A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

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Food Fright!

By Jimmy Johnson

My two cats will not eat canned cat food made from beef products. Will not touch it. We don’t buy most types of cat food made from seafood, because the smell is gawdawful. That leaves poultry and sometimes tuna. And why don’t you ever see pet food made from pork? I strongly suspect every bit of the pig is fed back to us humans one way or another.

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81 responses to “Food Fright!

  1. Morphy Avatar
    Morphy

    Oh my, emb. If you insist on bringing it up again, then I will oblige you with a response. I call this false equivalency. Mother Goose’s plumber is clearly responding with humor to the slight leveled against his trade practice. He returns the wit in kind by using the same reference. I have a fairly wide definition of humor. One that even allows for a zombie Jesus, even if that doesn’t actually tickle my particular fancy.

    I have failed to see humor in your effort at questioning the legitimacy of ‘that kid’, and have not been offered an alternative interpretation. Your returning to the subject at this late date suggests that you are not even fifth-time shy of making fun where you have been told it is impolite. Your bashful claim of innocence seems insincere. I for one continue to receive it as anything but peaceful. And believe that despite your chosen word, that is exactly how you intend it.

    Again, if anyone can show a different way to read emb’s offering I am willing to consider it.

    Mark, I did find the comic funny at first reading. And have had that small joy removed by this later interaction. Please do not read me as upset with your presenting Mr. Peter’s joke. It was worth sharing.

    Ghost, I also liked your Roman bar patron. I immediately thought of Steve McQueen’s infamous mug shot. Same gesture, different meaning intended.

  2. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Good night all. I think I will hesitate before posting such a joke here again as I don’t wish to be the focus of dissension for opposing camps.

  3. Morphy Avatar
    Morphy

    Apologies, Mark, that I contributed to your feeling that way. I will be glad again when you post more good humor. Your reference section seems deep.

  4. emb Avatar
    emb

    Morphy: Obviously, you keep as close watch on posts as I do. Therefore, I assume you read this:
    emb
    on 13 Jan 2018 at 9:19 am #
    Back online for the first day [actually yesterday] since 6 Jan., 2 of those days with a dead land line. Tedious going through that many days of 17-20 comics on Gocomics.
    This was in this morning’s online paper [I also get the print edition.]. I’m thinking of sending a donation.
    http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/4387518-duluth-womans-own-words-her-obituary-reflect-her-positive-outlook
    Later.

  5. emb Avatar
    emb

    1. While I was offline, I wrote lots, but will not waste my time posting it all here. Excerpts:

    This response is delayed /, once again, I’ve lost online connections; cannot email & cannot look up info I need. I apologize for being flippant, but only that. It was an off-hand remark, but apparently I was casting a Daredevil, & some eagerly pounced. I am not surprised. BTW, …, Elaine & I [since 2010, I alone] have done a great deal of theological reading & discussion. She, presumably, now knows as much as she cares to.
    This, in contrast, is not an off-hand response. Two brief recollections. In our 30s at BMC, now BUMC, when I was moving from standard college agnosticism to devout if unorthodox Methodism, Olive was a delightful, conservative 70ish Sunday school student. When I doubted the “virgin birth”, she said “You’re saying Mary was a whore!” We still got along. Marion, much younger, but a few years my senior, just died at 90. She was a fellow devout skeptic, but feisty, & also a craftsperson. At her funeral, pastor had hung 4 of her decades-old church banners, one new to me. It said, “Doctrine divides, Service unites.” I believe no pastor had ever displayed that one, though most would have agreed w/ it. TBC

  6. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie, one mention of one of your favorite foods. There is a Pho shop in the food court of Woodland Hills Mall on the upper level now. And there is a place called Pho Licious listed out at 81st and Harvard. Haven’t tried either since that’s not my thing, but thought you and Ghost would like to know.

  7. emb Avatar
    emb

    2. Also, some of you have jumped to a wrong, but more offensive conclusion. I do not simply question the claim that the mother of Jesus of Nazareth was a virgin. Rather, like many clergy & also lay Biblical scholars, I regard the birth stories in Matthew & Luke as pious legends. That his mom was named Mary seems likely, given later references in the gospels. All 4, BTW, were anonymous. Church fathers assigned them saintly names around 100 CE.] That her husband was “Joseph” is less sure. There is little later reference to him, & isn’t it handy that an earlier Joseph went to Egypt?

