388

Chopsticks
Posted on March 13, 2015 by David M Willis

388 thoughts on “Chopsticks”

  1. Jen Aside

    LESS GULP MORE NOM NOM

    1. Wire Segal

      MORE TASTING

      1. DuckDuckMoose

        MOAR FLAVERZ

        1. talantus

          Ugh… damnit… now i’m craving sushi… well thank god its pay day ^-^

      2. Bantha

        Can’t really say I blame her…I find sushi repulsive as well.

        1. Dragon_Nataku

          As do I. I like a lot of other Japanese food, just not sushi. Possibly cause I just don’t like fish, or most seafood really.

        2. TheHierophant

          Then what was your problem with sushi? I hate fish and I eat sushi all the time. Our do you not know sushi I vinegar rice with stuff added.

        3. gwalla

          You know a lot of Japanese food doesn’t involve seafood at all… :/

        4. Nym

          Many different types of sushi do not require fish! Sushi=/=sashimi. What was featured two comics ago (and I’m assuming Joyce just ate), for instance, was nori (seaweed) wrapped around rice, avocado, and cucumber. My favorite kind is inarizushi, which is tofu fried in sesame oil, made into a pocket for rice and sesame seeds. (Some people include other things in their inarizushi. These people are wrong.) As a vegetarian who lived in Japan, sushi was one of my favorites for going out to eat, because it was guaranteed that there was something there for me.

        5. Lamia

          Well, the type of sushi that Dorothy is eating doesn’t have any fish in it at all.

        6. drs

          California roll, so probably crab (seafood) or imitation crab (ground up fish).

  2. Lukas

    Dorothy, you lovable dick.

    1. Wire Segal

      Dorothy: “Maybe I can teach her, help her learn to eat normally…”
      Joyce: “Yay didn’t have to taste this expensive food.”

      Dorothy is well within lovable dick ranges of anger here

      1. Lukas

        Don’t worry, I find it much easier to like characters than dislike them. All of them have their dickish moments, and almost all of them (save perhaps Blaine) have redeeming qualities as well.

        1. Doctor_Who

          Yeah? Well, I’ll have you know that Blaine volunteers at a homeless shelter and gives extensively to chari-PFFF! HA! Couldn’t keep a straight face.

          He eats salted puppies for breakfast, fires a BB gun at children’s balloons at the park, and complains online about there being female Transformers.

        2. Riku

          Actually the unfortunate thing about a guy like Blaine is that anybody he interacts with who isn’t Amber or his ex-wife probably think he’s a great guy

        3. jimbotherisenclown

          Well, there’s always Ryan or Cubedad. I doubt either of them have any redeeming qualities.

        4. Rycan

          Yeah, his funeral in Shortpacked! pretty much reflected that. Makes life so much harder for the abused when people can’t believe that the abuser could possibly be responsible.

        5. Furie

          I don’t think there’s a man among us who can say he’s never done the first two, but Transformers? I never understood the gender hate. It makes me wonder if people like that can’t see boobs, even robot boobs, without becoming aroused. Scared and confused about their robo-nipple dreams they lash out at the internet, telling the world how if they wanted fembots they’d fuck a vacuum cleaner.

        6. Rycan

          You ass! I’ve never eaten salted puppies for breakfast, and never will! Doc says I need to watch my sodium intake.

        7. The Master

          I recommend the low fat puppies. They’re also adorable; so it’s a double win! 😀

      2. Chaucer59

        I would say Joyce is being the dick here. If a friend offers you something new, something you know is safe (it’s not an addictive drug or poison), you suck up your personal squeamishness and try the damned thing. Hey, if she chews it up and tastes it honestly and THEN can say whet she thinks of it. If she says, sorry, I don’t like the taste or texture or whatever, that’s okay. Personally, I don’t care for California rolls. I love many varieties if real sushi (California rolls are made with fake crab, which I dislike). But that big gulp to avoid tasting the roll–definite dick move.

        1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          It’s not really a dickmove so much as just a reflexive reaction to avoid something new – she knows it wouldn’t be bad for her (Dorothy is eating it just fine), and she wants to try something new for the sake of her best friend, but some part of her just…can’t bring herself to do it. Hence one big reflex gulp and it’s swallowed whole. She certainly doesn’t *want* to piss off Dorothy.

          Talking of, I’d imagine this would be pretty high on her list of things she’d love to have happen – practically being fed by her girlcrush Dorothy. But then she just went and screwed it up for herself. xD

        2. Avery

          You have no idea whether or not Joyce has good reasons for her food aversions. I have watched people actually vomit from trying to eat pizza and waffles, just due to their textures/flavors. These are good, popular, normal, totally non-poisonous foods, but I’m not going to tell those people that they’re dicks for not just choking down food. Without knowing more about why Joyce dislikes a lot of foods, it’s completely inappropriate to start calling her names over it.

        3. zee

          The type of extreme textural and flavor aversions you speak of are often associated with various Autism Spectrum disorders. Generally linked to an overall inability to process sensory input at neuro-typical rates. Joyce has shown none of these tendencies in the past. Hers seems to be more related to psychological aversions to newness, not sensory aversions.

          Now if Dina on the other hand…

          (sorry for the nerdiness… its what I do for a living 😉

        4. Regalli

          Still, I can see Joyce wanting to gulp it down so she doesn’t, say, not like the taste and end up gagging it out or spitting it in Dorothy’s face. And she could still have an issue with the taste or texture – while I’m autistic and a lot of other sufferers probably are, I do know allistic kids who have had really bad ones. Granted, as noted by the word “kid”, they’re usually a LOT younger (like, five), but if Joyce could always eat enough to survive and/or manage to swallow without registering, her parents don’t strike me as the kind of people who would notice and seek treatment.

          That said, I couldn’t do a reflex swallow like that if my life depended on it, so I suspect it’s just a standard fear of new things and subsequent gagging rather than an actual disorder.

        5. Bantha

          Ummm. No. No you don’t have to “suck up your squeamishness”. If you don’t want it, you don’t have to try it. What sort of world do you live in where you are required to try anything a friend offers you? 🙂

    2. Barf Ninjason

      The next Slipshine can be Walky printing out the “Sunk Cost Fallacy” and then spanking Dorothy with it.

      1. Orbit Junkie

        Joyce’s Mouth: Now a literal money pit.

        1. Bagge

          This is a metaphor for Dorothy’s future in congress.

      2. Gigafreak

        I thought the sunk cost fallacy was supposed to “justify” further investment in a bad thing, or “overpower” a lower sunk cost in another potentially preferable thing.

        What Dorothy’s doing here doesn’t quite fit that, as she hasn’t further invested in sushi nor has she already paid a sunk cost on (for example) pizza that they’re discarding in favor of the sushi.

  3. AHR

    Damn you guys need to find a sushi place that gives a student discount.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Yeah, I mean I know sushi can be expensive, but $7 for a California Roll? That’s like the cheapest sushi there is!

      1. Pooga

        Um… that’s several dollars, not seven. Better have the telepathic circuits checked.

        1. Sailor_Arashi

          Several dollars…for the single piece that Joyce ate, apparently?

          A California Roll at the restaurant this one is based on costs $5.09 in any case.

        2. Freemage

          This. A typical roll has 6-8 segments (sometimes more, at really good sushi places that can go up to a dozen segments long), so unless we’re talking about a $24+ California roll, Dorothy is seriously overstating her case (I’d consider 4 bucks to be the minimum for breaking out “several” as an adjective).

          Hell, a single piece of sashimi–which generally is a lot more meat–usually only runs a couple bucks at the high end.

      2. Riku

        Several doesn’t always mean seven, usually means 3 or 4 in my experience. That said I can’t imagine why you’d go to a nice sushi place like that and order the california roll :\

        1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          I would usually refer to 3 or 4 as “a few”.
          1 – one
          2 – a couple
          3-6 – a few
          7-11 – several
          12+ – many
          So I’d interpret a statement of several dollars as being at least $7. xD

        2. Heavensrun

          I’ve used “several” for five or six as well.

        3. Rein & Raven

          I always order california rolls at sushi restaurants, but that’s along with other more authentic things, like sashimi, assorted tempura and miso soup. Mmmmm miso soup. *drools* I need to go find a sushi restaurant now…

        4. Daisy

          I’d guess because Joyce has never had sushi so it’s an accessible beginners’ choice as far as sushi goes.

