==Transcript==
:[There is a caption above a list of food with indication whether it is OK or not to eat. Below is another caption.]

:My food rule:
:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Red meat
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Pork
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Poultry
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fish
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Shrimp
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Oysters
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Squid
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fruit
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Vegetables
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Grains
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|}
:I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]

1587: Food Rule

2020-04-24T03:22:54Z

Bipasa das: /* Items on the list */

{{comic
| number = 1587
| date = October 7, 2015
| title = Food Rule
| image = food_rule.png
| titletext = I won't eat invertebrates, because I can fight a skeleton, but I have no idea what kind of spooky warrior a squid leaves behind.
}}

==Explanation==
There are various {{w|Vegetarianism|vegetarian}} diets which restrict certain foods for ethical or personal concerns. Real vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat, but some only refrain from eating red meat, although this means they are not true vegetarians. Vegetarianism can go as far as to not eating (or even using) any kind of products coming from an animal (i.e. {{w|veganism}}). The comic is a joke on one of the vegetarian rules, namely ''[http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates/item/910-dont-eat-anything-with-a-face don't eat anything with a face]''. This rule is difficult to follow, because it is subjective whether people think a given animal has a {{w|face}}, causing disagreement about what is allowed and what is forbidden to eat.

[[Randall]] presents a list (see [[#Items on the list|details]] below) of allowed and forbidden food in his diet. For example, he eats meat from typical-looking animals like beef, pork, chicken, and fish. He will also eat plants like fruit, vegetables and grain. But he refuses to eat some of the more odd-looking creatures from the sea like squids, shrimps and oysters. Below the list he explains his rule for what can be eaten: ''I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face'', which is a joke on the disagreements about the ''don't eat anything with a face'' rule. The joke is particularly teasing as it allows most (if not all) kinds of meat, which are the most strictly forbidden foods for even the mildest of vegetarians. Randall does not care about food having faces, he is worried apparently only about having to defend the position that some particular food has a face or not. While it's clear, at least to Randall, that a cow has a face and an apple does not, some beings are harder to classify into one of these categories. For Randall this goes for shrimps, oysters and squids; and apparently actual vegetarians also struggle with these creatures, as can be seen in several on-line questions ([https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080613194541AAwlN90 1].
The title text gives another rule that also would make these same three omissions. This rule is about not eating {{w|Invertebrate|invertebrates}} (animals without a {{w|vertebral column}}, i.e. spineless creatures). As the first four items on the list are meat from four different animals of the type {{w|Vertebrate|vertebrates}} (with vertebral column) and the last three items are from {{w|Plant|plants}}, that explains why these are all OK to eat. But the middle three items are three different animals of the type invertebrates, which Randall does not eat.

Randall's reason for avoiding invertebrates is somewhat outlandish: he fears that the spirits from creatures he has eaten will come back to haunt him. In horror movies, as well as in video games and roleplaying games with fantastic elements, {{w|undead}} creatures often appear as spooky skeletons (i.e. the [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Stalfos Stalfos] of the ''{{w|Legend of Zelda}}''); however invertebrates have no skeleton so Randall can't figure out what kind of spooky undead creature will come after him if he eats them (invertebrates may have a {{w|Mollusc shell|shell}} or another type of {{w|exoskeleton}}, but these do not look at all like the typical mental image of a skeleton). Randall imagines that he'll be able to fight a typical skeleton, but is afraid of the unknown ghostly creature an invertebrate may become after dying.

The comic may also be a joke on the modern {{w|Paleolithic diet|paleo diet}} trend, which emphasizes eating fruit, vegetables, and meat ("anything with a face").

Randall has previously depicted cuttlefish as spooky in [[520: Cuttlefish]], and he's also mentioned his dislike of certain foods (namely {{w|lobster}} - another invertebrate) in [[1268: Alternate Universe]].

===Items on the list===
Here is a list with explanation for each item on Randalls food list:
*{{w|Red meat}}, includes meat from most adult {{w|mammals}}, but many people will probably think of {{w|beefsteak}} from {{w|cattle}}.
*{{w|Pork}}, is meat from {{w|Domestic pig|pigs}}. While technically a "red meat" (according to the US Department of Agriculture) it is popularly considered "the other {{w|white meat}}", hence its own bullet point.
*{{w|Poultry}} are domesticated birds; most people will think of {{w|Chicken (food)|chicken}}.
*{{w|Fish}} covers a very large group of animals, most of them are not eaten on a regular basis, but a large group of fish are {{w|Fish as food|used as food}}.
*{{w|Shrimp}} is used to refer to {{w|Decapoda|ten-footed}} {{w|crustacean}} and some of these are {{w|Shrimp (food)|used for food}}. In the UK they often go under the name {{w|prawns}}.
*{{w|Oysters}} refers to a family of {{w|mollusca}} within the class {{w|bivalvia}} (i.e. body enclosed in shells consisting of two hinged parts). Most people will probably think of the {{w|Ostreidae|true oysters}} specifically the {{w|Ostrea edulis|edible oyster}}, which are not the only edible oyster!. Note that {{w|pearl oyster}} is not a true oyster.
*{{w|Squid}} are {{w|cephalopods}} (also of the mollusca family ) with eight arms arranged in pairs and two longer tentacles. They are closely related to {{w|cuttlefish}} and {{w|octopuses}}.
*{{w|Fruit}} is a part of a flowering plant. Common fruits are {{https://www.essayonfest.online/2020/04/an-apple-day-keeps-doctor-away-essay.html|apples}}, {{w|oranges}}, {{w|bananas}} and {{w|pear|pears}}. But in principle anything that comes from a flower is a fruit, including grains. Although in a culinary sense there is a distinction between vegetables and fruit, any part of a flower is actually a vegetable. See below and also see [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]].
*{{w|Vegetables}} are any kind of plant. But in everyday it refers to any part of a plant that is consumed by humans as food as part of a {{w|Umami|savoury}} meal, thus excluding fruit, {{w|Nut (fruit)|nuts}} and cereal grains. For instance a {{w|tomato}} would be seen as a vegetable due to its taste and as a fruit botanically – see the Venn diagram {{w|Fruit#Botanic fruit and culinary fruit|here}}.
*{{w|Grain|Grains}} are small, hard, dry {{w|seeds}}. Usually when mentioning these people will think of breakfast {{w|cereal}} grains. Typical grains are {{w|corn}}, {{w|rice}} and {{w|wheat}}. As mentioned above grains are botanically both a fruit and a vegetable.

==Transcript==
:[There is a caption above a list of food with indication whether it is OK or not to eat. Below is another caption.]

:My food rule:
:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Red meat
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Pork
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Poultry
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fish
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Shrimp
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Oysters
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Squid
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fruit
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Vegetables
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Grains
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|}
:I won't eat something if I have to Google to figure out whether or not it has a face.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]