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Cake

10 (17.2%)

Vegetarian item

3 (5.2%)

Cereal

2 (3.4%)

Hummus

4 (6.9%)

Salad

6 (10.3%)

Meat snack plate

25 (43.1%)

Soup

4 (6.9%)

Other (Write in reply)

4 (6.9%)

Total Members Voted: 36

Voting closed: 02 May 2021, 18:30

[Mr_Rose]

I can’t think of anything Tai can do if she’s that uncomfortable with dates, contracts, research, etc. Even setting up a DJ or a band requires making a list of some kind.

She could write Harry Potter books. September first on a Monday seven years in a row is fine, no-one will notice!

[weisbm]

I remember my wife and I planning our wedding.  Honestly it looked about like this. 

[Platypodes]

Also: should you get married if you can’t plan a big project together? It seems like Tai and Dora have wildly incompatible project management approaches, and that Tai is strategically incompetent when necessary to get out of their share of the work

I think they should expect to have serious friction around this difference for the very long term, and I hope they've discussed that and are prepared to cope. But if they are prepared to cope, it could be the kind of difference that's a net positive or at least a net neutral  in their lives. Each of them has strength in an area where the other is weak, and they can counterbalance each other and help each other to grow. Dora can learn to chill a little; Tai can learn to hold up her end when it's really important. Negotiating that is gonna be stressful; they're gonna argue and get on each other's nerves for sure. But they're doing pretty well right now, talking it through without a blow-up and finding a compromise.

[hedgie]

This is why, if I ever get hitched, it’s going to be eloping.

[sitnspin]

If I ever get married again, which I almost certainly will not, there will be no ceremony, just a party. One wedding (and marriage) was enough.

[flondrix]

Dora runs her own business and is pretty big on control. Tai is laid back to a fault. To me that seems like all this is, those two extremely contrasting qualities causing friction.

Gosh, you could base a long-running broadway play on that sort of pairing.

Maybe even a television series.

(Sometimes when discussing conflicts in relationships I say "This isn't a man/woman issue, this is a Felix/Oscar issue.")

[flondrix]

"And this column is for people wbo're allowed to know we're married but not allowed to know we have kids."

Geeze. That'd be a hell of a form of revenge.

Was it Tai and Dora about whom Hannelore said "We're working on that technology, OK?"

And what is their couple name?  Tora?

[flondrix]

I can’t think of anything Tai can do if she’s that uncomfortable with dates, contracts, research, etc. Even setting up a DJ or a band requires making a list of some kind.

Least of all run a library.

[flondrix]

Anyone else have the impression that Dora's been planning her wedding (consciously or subconsciously) for a very long time? 

I am reminded of Lady Alys Vorpatril from Lois McMaster Bujold's A Civil Campaign.  "I've seen planetary invasions pulled off with less planning than your mother is putting into this wedding."  Though, in that case it was justified--a bachelor emperor was getting married for the first time in many generations, and she had to make sure all the traditions were followed to placate the more conservative elements of the aristocracy.  (Lady Alys wasn't the one getting married, but she was responsible for all of the emperor's social details and took her job very seriously.)

[flondrix]

Did Tai switch to they/them pronouns? As of https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=974 Tai said chocolate pronouns were good.

Huh?  I just read that strip and I see no mention of "chocolate" pronouns, only that traditional female pronouns were fine because she never identified as anything other than female, she just went for a "butch" look in the past.

[dna_level_c]

"chocolate" pronouns

Her/She. I had to look it up.

[oddtail]

"chocolate" pronouns

Her/She. I had to look it up.

...I only just got it now.

(in my defense, I'm only aware of Hershey brand's/company's existence via the Internet.)

[Pilchard123]

It tastes like vomit. I thought it was just "haha those wacky Americans can't make proper chocolate" before I tried it, but it really does have a vomity aftertaste. Google tells me it is butyric acid, which would also explain why the the chemistry classrooms (and the whole floor they were on) at my college would periodically smell of warm sick.

[oddtail]

Yeah, that was what I found as well. Butyric acid in sufficient qualities smells pretty much like vomit. Apparently (based on reading Reddit threads) Americans are used to the distinct smell.

Slighty off topic, whenever there's a discussion about food (especially cheese/beer/chocolate/bread), Americans tend to get defensive and say "well, if you go out of your way to buy PROPER cheese/beer/chocolate/bread, it's actually fine". I understand it must be tiresome when Europeans (and snobbish Americans) shit on anything American, but I never understood this logic.

The issue - from what I hear, I haven't lived in the US, so I don't know the food quality - is that in most European countries, you can buy store-brand beer, or cheap cheese, or bread from the bakery section of a supermarket, and have a satisfying experience with what you buy. The fact that people make the argument "well, you have to buy high-quality stuff" in the first place suggests that the cheap stuff is no good in the US?

I tend to shop at what is probably close to the Polish grocery equivalent of Walmart, I'm careful not to overspend - and I don't eat completely crappy food unless I specifically go for it.

I get why some food and drinks in Europe can be seen as having an over-inflated reputation. Like, I'm no wine connoisseur, but I think French wine is WAY overrated. I prefer stuff from, like, Hungary, and my wife always goes for South American wines. But the fact remains that you can get like a 5€ bottle of wine in Paris, and it's more likely than not to be pretty good (and stuff in Paris is *expensive*, so it makes 5€ seem even cheaper). I feel similarly about food in Europe in general, from my limited experience. In Poland in particular, you can eat for dirt cheap without much trouble and much searching - especially with stuff that's part of Polish culinary tradition (like sausages and whatnot).