      3. Doctor_Who

        Oops. Misread. Mea culpa.

        1. nothri

          So go back in time and fix it, Doc. Jeez.

        2. The Master

          He can’t, I took the TARDIS again. 😛

        3. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          The Angels were there and they caused a temporal snarl, now time machines can’t go to those coordinates again. xD

        4. gwalla

          It’s calcified time now, or something.

      4. meow

        where i live its like $9 for a california roll at a regular sushi place… 10-20 for other rolls.

    2. Lethargo

      Alternatively, the need to find a foodstuff that doesn’t cost an unreasonable sum of money. Sushi is terrible, not because it tastes bad, but because they charge you like it’s going to start a goddamn three ring circus on your taste buds. I don’t care if it’s Cool to like sushi, unless they give a gold brick as a side dish I am not paying for it.

      1. AHR

        however in a college town, sushi can sometimes be the most “healthy” option, depressingly enough. That’s how it is where I’m at. Hey kids, do you want pizza, wings, subs, or sushi?

        1. Avery

          Sandwiches (subs) aren’t really unhealthy, unless you’re trying to avoid bread.

        2. Gigafreak

          Well, there’s gluten in bread, and a surprisingly high fraction of people I’ve met have a gluten intolerance– two with honest-to-goodness Celiac Disease and one with a milder sensitivity.

        3. Freemage

          Even outside gluten issues, bread’s… just about the worst thing in the American diet after the words ‘deep fried’. It fills you up awesomely, but there’s a lot of carbs and comparatively little nutritional value, especially in typical sub bread. You’re better off asking for the wrap or salad, at least (which most sub joints seem to have some form of these days).

      2. Fred

        I’d suggest finding a sushi place that doesn’t charge like it’s still the only sushi place in a 237 mile radius. I love sushi, but there are plenty of places that don’t charge that much or even better, don’t charge so much per piece! Many places have assortment or theme plates with much better price/count ratios. Around here, even the mid-range grocery stores have started carrying sushi assortments at prices that are actually somewhat reasonable.

        (Actually, more to the comic theme, my college campus cafeteria has sushi priced towards most students.)

      3. DSL

        I know there are pricey sushi places, but last time I bought sushi (from a deli-style counter that makes it fresh all day), six bucks bought enough spicy california roll to feed two (or me). And there’s a nice little sushi place where ten bucks bought 15 pieces of sushi the size shown in the comic. And I live next door to Indiana. Shop around, kids, is what I’m sayin.’

    3. Bill

      They could perhaps find a place that serves Chinese buffet which includes sushi, like this one located in a college town in Wisconsin.  At only $6.50 for lunch-time pricing or $8.75 after 4:00 PM, it’s totes affordable, too.

      By the way, if you go to their website and click through to the .pdf file for the menu, you will see that they also have a sushi chef “on sight”.  Gotta love the spelling, grammar, and sentence construction of those people for whom English is not their primary language.

      1. Time Sage

        There’s a place like that near where I live. I frequent it when I’m short on time but don’t want fast food.

      2. gwalla

        Going to a Chinese restaurant for sushi is like going to a French bistro for some tapas.

      3. Fred

        Unless, of course, English IS the primary language for their lawyers. Maybe they have a large poster for “Jiro Dreams Of Sushi”, and they keep in it sight of everyone in the kitchen.

    4. Akahane

      All you can eat sushi places. Come on!

      1. 0kami

        Good news: They do exist, and the quality isn’t at all that bad.

        Bad news: Better book those plane tickets to Osaka…

        1. drs

          Or Vancouver, Canada.

  4. Kris

    Joyce you suck at eating.

    1. tyersome

      … so is that the explanation for the expression on Becky’s face?

      1. Kris

        She’s probably upset with Dorothy’s relationship with Joyce. There so close.

        1. Orbit Junkie

          YOU WERE MY BABY BIRD, JOYCE! HOW COULD YOU!

      2. Anonymous

        “Aw, I wanted to do that.”
        -Becky’s internal monologue, probably

        1. tyersome

          I’m thinking it could be the sudden realization that Joyce’s life does NOT revolve completely around her coupled with a dose of what the hell am I going to do now …

        2. Kirby

          Her “obnoxious”ness is at least partly because she doesn’t -want- to get close to anyone else. Every single one of her other friends turned on her, and Joyce is the last person she’s got. She doesn’t want to get close to someone else and get hurt again.

        3. Nono

          So, Becky is proto-Sarah.

        4. Deanatay

          Why do you think Sarah doesn’t trust her?

        5. Kathleen

          Well, Becky lied to her, for one. (I know that was a hypothetical question but anyway).

  5. HorchataShake

    Damn it Joyce, you can’t dissect this one.

  6. Saru

    More like down the. . .Okay I’ve got nothing.

    1. saltchocolate

      Down the toilet. (Dollars!)

      1. Rycan

        I always say ‘down the drain’, myself.

        1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Yeah, I’d say that went straight down the plughole too.

      2. Gigafreak

        The sushi will go down the toilet, too. In 24-72 hours.

      3. Bantha

        To be fair…while she didn’t taste it, she did still eat it so it is still providing sustenance to her body. So it wasn’t wasted. She just didn’t taste it 😉

        1. Bill M.

          Yes, but with the avocado that’s typically in a California roll, she should’ve chewed it to get some flavor. Either that or Joyce has very obtuse taste buds.

    2. Deanatay

      “That much?? I didn’t chew it, so I can always hork it back up, and we can get a refund!”

  7. MM

    That’ll be a useful skill at some point.

    1. Wire Segal

      When she partakes in marital hanky-panky?

      1. Gigafreak

        Or if she snaps and sucks a billion dicks

        1. Bantha

          37?!

        2. Doctor_Lantern

          In a row. And I wasn’t even supposed to be here today!

  8. MeghanTheWorldEater

    Daww :3

  9. Plasma Mongoose

    Second panel Becky is thinking, “Why couldn’t she swallow my hole?”

    1. Kris

      Me thinks Becky is getting a little jelly right now.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        More like a whole bowl of jelly, am I right? 😀

        1. corncobman

          She’s probably thinking “I wish I thought of that first.”

        2. Halloween Jack

          Becky is the entire jam factory here.

        3. JessWitt

          A real jelly doughnut hole.

      2. Doctor_Who

        “Man, I wish Bony Poindexter-senpai would feed me.”

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Were you saying that as Becky or yourself?

        2. Doctor_Who

          Yes.

        3. Doctor_Lantern

          Why not both?

      3. SonicBlueRanger

        Some needs to go to Jelly School. Take a whole Jelly Semester and maybe become a Jelly Cheerleader.

    2. MeghanTheWorldEater

      Becky made a pun about something Joyce said before she sai it? :O That’s incredible!

      1. gwalla

        Hey, MST3k did it in “Pod People”…

    3. Twilightomens

      That sounds both physically improbable and terrifying.

      1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

        What, eating the California roll whole?

        I once took a dare to eat an entire school lunch without chewing or swallowing any of it. That included a whole plate of beans and sausages, a pudding in custard, and a 2l bottle of cola. Unfortunately for me, there was no money being bet on whether I’d succeed or not, ‘cos I actually did succeed. Sure, I had a stomach ache all that afternoon, but I proved it was totally doable. xD

        1. Gordon

          ….How can you eat something without swallowing it?

        2. Rycan

          Easy. Put a tube in your stomach, throw your meal in a blender, and pour the resulting mash down the tube.

          Hey, it works in hospitals.

        3. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Actually Rycan, all I did was cut it up like normal and just put it in my mouth and let it slide down the back of my throat of its’ own accord. I just let my epiglottis relax and let the food simply go all the way down to my stomach by gravity. 😛

        4. tyersome

          That my friend wasn’t just gravity … it was peristalsis!

        5. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          No my friend, peristalsis is what happens when you’re swallowing food. This was complete relaxation and I could feel it just…dripping its way down the oesophagus. n_n;

    4. saltchocolate

      Second panel Becky is thinking “So Dotty gets to give her oral?”

    5. Kang the Unbalanced

      Mrs. Kang wants that fifth panel as a T-shirt. Or maybe a bib.

  10. Leorale

    Panel 2 Becky: Sushi is not meant to have so much jelly.

  11. Rodimiss

    This whole strip is full of fantastic faces.

