2673: Cursed mRNA Cocktail

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Cursed mRNA Cocktail

Title text: Serve one each to guests whose last cursed cocktail was more than 2 months ago.

Explanation

This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a VACCINE DRINKER. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

The comic describes a process to approximate the molecular composition of certain mRNA-based vaccines in drinkable form. It contains the variety and relative concentrations of the simple molecular constituents found within the injectable mixture. i.e. mostly water, some sugar, lipids (and an amino acid "or" biological and genetic material.)

Like much of what we eat or drink, the stomach and intestines will neutralise much of the complexity of either the vaccines or this ersatz replica of them, reducing it to simpler proteins of some slight nutritional value. For the vaccine to work, it has been designed to be injected into the body e.g. intramuscularly to bypass the hostile environment of the human digestive system. Randall's replacement mixture might provoke generally unwise physiological reactions. This is funny because while very few people would find such a mixture palatable, it is very likely nontoxic,^{[citation needed]} and contains moisture, protein, and calories, all important if elementary nutritional components.

The title text suggests that this can be served as a "booster" to a prior dose or serving after an initial treatment. There is much study of vaccine efficacy relative to times of dosages. Too little time between makes the new dose not necessarily cause the immune system to react in the way that it should; however most pairs of vaccines work well if delivered on the same day.^{[actual citation needed]} The comic recommends not redosing within two months of the last attempt.

Transcript

This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.

Ever wondered what it would be like to drink the new COVID booster?

This recipe approximately recreates the taste and nutritional profile!

(Note: does not protect against COVID.)

[The following two testimonies are displayed in spiky bubbles.]

"...What? Eww." -CDC spokesperson

"Please stop." -Dr. Anthony Fauci

Ingredients

2 cups water

3 tbsp mayonnaise

¼ tsp MSG or nutritional yeast

1 tbsp sugar

Directions

Pour 1 cup of water into a blender. Add the mayonnaise and MSG. Blend until smooth.

Pour the other cup of water into a glass. Add the sugar and 1 tsp of the mixture from the blender. Stir well.

Serve in shot glasses.

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Discussion

"¼ tsp MSG or nutritional yeast," is like saying, "A monochrome d12 or the city of Washington, D.C." 172.71.154.25 20:55, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

I’ve never eaten the city of Washington, DC, but I am pretty sure I’ve had a 12-sided die in my mouth for some stupid reason or another. I don’t see how the colour would affect the flavour, and since I don’t specifically remember, I don’t know if it was a single colour or swirly. But had it been particularly umami tasting I think I would actually remember, as I would not have expected that. MSG and yeast/yeast extract both have a strong umami flavour (gluten extract, which you are not sensitive to unless you have coeliac disease, also has this taste, as do many broths). As a result, both would impart that flavour to the concoction. I am pretty sure dice and cities don’t impart this flavour, so I can’t see how this assertion could possibly make sense.172.68.175.10 10:02, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

It's about relative complexity, and is probably intended generally as hyperbole. MSG is a single smallish molecule and nutritional yeast is an entire living organism. 172.71.154.25 05:36, 18 September 2022 (UTC)

To be super-pedantic, I suppose it's like saying "A Washington DC's volume of monochrome d12s or the city of Washington D.C." (that doesn't detract from your point, which I enjoyed and learnt from!) 192·168·0·1 (talk) 16:45, 20 September 2022 (UTC)

I wonder if this was inspired by "drug coctails", where a combination of different drugs is prescribed to treat a disease. Barmar (talk) 21:08, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

Spelled cocktails. I like it. The wikipedia disambiguation page for cocktail lists "A mixture of drugs, especially a mixture of Antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV sometimes called a "triple cocktail"" but there is no specific page for the term. 162.158.166.185 04:57, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

Given how little of the mayo and yeast are in the final drink, I would expect that this would taste like slightly sweetened water. Therefore I dispute the assertion in the explainer that "very few people would find such a mixture palatable". --Gamrix (talk) 03:30, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

Funny, "MSG" always makes me recall "Triangle and Robert"... 141.101.76.41 06:54, 17 September 2022 (UTC)

Taking (admittedly large) liberties with the recipe, this is almost watered down kewpie or Japanese mayo. One online recipe suggests that adding sugar, msg and rice wine vinegar to American mayo is sufficient to create an kewpie imitation. Considering the water, perhaps mRNA cocktail is best enjoyed as a glaze on sushi? 162.158.2.125 04:37, 18 September 2022 (UTC)

Serious question: is this comic funny? If so, someone please explain the joke to me. 162.158.166.185 02:28, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

Speaking personally, to me this is funny (in a smile, warm glow of nerdy joy kind of way) because of the concept that you might think making a large amount of vaccine like substance as a swanky cocktail is a good idea. The humour of XKCD often comes from a combination of being very clever and very naive at the same time - smart enough to be able to reproduce a vaccine (more or less) using household ingredients, silly enough to try. 192·168·0·1 (talk) 16:45, 20 September 2022 (UTC)

I find the (intended) humour is perhaps two-fold. 1) If this was remotely accurate, there WOULD be people wanting to take THESE shots against Covid (despite the warnings) and 2) injected medicine is not designed to be tasted, and would taste horrible (judging from the smell when my mom had an insulin spill). Why would anyone SEEK the taste of medicine voluntarily? That's why the "What? Ew!" quote from an expert. NiceGuy1 (talk) 03:19, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

Not all XKCDs are "funny". Some are more about answering odd question, like "what would a mRNA vaccine taste like?" RIIW - Ponder it (talk) 08:06, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

Many of them are educational. Coronavirus vaccines are made of things people eat routinely. Realizing that may help allay fears about safety. 162.158.107.36 18:34, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

Coronaviruses are made of things people have actually eaten. So not at all comforting. 172.70.178.107 19:29, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

What happens if you drink the Covid vaccine? 172.71.146.137 18:38, 19 September 2022 (UTC)

Randall speaks: https://www.npr.org/2022/09/18/1123689628/randall-munroes-what-if-2-answers-the-absurd-science-questions-you-didnt-know-yo 172.70.126.179 09:54, 19 September 2022 (UTC)