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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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This comic pokes fun at (and makes literal) a common argument used to assert that certain foods are quite unhealthy or unappetizing by pointing out how much of a particular ingredient the food contains. The argument is sometimes presented as "Imagine if you ate each of those ingredients separately". In this case, a pizza is broken down into its core ingredients, shown in their actual quantities: A large block of cheese, a loaf of bread, a glass of tomato sauce, and a pile of salt. [[Cueball]] (on the right) proposes to eat each of these ingredients individually and in their entirety—an act that many people (such as his Cueball-like friend to the left) may consider absurd or repulsive. This proposal is meant to change the reader's opinion of the final product—instead of enjoying a pizza, the reader may instead be reminded of the concept of eating a block of cheese and a pile of salt separately, and choose to eat something else instead.
 
  
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This argument is effectively a counter to the practice of cooking, which combines individual ingredients into a more palatable product. Just as [[1609: Food Combinations]] points out that combining two foods can make them sound less disgusting, this comic shows how separating out a meal can have the opposite effect.
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The explanation is in the comic itself: Pizza seems way grosser if you imagine eating just the ingredients. Many people, for example, would find simply eating "a block of cheese" as repulsive (depending on the cheese and amount), but would not object if the same amount of cheese were integrated with a whole meal as in a cheese pizza. Tomato sauce is also typically something that is not served alone (especially not in a glass) though it is a common ingredient in many dishes. Bread may be eaten alone more frequently than the rest of the ingredients but doing so is popularly considered indulgent or not healthy due to bread only having simple carbohydrates and little other nutritional value. Salt is also never supposed to be served by itself, since it is a seasoning.
  
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The title text refers to a vegetable pizza, which is generally perceived as healthier than a standard pizza. Randall points out here that although vegetables may add some nutrients to the meal, they don't magically reduce the other ingredients or their impacts. Additionally, the vegetables on a pizza may have been cooked in oil (or grease), or have absorbed the grease from the cheese as it melted, further impacting their potential benefits.
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As should be obvious, the act of cooking makes many meals much more palpable.
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The title text refers to a vegetable pizza, which is perceived as a healthier choice due to the presence of vegetables.
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<!--Title text is talking about pizza, not about a side dish
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The vegetable comment could also be interpreted as having a side salad in addition to the pizza. Common ingredients of certain salads, such as Caesar Salads, is cheese, oil and croutons (bread fried in butter) and is in fact not as healthy as "salads" commonly are believed to be. These fat components could be roughly or derogatorily interpreted as being "grease" which also high in fat and typically referred to in a negative context (e.g.: "That fried fish was greasy and disgusting.")-->
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[Cueball to the right and his Cueball-like friend to the left sits behind a table. Visible on the table between them are a loaf of bread, a glass with some liquid in it, an oblong box with a readable label and a small heap of small grains.]
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:[Cueball and a Cueball-like guy are behind a table. Visible on the table are a loaf of bread, a glass with some liquid in it, an oblong box labelled "CHEESE" and a small heap]
 
:Friend: What're you having for lunch?
 
:Friend: What're you having for lunch?
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:Cueball: The usual—half a pound of cheese, white bread, a glass of tomato sauce, and some salt.
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:Cueball: The usual - half a pound of cheese, white bread, a glass of tomato sauce, and some salt.
 
:Friend: Eww.
 
:Friend: Eww.
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:Label on the box: Cheese
 
  
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:[Caption below the panel.]
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:[Caption below the panel]
 
:Pizza seems way grosser if you imagine eating just the ingredients.
 
:Pizza seems way grosser if you imagine eating just the ingredients.
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
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[[Category:Food]]
 

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