  12. brumagem

    Poor Becky, having to watch someone else adorably hand-feed her crush.

    1. Varius

      Becky is looking away from the feeding scene

    2. Kris

      Yes Dorothy is doing quite well in the friend stealing department.

      1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

        “Doing quite well in the friend stealing dept”? I think you may have your tenses wrong there, she’s already succeeded in stealing Joycy as a friend, past-tense. 😉

  13. Feministic Man

    Looks like Becky wanted to be the one to serve her sushi to Joyce.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Sushi or “sushi”?

      1. MeghanTheWorldEater

        Both :p

      2. Hoboturtle

        Yes

      3. nothri

        The sushi, obviously.

    2. Doctor_Who

      She;s rather Joyce ate it off of her back. She saw that online once. It looked sexy but unhygienic.

      1. Doctor_Lantern

        Her back probably isn’t the place Becky wants Joyce’s mouth in close proximity to… if you know what I mean. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    3. Airyu

      I think by sushi you mean fish tacos.

  14. Thor

    Paying several dollars for a bite of something with no actual meat in it? Madness!

    1. Heatth

      Crab meat is still meat.

      1. Opus the Poet

        That is true, but California Rolls do not necessarily contain any meat, there are many Vegan recipes in use.

        1. Heatth

          But why assume they are eating a vegan recipe? Have any of these characters demonstrated a predilection for vegan food? Also, previous strip shown they are eating tuna or salmon sushi, which clearly contain meat also.

        2. Airyu

          California rolls usually have imitation crab though. Even at nice restaurants in Cali, it’s usually imitation crab.

      2. Tacos

        Still expensive regardless of what’s in it.

      3. Rycan

        And not a cheap meat, either! Even if you catch it yourself; boats guzzle fuel like an alcoholic in a wine cellar.

  15. Tiny_stuart

    If she can swallow that whole….

    1. The Master

      With the Joe-vatar?

      I approve.

  16. Safgaftsa

    Cross-eyed Joyce in panel 1 must become a Gravitar.

    1. Safgaftsa

      Oops. Gravatar.

      1. barefootbiker

        Every Joyce in this strip could be a great gravatar.

  17. Brigid Keely

    I have textural issues when it comes to food, so I’m SUPER HUGELY PICKY about what I eat. But I try to be brave! So when a co-worker had extra sushi I decided to GO OUT ON A LIMB and BE BRAVE and TRY IT. It was ~AWFUL~. I don’t remember the flavor at all, just the textures. The fish hit my tongue and I was trying not to gag and vomit, so I flipped the whole thing over and… hit avocado. EVEN WORSE. But I was trying to be polite! Too polite to spit it out in a napkin! Just swallow! I gave myself a desperate pep talk and managed to swallow the entire thing while everyone in the breakroom who could see my face laughed and laughed. Basically, I’m 100% on Joyce’s side here.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      It’s almost like something I might have written as I’m a pretty picky bastard myself.

    2. Safgaftsa

      My first and last approach to sushi was the same as Joyce’s. Swallow it whole so you don’t have to taste anything.

    3. Arianod

      That’s funny. Being pretty picky about textures myself, I’d have thought sushi sushi would be the *last* food anyone could object to; I mean, it’s basically rice, seaweed and fish! I can’t think of anything that’s less offensive in the textures department. But it looks like there are many different flavours of picky out there.

      1. Avery

        Some people only like crunchy food. Rice is smushy. Some people gag on smushy.

      2. Doctor_Lantern

        Actually the texture of fish meat is mostly why I can’t eat it… Also the smell… it just makes me queasy.

    4. Kang the Unbalanced

      The texture got to me too. I tried sushi exactly once. The last piece had a nice bit of tuna which tasted really good. Then about 2/3 of the way through it, my tongue told me “hey… you’re eating raw fish.” Then eeeeeverything tried to reverse. I was right at the counter, and there was a sizeable Oriental chef with a very large knife behind it. As I struggled to keep everything down I kept thinking, “If I throw up all over his counter I don’t think he’s going to take it very well.” After all, he spent a good deal of time making it and I’m fairly certain the Japanese consider vomiting to be a negative statement about the meal.

      1. Airyu

        …I’m pretty sure anyone would consider that a negative statement about the meal, ahaha…

  18. timemonkey

    What’s with the attitude Dorothy? She already told you she thought it was gross. She made a point not to waste the food and your money.

    People might call Walky childish for wanting burgers but for the same price everyone would have gone home full and happy.

    1. Regina Phalange

      She said she’d try it, but she didn’t even try to taste it. If she wasn’t actually going to try it, someone else could’ve had it.

      1. timemonkey

        She didn’t actually. She said she’d eat them, never said she’d taste or give them a chance.

      2. Regina Phalange

        Upon looking back, I see Joyce just said she’d “eat” it, but it’s an implied “try to taste.” It’s kinda like if a friend agrees to watch a movie you really like, but as soon as it starts she closes her eyes and covers her ears. Mildly annoying, especially if no one was pressuring her to do it.

        1. timemonkey

          More like if the movie starts and they zone out politely so you can enjoy it and they don’t have to suffer. I’ve done that several times, only ever regretted it once.

        2. Regina Phalange

          But when you politely zone out, your friend doesn’t realize it and you both go away happy. Joyce immediately said that she didn’t even bother, despite the fact that no one so much as asked her to eat it. Dorothy’s expression could be a little more annoyed and a little less angry, but I can see why she has an attitude about it.

        3. Riku

          Yeah, to fit with the above example it would be like paying for you and your friend to go see a movie then as you walk out your friend proudly exclaims “I didn’t catch a second of it!”

        4. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Maybe Joyce DID taste it though. Check out her reaction in both panels 3 and 4, she looks to me like she’s about to gag from the taste and texture of it.

          But rather than starting to chew it – which could easily result in her throwing the roll back up seconds later – she does the polite thing and swallows it whole to avoid blowing chunks all over her friends. This is still a huge first step considering she’d said she didn’t even want it near her mouth previously, nevermind ingesting it.

        5. timemonkey

          If the individual ingredients illicit a ‘gross’ reaction then she’s not going to like them mashed together.

        6. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Yeah, like how I don’t like cheese. So you’ll never catch me eating a pizza. 😛

          (Takeaway of choice for me is either burger and chips, or fish and chips. Or saveloys, but they’re not very popular among the people I know. 🙂

        7. John

          Especially since this is Joyce, who is morally opposed to foods touching each other, and Dorothy knows that. Seriously, Dotty, what were you thinking taking Joyce out for sushi? She may be okay with the gay now, but that doesn’t mean she’s changed her stance on the big issues.

        8. StClair

          yeah, looking at that strip (which was maybe “a week ago” at most), I really don’t know why Dorothy expected any different from either of ’em.

        9. Airyu

          Yeah, but Joyce admitted to agreeing to go to the restaurant. Dorothy couldn’t have mindread her to know she was only going for Becky before they got there.

      3. Avery

        For picky eaters, even being willing to put a new food in their mouths and swallow it is actually a big step. Most people assume picky eaters just don’t like the taste of food, but it’s often about things like “will this texture make me gag/vomit?” or “will this make me feel sick to my stomach afterwards?” We don’t know a lot about Joyce’s food aversions, other than that they are, apparently, pretty bad, which means that she is actually making a big step here toward trying the food.

    2. taekwondogirl

      Do you remember being a broke college student? She’s probably not broke-broke if she’s offering to take everyone to sushi, but that doesn’t really mean she’s got Billie money.

    3. Rycan

      Dorothy probably should’ve expected that, but I don’t think she’s completely out of line here.

    4. Megz

      Actually I think the “gross” steams from the fact that it contains green things that are vegetables. Joyce probably thinks anything green/veggy is gross without ever having to have had to try them like a little kid thinking a salad is gross because it’s not like a burger or candy. You have to keep in mind Joyce was the baby of the family and the baby tends to get away with not having to try new things that might actually taste good.

      TL;DR: Joyce is acting like a 5 year old who doesn’t want to try a green vegetable for the first time because they think different = gross.

      1. Bantha

        Or she simply knows she will not like it.

        1. taekwondogirl

          How can you “know” you won’t like something if you haven’t tried anything remotely like it?

  19. FuryOfFirestorm

    Joyce, you’re supposed to savor the taste of the raw fish, not gulp it down – just ask Becky!