    That scripture contains legends does not deny the importance of the Hebrew Bible & the New Testament. It takes into acct the nature of ancient cultures, & the extent to which oral traditions were handed down long before these accts were written. Scholars generally agree that the gospel named “Mark” was penned about 50 CE, a generation after Jesus’ crucifixion, “Luke” & “Matthew” about 70 CE, & “John” [the 1st suggesting Jesus was somehow God, & the 1st anti-semitic gospel] about 90 CE, 60 years after the crucifixion. John of Patmos, the widely acknowledged author of Revelation, was a different guy, though one Bemidji pastor doesn’t know that. TBC.

  8. emb Avatar
    emb

    3. Funny: Nobody takes offense at anyone’s flippant “as God intended” [a post while I was in cyber-limbo] but referring to “that kid” & his real dad yields fire & brimstone, plus the serious omitted possibility above. “God knows”, “as God intended”, & other casual mentions of Elohím are, quite explicitly, violations of the commandment not to take the name of God in vain, the 3rd in both Exodus & Deuteronomy. My Abingdon Bible Commentary [’60s gift /UMC BSU students] notes that this includes “light, irreverent, or insincere use of the of the name of God.” I use “as God intended” lots, but seldom swear using “God” or the name of any prophet. I’m also more interested in the Seven Deadlies than in the 10, either Exodus or Deuteronomy, on the courthouse lawn. TBC

  9. emb Avatar
    emb

    4. In addition to slander and other comments here, I’ve received two e-mails. One thanked me for my comments. The other said I’d made “a very troll-ish statement.” To my knowledge, on the net, trollish statements are made only by trolls. I was not amused. The best image known to me of an online troll is here: http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2018/01/01 . Unfortunately, even though the URL says 2018/01/01, clicking on it may get you the most recent Pibgorn. Pibgorn is not daily, it is irregular, but it will take several clicks to get back to this troll at his worst. It’s worth it. TBC

  10. emb Avatar
    emb

    5. Morphy also wrote, “Everyone recognizes that emb did intend his curiosity of ‘that kid’ to reference the baby Jesus. No one offers a different interpretation. emb makes a conjecture that is eqivalent to accusing Mary of promiscuity & giving false testimony to hide her actions, suggesting that the cuckolded Joseph is raising another mortal man’s son, & that there existed a man who escaped public derision & responsibility by Mary’s denial.”
    As noted above, this is an unwarranted conclusion. Further, to write as though there was a serious question as to whom I referred is ludicrous. I hid nothing; my referent was obvious. But that I and many others, devout and otherwise, question virgin birth and the two birth accts in toto, is theologically serious. It means we have no basis for knowing anything significant about Jesus’ birth: time, place, other circumstances. A census is mentioned, but that’s not how Rome took censuses, and the one under Quirinius [sp?] took place in 6CE. Imagine forcing all in a province to voyage to their birth cities, even without their families. And Jackie, the notion of “acceptable Methodism”, excepting for a few congregations someplace or other. Lots of UMC clergy and lay scholars question a literalistic reading of lots of scripture, though some avoid doing so openly. This is also true of others, fewer of whom are free to do so openly. I believe it was an RC monk who said, “Everything in the Bible is true and some of it actually happened. One more.

  11. emb Avatar
    emb

    6. I forgive all who have jumped to shallow conclusions about me, or deliberately implied that I am godless, deceptive, untrustworthy, theologically naïve, or simply stupid. Making no promises, but, for me this is becoming a toxic environment. I can find better things to do w/ my time. Some of you may have chosen unwisely. You have made your bed. Now lie in it. Peace?

  12. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Ding, Ding, Ding. Break, retire to your neutral corners and wait for the bell. No low blows, no rabbit-punching.

    And further, “you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger.”

    Or to put it more simply for those who have trouble understanding: Don’t poke the grizzly with a sharp stick.

  13. Llee Avatar

    Yesterday’s strip- I”m with Arlo! Altho I did drag myself out for a walk…and then ended up at Braum’s! Came home with a chocolate malt. 🙂

    And today’s made me laugh as well. THank you Jimmy! So much goodness….