    1. Bill

      If I wanted to eat raw fish, I’d go buy a dozen minnows at a bait shop.

    2. Time Sage

      Most sushi is actully cooked. Sashimi is raw fish.

      1. gwalla

        It depends. Most types of traditional fish sushi use raw fish, with some notable exceptions (unagi, ebi, ika, tako). But California rolls use crab or k-rab (actually processed whitefish) that is cold but has been cooked, and a lot of the fancy American-style rolls based on them follow that lead. Those may account for the bulk of sushi sold in the States (thanks to grocery store packaged sushi) so in those terms you may be right.

        OF course if you want to get technical, all sushi is partly cooked, since the rice is steamed first.

  20. Stephen Bierce

    *plays Styx’s “My Little Suzie” on the Muzak*

  21. TSB

    I can’t believe it really did get more awkward. I’m so happy.

    1. Doctor_Lantern

      *Awkward Intensifies*

    2. Rycan

      Awkwarding of Age?

      No, it’s just the Awkward Age.

      1. tyersome

        Awkwardage?

  22. Spencer

    A strip about Joyce eating Sushi and being terrible at it should not make me feel so bad.

    1. Bagge

      I know, right. This should be funny and adorable. I kinda feel like Walky – he should have a field day with this but instead he’s sitting silent, polite and doing his best not to get involved.

      1. Nono

        It actually makes me feel mildly irritated at Joyce because I was – and still am, but better – a picky eater, and I can only imagine the horrors I put other people through when refusing to try new foods.

        Making yourself open to new experiences is all part of growing up.

      2. Steve C.

        Yeah, glad to know I’m not alone on that.

        1. Steve C.

          Sorry, the above was meant to be @ Bagge

  23. DuckDuckMoose

    Dorothy, take what victories you can. For example, enjoy the adorableness that is you feeding Joyce.

    Becky, it’s okay. Lots of people have multiple best friends.

    Joyce, I’ve totally been there, but you’re gonna hurt your throat doin’ that.

    1. Cynthia

      Trying to pass that cylindrical tube of meaty flavour? Well look at the bright side, she at least consumed something fishy. xD

      1. DuckDuckMoose

        Heh. No, I meant that in a strictly culinary sense. But fish is awesome in all of its definitions.

    2. Bagge

      Let’s hear it for adorabelness. Let’s hear it for multiple friends. Hear, hear.

    3. Deanatay

      How can you have multiple best friends! A best friend is your BEST friend, it can’t be just as good as something else if it’s BEST!!

      *deep breaths, calms the inner Becky*

      1. DuckDuckMoose

        In advanced relationship physics, there is a hypothesis, infrequently tested, that states that two people actually can exist in the same place at the same time. I might be partial to this reasoning because I had two childhood best friends, a college best friend, and another best friend that I eventually dated and married.

        Okay, I admit it, I’m a promiscuous befriender. I’m not proud of myself, but them’s the facts.

  24. JepMZ

    Angry Dotty makes me laugh! And happy Garnet made me squeal! Best night ever!!!! Thanks Willis and Rebecca Sugar!

  25. alicemacher

    Frank Grimes: God, he eats like a pig.

    Lenny: I dunno. Pigs tend to chew. I’d say he eats more like a duck.

    1. timemonkey

      I reference that ALL the time. XD Best Simpsons quote ever.

  26. Mkvenner

    *crazy eye twitch*

  27. anonymsly

    Don’t worry, Joyce. I don’t like California rolls either. Krab is not my favorite thing, and real crab is iffy unless it’s actually good crab, which is rare.

    Of course, give me some good tuna sashimi or nigiri and I will steal your helping off your plate unless you stab me with something.

    1. DuckDuckMoose

      I’d call that a good reason to use relatively sharp chopsticks. Good tuna is worth stabbing for.

    2. corncobman

      I love all sorts of sushi. Soft shelled crab especially.

    3. Bantha

      People always get after me for not liking crab. I just respond with “Ok. Well, let’s go out into my backyard here. I’m sure we can find tons of other arthropods for you to eat as well.” That usually makes them lay off 😉

      1. Deanatay

        Fish? Bleah. BUGS?? OM NOM NOM NOM

        1. StClair

          I love ’em both. Even been known to enjoy molluscs, but not in the shell – cube and cook the meat, put it in something, then we’ll talk.

        2. StClair

          (Everything with tentacles, on the other… hand, can f— right off.)

  28. newllend(henryvolt)

    That was a waste of several dollars, and this scene right here is entertaining.

  29. M-M

    Worst. Double date. Ever.

  30. RandomRedMage

    That single PEICE of a roll was worth several dollars? what the hell was in it? fatty tuna and gold flake?

    1. Barf Ninjason

      Yeah, sushi is ludicrously expensive on a money per weight basis.

    2. Bill

      You’re probably paying as much for the preparation as for the <abbr title="(pun intended)“>raw ingredients.

      1. Bill

        One of these days I’m going to learn how to do the hovertext, and be able to do it consistently!!

      2. Time Sage

        Only a handful of sushi is actully raw.

  31. MeghanTheWorldEater

    Hey wait a sec when Dotty and Walky switch spots?

    1. DuckDuckMoose

      Dorothy is reaching across Walky to diagonally feed Joyce. The perspective is a little awkward.

      1. MeghanTheWorldEater

        Holy shit you’re right! O.O

      2. Regina Phalange

        Oh my god it’s like the rabbit-duck optical illusion….He’s on her left, he’s on her right, he’s on her left–this is fun!

        1. Random832

          If only she were wearing a blue and black dress.

  32. Eudae

    It’s a little unfair for Dorothy to be upset that Joyce didn’t appreciate the Sushi – if it’s not for her it’s not for her. Plus, isn’t Dorothy only paying for Becky and therefore Joyce would be paying for her own meal anyway? I mean, Dororthy isn’t overreacting or anything I just don’t get why she’s upset.

    1. Frogger

      If you’re going to try something new, at least make an attempt to taste it. If she had tasted it and still didn’t like it, I’m sure Dorothy would’ve been less snarky.

  33. Kris

    Putting the obvious a side for a moment there’s a question of great importance. Were Walky’s prayers for death answered?!

    1. MeghanTheWorldEater

      Unless a truck suddenly breaks through the wall I doubt it.

    2. DuckDuckMoose

      Could be that he spontaneously combusted, leaving only his hands intact.

  34. Nono

    The placement of Walky’s hands in the first panel is hilarious for some reason.

    1. neeks

      It’s like Dorothy’s boobs are copping a feel of the top of his hands.

      1. Rycan

        “Hey, stop feeling my hands with your boobs!”

        I’m sure it’d work like a charm.

  35. Luke

    Hmm. Becky acts exactly the way a heartbroken child does. Exactly the way I did. Of course, I was (and am, to a much lesser degree) a neurotic, obsessive, heavily depressed outcast of a crazy person… Which is why Becky’s behavior resonates with me in an incredibly negative way. The way she and I both behaved was and is absolutely unacceptable, and it got a lot of people I cared about hurt… So I feel as though I’m projecting my own disdain of myself onto her, both because I have little sympathy for most people of trauma (We all get hurt. Some of us more than others. If you want to heal, don’t expect special treatment from me, because I have none to give. If you want special treatment, I don’t want to see your face. Keep in mind this is coming from a dickish construction worker, so take that with a grain of salt.), but also because I know she’s going to hurt the people closest to her, and then she’ll truly have nothing. Nothing, in its most absolute form. And that’s not something I’d wish on my worst enemy.

    1. Kris

      Part of me thinks Becky’s “jealousy?” might be partially justified. They are very close considering how long they’ve known each other. At the same time we know Joyce is better than that. No one’s replacing her best Becky. I really hope this doesn’t escalate.

      1. Luke

        I’m speaking in reference to the entire… two days(?) thus far. But then, this is Willis we’re talking about. Emotional distress never leads to nothing. Our hearts will be torn out, and some of us will see it as Becky’s ‘humbling’ moment. Or her comeuppance, or what have you.

        1. Kris

          I’d hate to think this was some comeuppance. Sure Becky’s been obnoxious for..two days(?), but she doesn’t desrve to lose a best friend. Still I can see this going south due to self sabotage.

        2. Luke

          Yeah, that would be a bit harsh, but like I said, that sort of behavior isn’t acceptable. Not in my eyes, but I try my best to be polite, however, I’m forced to work with morons, so that attempt doesn’t last long. I’m not denying being a hypocrite, but what she’s doing isn’t okay regardless of what she went through.

      2. Hoboturtle

        I dont think Becky has to be worried about being replace but Dorothy x Joyce has been fandom preferred ship for a while. In universe Walky makes jokes about Joyce having a crush about it. Even Joyce and Dorothy have made jokes about it.

        Dotty may be in a relationship. Becky may be Joyce’s best friend and Joyce may not be gay but Becky still sees Dorothy as a romantic rival.

      3. Raijin K

        How is there still ambiguity about Becky’s jealousy? She’s jealous. Not “jealous”. Not just worried about Joyce having a new best friend. Becky harbors Perverse Sexual Lust for Joyce and no amount of consciously acknowledging Joyce’s straightness is going to switch that off.

    2. Raijin K

      I can relate too, but with a slightly less dismal outlook. I’ve let jealousy overwhelm my reason, and ended up saying and doing things that I regretted even as I was saying and doing them, and relatively recently as an adult that should have had a more mature internalization of the relationships involved or at least better self-control. But they’re all still my friends and they were well prepared to forgive/forget my embarrassment. I had that self-punching feeling of “I’ll lose everything and deserve it!” but really, friends are more understanding than that.

      I’m pretty sure Joyce is at least that understanding. Becky has a lot more antagonizing of the rest of the group, questionably motivated cries for attention, and probably even a few actual murders ahead of her before Joyce would even consider turning her back on her.

      1. Luke

        There’s a difference between regular jealousy and the instinctive possessiveness of the one lifeline you have left, or at least the only one you perceive to be left. That particular feeling that your self-preservation is kicking in when you feel that lifeline being pulled away… It kinda breaks your mind. Turns you into something you’re not. At least, that’s how it was for me.

        1. Rycan

          Question is, how bad is Becky’s jealousy? We’ve gotten some glimpses, but I suspect that it’s too early to tell.

        2. Nono

          Well, she has tried to insult every one of Joyce’s close friends except Sarah and Walky.

  36. Samosamancer

    If Becky’s looking to her left…who’s she looking at, then, since she’s sitting to Joyce’s left? (Or should we assume she’s looking at Joyce in the next panel?)

    1. agentksilver

      She’s just looking away, not at anyone in particular.

      1. tyersome

        Maybe a waitress caught her eye …

  37. Chris Phoenix

    And yet, this is exactly the way people consume expensive shots of alcohol – as fast as possible. I have never understood that. One time I was visiting Ireland and was gifted a “Bloody Orangeman” which had been invented at that pub – it tasted good – the only time in my life I would ever drink one – and they wanted me to gulp it! No way – I sipped it.

    1. Incomitatus

      Yeah, never understood the whole shot mentality. I sell alcohol for a living, I hope my customers are savoring it.

      1. Bantha

        If you’re doing shots…you’re not doing it for the taste. You’re trying to get drunk. Quickly. Me? I’m a craft beer guy. I actually enjoy the taste. But to each their own.

        1. gwalla

          Yeah, if you’re doing shots you may as well just use Everclear instead of anything good.

        2. Incomitatus

          Precisely. I guess I just don’t value drunkenness, which might be a career limitation. But I might be okay since I mostly sell fine wine.

    2. Halloween Jack

      All good booze is meant to be sipped. If people slam shots of Johnnie Walker Blue or something like that, they’re fucking morons who deserve to have a clever bartender swap it out for well scotch.

    3. nothri

      Might have something to do with the way certain “shotty” drinks basically taste like the surface of the sun if you stop to try and “savor” them.

    4. MiaKitty

      Shots aren’t for enjoying alcohol, they’re for getting trashed.

      Which is why using decent booze for them is a complete and utter waste.

      I savor shots, hold them in my mouth a second before swallowing, because if I don’t like how it tastes, I don’t want to drink it. But I’m very particular about what I drink and only order shots that taste good. And I only take shots when I actually want to get a little drunk; most of the time I sip on whiskey all night.

      Except Buttery Nipples. Those are DELICIOUS and I will down those shots until I am White Girl Wasted.

    5. Avery

      No no no. Expensive alcohol is to be savored, slowly. Enjoyed. Not for shots. Shots are for cheap stuff you don’t want to taste.

  38. chris73

    Lets be honest here Dorothy this is all on you, you know Joyce has a…limited palate and weirdly dissects her food and that Walky is basically still a boy yet you think sushi is a good idea?

    1. Regina Phalange

      Boys can like sushi….And Joyce has never said anything about disliking sushi specifically and didn’t say anything when Dorothy suggested it–plus, sushi is extraordinarily easy to dissect, so if Joyce liked the parts there’s no reason that it would be a problem. She just doesn’t like the parts. There’s no reason for Dorothy to have known that it would be so unpopular.

      1. chris73

        Boys can like sushi but this is a boy that thinks a 50 pack of nuggets is a great night in and Joyce went along with it because Becky agreed to it

        1. Regina Phalange

          But there was no way Dorothy could know that was why Joyce agreed; all Dorothy knew until a panel ago was that she didn’t object to the suggestion. And liking the kind of foods Walky likes and liking sushi aren’t mutually exclusive. He has a tendency towards the deep fried junk, but he also likes tacos. I could have honestly seen him going either way on this, because he could have been the guy who eats anything and everything, or he could have been the fried-beef-and-carbs guy. How was Dorothy to know he was the latter?

        2. chris73

          I’m not saying you can’t like the foods Walky likes and like sushi as well but Walky, until a little while ago, thought “real” men only had one pair of shoes, thought a butt taco t-shirt was the height of fashion and that pajama jeans are an appropriate form of dress so do you think he’d really like sushi which has a reputation (unfairly) of being, at the very least, snobbish

        3. MiaKitty

          “Boy” here I don’t think is referring to his gender. “Boy” is referring to his maturity level. As in, in terms of food, he is still at the level where he is unlikely to try anything new and will reject the idea without even giving it a chance. Walky is a child in a lot of ways; his dietary preferences are no exception (his excitement over the McNuggets, wanting to mix every flavor of Mtn Dew into a ‘super flavor’, etc…). While it’s perfectly possible for a person to like both McNuggets and sushi, Walky, as far as we know, didn’t even try the sushi. He probably has an ‘it’s icky’ mindset about it. Dorothy can’t really be blamed for not thinking about it, but, really, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to her that he was stuffing it in his shirt rather than eating it. Hell, stuffing it in his shirt rather than eating it is another show of how immature he is over the whole thing. I’m pretty sure this is exactly how my brother and I would’ve acted if we’d been served Sushi as children.

          I do think it’s interesting that Dorothy has given up on him and didn’t even try to make him eat it, but she’s feeding Joyce.

        4. Rycan

          Joyce was willing, even if she just gulped it down. Walky clearly wasn’t.

        5. Heatth

          My 14 years old brother loves his nuggets and his hamburgers, but he will also eat sushi like it is nobody’s business. For him, sushi is on the same level as hamburger and pizza.

      2. Rutee

        It sounds more like Joyce isn’t giving it a chance because she’s being childish and is used to being indulged.

        1. Gigafreak

          She’s the youngest sibling in her family, isn’t she? Maybe she’s been indulged like that for years.

  39. Incomitatus

    First time I had sushi, I was at a themed party – we were all supposed to dress like and have the attitude of rock stars. So naturally, at one point I just grabbed a big handful of someone else’s plate of food and stuffed it in my mouth without looking to see what it was…

    I was not prepared for raw tuna and seaweed. But I ate it anyway, because rock star.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      I love that idea, story and you.

    2. Orbit Junkie

      …Were there Pixie Stix?

  40. Just Me

    Joyce is pathetic. If you are so serious about giving something new a try, you don’t treat it like bad medicine. If you don’t like it, then just admit you don’t and ask that they go to the Pizza place across the street.

    I think her growth is severely stunted. What adult lets’ another adult feed them…unless it’s their lover.

    1. Orbit Junkie

      I’m going to have to disagree with you on your second point. What’s wrong with adults feeding each other? What does that have to do with being an adult? That’s kind of an arbitrary line to draw. They might just have slightly different boundaries or values which allow for that behavior, and I don’t think that detracts from their being adults.