  14. JACKQULINE MONIES Avatar
    JACKQULINE MONIES

    Lordy but I often dislike those who profess religion. I don’t mind anyone who privately believes anything or privately disbelieves, that is their choice.

    It is the preaching or efforts to educate me that is annoying I suppose. You can entertain me all you like and I will laugh just don’t take yourself so seriously.

    And try to see some humor. Humor me with humor.

  15. Steve from Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I did get in an 18 mile walk. I used some compression socks that seemed to help keep things together. A lot less soreness. I am going to walk 26.2 miles in West Lafayette on April 7th for my 20th marathon completed. The first 16 I ran and the last 4 I have walked the entire distance.

    April 7th also marks the day that I will have lived as many days as my Mom. I know that’s a weird thought, but she was taken suddenly at age 61 and while I recovered fairly well, there is always a bit of her on my mind. Of course I tend to think up trivial stuff like this anyway. It will also mark the one year anniversary of my brother-in-law’s death. I will say a prayer for both and hopefully both will be with me in spirit….I hope that doesn’t offend anyone. 🙂

  16. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Ummm. Chocolate malt.

  17. Sideburns Avatar

    Steve, I’ve got a little over two decades to go before I catch up with my mother, and almost two to reach my father’s age. If I’d been born when they were, I probably wouldn’t have lived as long as I have, so there’s still hope.

  18. TruckerRon Avatar

    Had I been born at the same time as my dad, I’d have outlived him by just 2 months when I had my cardiac arrest. He had his in 1989, alone in a motel room. I had mine in 2009 in a public place close to a fire station.

    I still need to live about 6.5 more years to equal my mom.

  19. Steve from Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    Trucker Ron it is all about being at the right time, at the right place. I have no idea how much longer my mom would have lived had she left 1 minute sooner or 1 minute later before her accident. All time is precious and we learned to make the most of the time that we have.

    I joke that I do all of my long runs (now walks) at a park that has a one mile loop. So on Saturday, I went around it 18 times. But, there is a bathroom, access to my car where I can get something to drink and a Police/Fire Station right next to the trail. So if something were to happen, I could probably get quick aid.

  20. Morphy Avatar
    Morphy

    Seconding the chocolate malt yummy. For years from teen to young man, I was a more is better kind of guy always adding just a touch more malt on yet one more spoon before mixing. Then in fatherhood rediscovered hand dipped goodness at a local owned shop recreating a soda counter decorated with Hannah-Barbara characters. You probably have something similar near you, closed in winter north of the sunbelt. We usually had simple single-scoop cones of exotic mixes. One day tried a basic chocolate malted milk shake.

    It was like a new world of flavor was opened by the understated malt note that allowed the chocolate to sing a new song. I’d done it wrong for probably six or seven years. Still a favorite place to stop for a treat, and a memory.

    Maybe it was just a higher quality of ingredient. I suppose I cannot know for sure.

  21. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Best one I’ve had so far was made in a Ghirardelli’s chocolate shop. Better quality chocolate definitely made a better malt. I used to like Ovaltine much better than any of the chocolate syrups on the market for mixing at home.

  22. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    I met an assistant manager at the local Braum’s who insists on making my chocolate malts for me. And I must say that she makes the best I’ve ever had.

  23. Galliglo in Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo in Ohio

    A lot of scrolling past comments today… just saying.

  24. Morphy Avatar
    Morphy

    Llee and Ghost, I had passed right over the name Braum’s earlier. I just thought it was a one off or small local chain that I wouldn’t know anyway. But at second mention I turned to the always open tab, Wikipedia.

    I like the story and concept. The limited range for quality assurance really speaks to my experience in a once thriving corporate restaurant that failed through not respecting that ideal. I’m curious if the food products are equally remarkable. Or is it really just the dairy products that stand out?

    Mark, I also have a soft spot for the Ovaltine brand. Cannot really explain why. It was not part of my childhood, and I can’t really say it tastes better than others, just different. For now I attribute it to the vitamins giving a good feeling that I can’t describe as something else. Like how distilled water does not refresh as well as water with a little mineral content.

  25. Morphy Avatar
    Morphy

    Hi Galliglo, If mine are part of your inconvenience, I apologize to you as well. The explanation without excusing my action is that if I walk through a room, and know that someone is discussing me personally, I am very likely to respond rather than pretend it did not happen.

    I hope the other subjects are more to your liking.