      I’m not necessarily saying they *are* adults though; the comic’s name probably wouldn’t be a play on the phrase “coming of age,” if all of the characters had come of age. I’m just saying that their restaurant behavior probably doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that they haven’t yet, barring any food fights which may break out in the next few strips (I don’t know, I’m not on Willis’ Patreon yet).

      1. Jen

        I agree with Orbit Junkie. It doesn’t happen very often but there have been instances in the past where I’ve had a piece of food for a friend to try (either at a restaurant or when I’m cooking) and it was just easier to feed it to them. Most of the time, we transfer plate to plate, but on rare occasion, we’ll feed each other directly.

        (And I’m 36, so I think I definitely qualify as an adult. Also, I’m an adult that has been complimented many times on how classy my parties are and on how chic and elegant I looked at my wedding. 😉 )

    2. neeks

      Well, in this context, Joyce is unable to successfully wield chopsticks and Dorothy can, so if you’re of the mindset that sushi must be eaten with chopsticks and you must eat the sushi but you can’t use chopsticks, then it’s acceptable to enlist the aid of others.

    3. agentksilver

      “I think her growth is severely stunted” is quite the understatement. She’s been living in a small, sheltered society for 18 years, and has only been out of it for a month. This sort of reaction to foreign food is completely understandable.

  41. winter

    I had to go buy sushi today because I couldn’t handle another strip of this without eating any.

    It’s like product placement… except Willis doesn’t get paid.

    1. Doctor_Lantern

      That you know of :p

  42. A Scientist

    There is one problem with sushi. I cannot stop eating it. When I get all-you-can-eat sushi, I go well above and beyond the “just make it a good value for myself” threshold. I cannot stop.

    On the bright side, by the time I’ve downed somewhere between 30 and 40 pieces, everyone else is ready to go…

    1. snogglethorpe

      Keep in mind that the Mercury-content issue with very large high-on-the-food-chain fish like maguro is really a thing, and it’s definitely possible to eat enough of it to cause yourself medical problems. Don’t eat it everyday…. ^^;

      1. A Scientist

        Twice a year only, more or less. I don’t eat much fish in general. And most of the pieces I eat contain no fish or other non-plants, so I should be good.

  43. Alex

    I still can’t believe anyone could be repulsed by avocado, just, no, no, no, it’s literally a superfood. The super refers to both its nutritional value AND HOW GREAT IT TASTES

    THAT COST SEVERAL DOLLARS JOYCE

    SEVERAL

    1. Raijin K

      Well it hasn’t been very super to me, other than giving me super-indigestion three times in the span of two weeks this past summer. I tried it at the Subway, the Sushi Express, and the freshii wrap place in the mall food court near where I work and every time it tasted like gross slime going down and made me feel like throwing up for the rest of the night. Maybe that entire food court just got a bad batch of avocado paste that month or something, I dunno. It’s really put me off ever trying it again though.

      1. Doctor_Lantern

        Honestly avocado is hit or miss with me. I’m not a huge fan of it plain, sliced, etc. but I am a sucker for a good guacamole. Chipotle guac and chips or a good guac dip at an authentic mexican restaurant? Sign me up, please!

        1. Raijin K

          Oddly enough I have no problem with guac. I also hate tomatoes but can handle ketchup. Something about rendering them into a condiment with other ingredients takes the edge off I guess.

        2. Gigafreak

          I’m outright allergic to apples (they make my mouth itch), but I can drink apple juice safely. Maybe something in the way it’s prepared “destroys” the thing I can’t have, and maybe something like that is happening with your ketchup and guacamole?

      2. Avery

        Other than the possibility that you’re allergic to it, avocado goes bad quickly once it’s cut open. If it tastes slimy to you, there’s a decent chance you had some that had gone bad.

        1. Jen

          I agree with Avery. All three places you listed, Raijin K, do not strike me as quality places to get avocado. If it’s slimy, the bacteria has already gotten to it and started making it go bad.

    2. nothri

      I’m with you, dude. It has rapidly become my favorite fruit…vegetable…thing.

    3. agentksilver

      Exactly! I’m surprised by all the avocado hate. It’s creamy and delicious!

    4. Bantha

      Well…then you’re in for a shocker….I’m utterly repulsed by avocado. I find it revolting 🙂

  44. chris73

    I love Joyces faces in panels 5 & 6, going from completely missing the point in 5 to ohhhhh in 6

    1. Rycan

      Me too. Jumping straight from “I’m a good girl, I tried it!” to “Uh oh”.

  45. Idon'tcarenomore

    My first breakfast at the Japanese hotel we stayed at, was served on a tray, laid out nicely.
    It was a helping of rice, seaweed, raw tuna, a raw egg, and tea.
    The raw egg was to dip your rice into with the chopsticks.
    I had not eaten since the afternoon before as our plane was stuck on the taramac for hours.
    I ate every bite and it was pretty good. I never will develop a taste for raw eggs though.
    But then, I will eat anything that doesn’t eat me first, so that’s fine.

    But, I have friends like Joyce…and I don’t expect them to eat like I do. It’s not fair for one thing, and a waste of time for another.

    I raised my daughter to try everything. If you don’t like don’t try it again for awhile. Taste does change as you grow. Today she does me proud, also eats anything that doesn’t eat her first.

    1. TheLurkerAbove

      That’s pretty awesome. I guess my parents were kinda like that too! Think there are very few cuisines I don’t appreciate.

      1. Bill

        Same with my parents.  Whenever my sister or I got a little persnickety about what was put on the plate, my mother would always remind us that “I am your mother and I’m not going to poison you”; although she did use that line less and less as we got into our teen years……

        1. Leorale

          I’ve heard that you need to feed a kid a new food at three different meals before they tend to accept it. (Lots of parents see that the kid doesn’t want it the first time, and then never try again.)

        2. drs

          Some books and articles on French child raising have said up to a dozen tastes before the kid will like it. But it works: French kids eat what French adults eat.

        3. Leo Atrox

          My mother said the same line! She also had a spice jar labeled “Ricin” sitting beside the salt and pepper. When ever we bothered her in the kitchen, she would pick it up and ask if we wanted “extra seasoning” tonight. I didn’t learn until I was fifteen that it was a relabeled jar of Accent Seasoning.

        4. Rycan

          …Well, that’s just plain crazy.

  46. Prickly

    It’s a good thing they didn’t eat Japanese breakfast, or that that particular cuisine hasn’t really caught on. One staple of breakfast in Japan is natto, or fermented soy bean paste. Smells like, well, lots of things. All bad. And you know how coffee always smells better than it tastes? Natto’s like that, only in reverse.

    1. TheLurkerAbove

      Natto is really an acquired taste. I’m used to it but it’s not my favourite dish for sure!

  47. begbert2

    Wait, sushi’s how stupidly expensive?!? Okay, I’m NEVER going to try that shit, and proud of it. I don’t care how good it is it’s not worth it (and I seriously doubt it’s all that good anyway.)

    1. AHR

      the expense depends on where you get it. I’ve seen a roll (6 pc) priced anywhere from 3 bucks to 10 bucks, depending on the amount put on it.

      1. Jen

        And one roll is 6 to 8 pieces, so that’s 3-10 bucks divided by 6-8. Really, it’s not so unreasonable unless you get the really expensive stuff.

        1. begbert2

          So what you guys are saying is that either Dorothy’s flat out lying, or she just shoved about eight pieces of sushi in Joyce’s face, or McAwesome’s has a similar pricing strategy to what I imagine Galasso’s Pizza (and Subs) to have?

        2. Jen

          Well, I have been to expensive sushi restaurants (some have rolls I love that are $15+) and there is an amazing one in Japan that’s $300 per person (minimum), but it’s hard to imagine college kids eating at one of those, especially since this place is called “McAwesome’s”. Their attire and the drawing of the establishment make it look more casual.

          If we agree that “several” dollars has to be at least $4 or above, a roll with 6 pieces would cost at least $24, which is out of the normal college budget and more expensive than the highest-priced rolls offered at all but the swankiest sushi restaurants in the most expensive cities.

          I hate to accuse Dorothy of flat-out lying but she does seem to be pulling a politician-style move by greatly exaggerating something to make a point.

        3. ailorn

          Yep, Dorothy is exaggerating. The point is to motivate Joyce into actually experiencing the sushi rather than just skim the surface.

        4. drs

          I think Dorothy’s referring to the whole order. But yeah, it’s confusing.

    2. Leorale

      It’s awesome. Come to New York, there’s lots of cheap / delicious sushi here.

      1. Gigafreak

        New York is on the coast. Indiana is landlocked…

    3. Coco

      There’s a place near here that is pretty reasonable, and it’s awesome tasting. Joyce is by description, only eating a california roll too, not even ‘real’ sushi. Both of which are delicious of course.

  48. WingedBeast

    You know what? You’re the only one eating the piece you eat. So, just pick it up with your fingers. That’s what I do.

    And, chew, damnit! That stuff is delicious.

    I will repeat what I said a couple strips ago… unagi.

    1. Time Sage

      It’s also ment to be a finger food in the first place.

  49. The Wizard

    I guess she has a deepthroat, that is good to know. Just should use that as a selling point for her future boyfriend.

  50. Potatamoto

    *tents fingers* So a person that Joyce has just met here in college is forcing her to swallow something that she would have instantly rejected before attending college. And Joyce is just swallowing it without tasting, sensing or experiencing it in any meaningful way…in a way, just consuming the ‘idea’ of the item.

    Meanwhile, Becky, who has been Joyce’s lifelong best friend and for years harbored unrequited love for her, hiding her homosexuality, looks on uncomfortably.

    Well played, Willis. Most well played indeed!

    1. Bagge

      Jolly good analysis. Jolly good indeed.
      *golf claps, sips cherry, does snooty things*

    2. Jen

      Well said.

    3. Bill M.

      Actually, Becky’s looking away from Dorothy putting the sushi in Joyce’s mouth, based on seating positions and artwork clues. I don’t know if it’s that Becky’s upset at Joyce’s growing comfortableness with an atheist she never knew before college putting new foods with potential strange experiences in her mouth, the symbolism of putting something “raw” in her best friend’s mouth, or the combination of both.

      1. Potatamoto

        I don’t think the symbolism is in that it’s ‘raw’ per se, or even that Becky’s discomfort is entirely caused by jealousy (though that’s certainly a part of it!) It’s that it’s something Joyce tried to force herself to take for Becky’s sake, but then Dorothy ended up having to make her try it. And even then, she didn’t *really* try it, she just swallowed it.

        I think Becky’s starting to worry that Joyce’s acceptance of homosexuality and other secular-type stuff might not be a thoughtful, genuine shift in perception, but something she’s adopting just to fit in with her new crowd.

        But yes, also jealousy, certainly.

        1. Kang the Unbalanced

          You know, sometimes a cigar is just a penis.

  51. coolhandluke

    Hey willis were you responsible for the latest questionable content because the heartstring pulling is at your level. The feels are too much.

    1. MiaKitty

      Right?! Once again I find myself turning to DoA to make myself feel better after the QC feels! WHAT KIND OF TOPSY-TURVY WORLD HAVE I FOUND MYSELF LIVING IN?!?!?!

      1. ninja_jesus

        Faaaye noooo

  52. Doctor_Lantern

    The amount of jelly that Becky is consumed in right now is enough to make enough PB&J Sandwiches to quench even Walky’s hunger.

    1. Rutee

      It’s true XD

  53. DuckDuckMoose

    In the short term, of course, Becky’s jealousy is going to make things harder for her and everyone around her. (And for me, if I have to witness any more nasty, kidding-but-not-kidding jabs at Dorothy or Ethan.) But the pain of it might also encourage her to start thinking, sooner than she otherwise would have, about figuring out a healthier living arrangement than staying with the girl she thought was going to be the love of her life. She wanted to make other friends here, and right now doing so is probably her best shot at preserving some of her sanity. Seriously, can she just meet Daisy already?

    1. timemonkey

      You assume Daisy will like her.

      1. DuckDuckMoose

        I believe Becky is vastly likeable and will be even more so when she’s able to get a grip.

        1. Rycan

          Doesn’t mean the match would necessarily work.

    2. StClair

      There’s what she says she wants (and may actually believe it – some), and what she actually does (IMO, Joyce all to herself, forever and ever).

  54. Bagge

    Heh, Dorothy went from being together with Danny to being together with Walky, and got Joyce as a best friend. I think she kinda likes being the mom of the group, even if it is annoying sometimes.

    And come on, for someone who is picky with food Joyce is doing great for a first time sushi eater.

    Yes, Becky, Joyce is eating Dotty’s sushi (but she’s not tasting it). That’s not jealousy that burns – only wasabii. Riiiiight. But it’s not only the yonic metafore or even the bond between Dorothy and Joyce that saddens Becky. It’s also the reminder that Joyce is not the same person as she was four weeks ago. Glad as Becky might be for it it is also painful that they are growing up.

    1. DuckDuckMoose

      Yep. Whenever I feel impatient with Becky, I remind myself that, on top of every other event of the last three days, she’s struggling with the fact that a Joyce who can accept gayness in her friends has also changed so fundamentally in other ways that she can never be the same old Joyce again. It’s a hard thing to adjust to, and it keeps Becky pretty relatable in my eyes.

      And yes, Dorothy totally enjoys being the den mother, despite its frustrations. Joyce, after today, might be just a couple of transitions away from taking on that role herself.

      1. Bagge

        I think we will see a lot of that the coming weeks (in universe). Right now everything is still new and crazy, and Joyce is constantly getting slammed by (but ultimately accepting) how much Becky has changed (including being rad!), but I think a more subtle theme will be Becky adjusting to how much Joyce has changed, for good and bad (“he tried to do WHAT to you, oh Joyce…”).

        (Apparently today is parenthesis day. Who knew?)

        1. DuckDuckMoose

          National Parenthesis Day (observed today) celebrates the act of inserting a phrase (like this one) into a sentence to convey additional information (while implying that the parenthesized content is not intended to receive the full emphasis placed on the rest of the sentence (although the parenthetical content may still be crucial to understanding the sentence as a whole (additional parentheses are sometimes used within parentheticals, but try to avoid doing this in a way that results in more than two parentheses appearing in a row (which makes things look sloppy and confusing)))). Include parentheses in your sentence today (or don’t)!

        2. StClair

          And I thought I was the only one who abused them terribly (mostly on account of having a very branching-forks (“dendritic”) thought process); also, semi-colons.

        3. DuckDuckMoose

          Yeah, you can’t always be chopping your sentences apart with periods; sometimes you need a smoother transition (maybe the modern demand for shorter, terser writing is causing the semicolon to be phased out; maybe not).

  55. Erinaceus

    Ladies and Gentlemen! Behold the Walky-side of Joyce.

  56. Liz

    Ohh dear Becky. And Dorothy. And…everyone.

  57. neeks

    Still don’t get why Joyce and walky didn’t just get a tempura plate…you can go with the flow and still read the frigging menu. Alternately just ask the waiter if they have fried anything.

    1. Bagge

      I got the impression that Dorothy got carried away and ordered for everyone, forgetting for a moment how picky Joyce and Walky’s can be.

      1. DuckDuckMoose

        Yeah, Joyce is a little too trusting and Walky continued not to pay attention until stuff was set in front of him.

        1. Bagge

          Not only “not paying attention” – actively avoiding to involve himself in what can at any moment erupt in FEEEEEEELS

    2. Orbit Junkie

      Mmmm, tempura plate. It’s the only place where deep-fried zucchini and asparagus makes sense. Now I want one.

      1. Avery

        Don’t be silly. Deep-fried zucchini and asparagus make sense EVERYWHERE.

  58. VinzKlortho

    “I swallowed it whole. Didn’t even have to taste it at all.”

    Are you talking about the California Roll or the Bible, Joyce?

    1. Jen

      Oooh! Nice one!

    2. Bagge

      Clever!

    3. DuckDuckMoose

      That is a win.

    4. Kang the Unbalanced

      Funny, I’ve heard that said about *ahem* other things.

  59. Rhy

    Damn you Willis. Now I want sushi

  60. An Axolotl Lord

    NOOooo.. HER MONEYZ!!!…..

    1. Bill

      Dorothy is picking up the tab for lunch, right?  And didn’t Dorothy also give Becky the $20 she spent on her haircut?  How did she suddenly get so flush with money all of a sudden?

      1. chris73

        Billie gave Becky $20 to go away

      2. Nono

        Dorothy’s paying for Becky. Presumably Joyce and Walky are paying for their own share.

        1. begbert2

          Though Walky’s planning to resell his on the secondary market to defray the costs.

        2. timemonkey

          He’s going to leave a trail for Becky to the bus stop to get rid of her for insulting Dorothy.

        3. Rycan

          At which point, Becky decides to pay bus fare in sushi – then realizes that she’s already eaten it all.

  61. Avery

    Hah, Dorothy should see my reaction to Scotch. -_-

  62. Coco

    Becky is so jelly.

  63. overdosed

    damn thats some expensive sushi glad i live near a £4 all you can eat place that has sushi that tastes awesome

  64. drs

    There is no way that individual piece cost several dollars. The order it was part of, maybe. The most expensive maki rolls at this restaurant are $11.29, for a set of 6 or maybe 8 pieces. For the California roll, already named, $5.09 as someone pointed out. Regular sushi isn’t *that* expensive, people. http://www.allmenus.com/in/bloomington/22935-domo/menu/

    1. Jen

      While I agree that in Bloomington, the chances of one piece of maki costing several dollars is slim to none (depending on the definition of “several”, that roll would have to be at minimum $24-$32), there is really expensive sushi out there in the world. At Nakazawa’s restaurant in New York, it’s $120 for dinner and you get 20 pieces of Nigiri. And last I knew, Jiro’s restaurant in Japan is about $300 per person. I dream of eating there one day. 😉

      1. overdosed

        the sushi would have to be amazingly good for $300 i wouldn’t mind eating there but id like to get my moneys worth at least but then again japan is a pretty amazing place

        1. Jen

          Jiro is apparently one of THE masters of sushi. There’s an awesome documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

        2. overdosed

          oh i will have to watch it and if i ever go to japan i will have to try thier sushi but thanks for telling me

  65. Unique Passive

    That look on Becky’s face at Joyce trying something new says everything about their friendship. And I love it.

    1. Bagge

      Agreed.

    2. Crumplepunch

      I think that look was at the friend stealing hussy feeding her friend.

      1. timemonkey

        Joyce will eat Dorothy’s fish but not Becky’s.

        1. StClair

          IMO, it’s ALL of these things.

  66. DuckDuckMoose

    I used to have to take an hour or more to work up the courage to eat any sushi or sashimi besides crab rolls. There wasn’t really a cumulative effect for a while; every time I sat down at the restaurant, I would reset to “Ugh, raw fish” and have to inch up to being able to handle the tuna. I ate so much pickled ginger out of boredom in the time it took to psych myself up. College, and a friend who wouldn’t stop handing me weird food and saying, “Here, try this,” dismantled most of my fussiness. But I still totally get that slimy, sharp-smelling slabs of stuff on rice, not to mention the challenging texture of seaweed, can be deeply off-putting.

  67. Paul1963

    Dammit, Joyce, sushi is wonderful. Enjoy it while you’re young! I didn’t get into it until I was in my 30s, and now it’s on the list of things I have to go easy on.
    How much do I like it? Well, one Saturday night about 15 years ago, I got a call from some friends to go out for sushi about half an hour after I’d already finished dinner, and I went out and had a bunch of it anyway.

  68. DuckDuckMoose

    “Oh, c’mon, here” should become the default response to Joyce’s minor crises, judging by today’s strip and this one.

    1. Bagge

      Nice catch – and nice double act of Dorothy and Walky. Also interesting parallel between Joyce’s and Becky’s first weeks at college. Joyce have gained friends who support her and help her. Becky got friends who ratted her out, turned their back to her and threw her out (or at least were unable to help her).

  69. Kang the Unbalanced

    Err… Mrs. Kang asks if she can get panel 5 as a T-shirt.

    …or perhaps, a bib.

  70. Nym

    Poor Joyce. As someone who used to be averse to trying new foods, I can understand that happy face of, “At least I didn’t have to taste it!”

  71. wwlaos

    Well, it’s your own fault for wasting several dollars on terrible food. 😐

    1. ailorn

      BLASPHEME!

  72. Deanatay

    Hey, Dorothy, don’t go price shaming your friends! If you’re going to treat your friends to food, they are under no obligation to eat it, or to like it. Joyce has enough perceived obligations clogging up her head, already.

    1. Bagge

      Very true – the very fact that she tries sushi at all is because of her perceived obligation to Becky.

  73. Bagge

    I will miss Girls with Slingshots.

    1. Doctor_Lantern

      Me too 🙁

  74. BassBone

    I don’t get people who don’t like sushi.

    1. John

      I don’t get people who like sushi.

      1. Doctor_Lantern

        2 kinds of people…

  75. Herp one Derp

    Why is becky facing the wrong way?

    1. Bagge

      Because of SCIENCE!!!

      1. Tenn

        Dorothy blinded her with it. Good thing it wasn’t Dina.

        “Good heavens, Miss Saruyama, you’re beautiful!”

    2. Jen

      Because she’s uncomfortable/upset/jealous/etc. and looking the other way.

    3. Agemegos

      It’s because of the temporal topology of sequential art. She’s watching the things happening in the next two panels, so she has to look right.

      In Western sequential art, the future, progress, and continuing action are towards the right.

      1. Agemegos

        Symbolically, that is.

  76. Tenn

    Tonight on “Joyce unintentionally talks dirty”, Joyce wastes the money shot.

  77. selement

    I’m a fussy eater, I too am not a fan of sushi. I feel your pain, Joyce. Always pick the chicken options in Japanese places… also note she does ask what is in it (cucumber and avocado) and says “gross” implying she has tried these foods and doesn’t like them (I really don’t like cucumber but will tolerate avocado.) so she has her reasons for assuming she won’t like it. I also find sushi rice too vinegary tasting. And I know all sushi isn’t all seafood based but a lot is and I don’t really like any seafood either! I wonder who is actually the fussier eater out of me and Joyce…

  78. Marc in MN

    This is probably how I look when eating sushi. :p

  79. Plasma Mongoose

    Would Joyce be more receptive to Korean food especially kimchi.

  80. RJ

    If you don’t like sushi because it is expensive, come to Vancouver. I ate it like three times a week for about seven bucks for 20+ pieces.

    If you don’t like sushi because it tastes bad, you are incorrect sorry to break it to you 🙁

  81. man in black

    She must have a big esophagus to do that

  82. peasporridgecold

    Sushi is finger food. Put the chopsticks down, pick up the sushi and eat it.

  83. Wafflebob

    Shoulda started her with urumaki style roll. Here in the midwest that is pretty much standard and oftentimes the more traditional Japanese rolls and sushi is in a separate category (if it’s offered at all). Just so nobody has to google it, urumaki is more or less inside out sushi. The fillings are bound in Nori and then the rice is on the outside, It gives the sushi a rice texture instead of that firm smoothish texture nori gives and reduces the impact of the taste of the nori.

    1. Damien

      Well, if it’s a California Roll, which I’m pretty sure it it, then it should be an urumaki roll I guess. Even when the rest of the sushi is normal, California Rolls are always inside-out.

  84. Heavensrun

    Dammit, Willis, I’m trying to respect Joyce and Dorothy’s sexual identities by backing off from shipping them, and then you throw me an adorable panel of Dorothy feeding Joyce aaaargh.

    1. David M Willis

      Shipping straight people is what shipping is for.

  85. Heavensrun

    Also I just realized that Joyce is holding a chopstick in each hand, which I presume means that’s how she was trying to use them during the fumbling yesterday, which is /hilarious/.

  86. TheTJ

    That’s pretty close to how I eat all my “Grown Up” meals.

  87. nothri

    By way of comparison Dorothy’s mom only costs a nickel.

  88. Lord Geovanni

    at least its doing what you bought it for and provideing nuutrition or are we here to taste the food

  89. Killjoy

    1) only Willis can answer this for certain, but I’m pretty sure that Becky is looking away from Dorothy feeding Joyce, not looking “into the next panel”.

    2) never understood the appeal of eating raw meat… ugh (and no, don’t try to explain it).

  90. B.D

    The hell kind of sushi place charges “several dollars” for a bloody California Roll? There some kind of inland price hike or something?

  91. Zem

    You make an innuendo and don’t even have the characters comment on it? ( =the equivalent of a laugh track for daily comics) Shame!

  92. DarkoNeko

    Someone’s jealouuuuuuuuuuus

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