[/rant]

But again, I haven't been to the US, so I fully accept that the horribleness of common American food might be hugely overexaggerated. I'll admit that whatever I ate that I've been told is "regular" American food - especially chocolate-based stuff - was less than impressive.

[cesium133]

The source of the sour taste of Hershey chocolate is that the process for making it was originally designed to use sour milk. At the time they started, no refrigeration was available and Hershey wasn’t near a dairy farm, so sour milk was all they could get. After refrigeration became available, they started using fresh milk and souring it using butyric acid to keep the taste of the chocolate from changing.

[Marco]

When my wife and I got married, aside from two or three people, all of our friends were mutual. We had the same social circle. Is it really that unusual?

Not at all. I'm the least socially apt people I know, so I kind of borrowed my wife's friends as mine.

As for the wedding list, my family is from german origin, and my wife's is brazilian, so orders of magnitude bigger than mine. So 9/10 of the church/party people was her list...

[Farideh]

I can’t think of anything Tai can do if she’s that uncomfortable with dates, contracts, research, etc. Even setting up a DJ or a band requires making a list of some kind.

Tai is a DJ. Coming up with a band / DJ should be right up her alley. Surely she has contacts?

It tastes like vomit. I thought it was just "haha those wacky Americans can't make proper chocolate" before I tried it, but it really does have a vomity aftertaste. Google tells me it is butyric acid, which would also explain why the the chemistry classrooms (and the whole floor they were on) at my college would periodically smell of warm sick.

That is actually true? Ew, definitely not trying American chocolate then. Whittaker's all the way!

[cesium133]

On the one hand, Hershey’s is not the only American chocolate out there and there is some good stuff. On the other hand, my favorite chocolate brand is from Germany.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Not Hannelore. Tilly!

Did Tai and Tilly ever meet?

Apparently not, according to Cesium133's character tag thingie, (Thanks, Ces.)

[Farideh]

Comic's up.

Bubbles would like some drinks to smell, but I doubt that would make much of a dent in the budget.

[shanejayell]

You might have to have EV style charging stations, tho.... 

[Oenone]

You might have to have EV style charging stations, tho.... 

Or a QR code for a tastings app?

[shanejayell]

Or those USB drives that make robots drunk.

[Farideh]

I don't think I've ever seen Bubbles drink robot beer before. Then again, she doesn't spend a lot of time in bars, and when she does she's mostly looking out for Faye.

[jwhouk]

I am rather fond of some of Mars products, especially those little dot-like candies with the upside-down w’s on them, and the caramel-vanilla nougat-dark chocolate concoction formerly known as Forever Yours.

[jesslc]

I don't think I've ever seen Bubbles drink robot beer before. Then again, she doesn't spend a lot of time in bars, and when she does she's mostly looking out for Faye.

I wonder if Dora & Tai will remember Faye's alcoholism. They forgot about it last time when they invited their friends to celebrate their engagement at a bar so it'd be nice to see them remember it now. (I wouldn't necessarily expect them to change anything because of it but I'd like to see them remember it. If anything, the most I'd expect is that they maybe have a quiet chat with Faye & Bubbles before the wedding).

I'm also wondering how Faye's going to go with a wedding reception. I know she wouldn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it. But she probably also won't want to leave early if she's not coping well because this is such a big occasion. Perhaps this could this be an opportunity for Jeph to run a "relapse and then having to get back on the wagon" story line...?

I just re-read a well written fanfic that covers alcoholism in a sensitive and very realistic way, so the topic is at the front of my mind. Among other things it did a great job of showing how a big event can put a lot of stress on someone's sobriety. (Story is Glass Half Full by pir8fancier, if you're into fanfic (or even if you're not)).

[pendrake]

For comic #4515...

1. As always, I never tire of Dora's business/money sense.  Dora could give Scrooge McDuck a run for his money.  ;$

2. I actually think there would be a minimal cost to providing Bubbles (& any other AI guests) something to scent-enjoy, though(?).

[DaiJB]

  Love Dora's expression in the last panel!

Tai is helping! - by preventing Dora's mercenary side from turning this into an AI only affair 

They don't want too many AIs attending anyway, when you consider that some of them are either pure trouble (I'm looking at you, Pintsize and May), or - how should I put this? - bat-shit crazy (Yes, I'm looking at you Melon). Add a few random factors like Yay or Beeps and you're probably looking at a disaster waiting to happen...

[dutchrvl]

On the one hand, Hershey’s is not the only American chocolate out there and there is some good stuff. On the other hand, my favorite chocolate brand is from Germany.

Ritter Sport for the win!

Anyway, as a European who has lived in the US for 13 years now, I think some of the criticism of US foods is indeed exaggerated.
It's not like we don't have crap food in Europe, and it's definitely not like it's difficult to find good food in the US. I do think really crap food is more ubiquitous in the US, and more damningly, the difference in price between crap food and decent food is generally greater than in Europe, IMHO.

BUT (there's always a but), Hershey's is pretty terrible in my opinion, because of above aspects. Other US chocolate is just fine though.
American regular supermarket sliced bread is not good, but that might be because I am grew up with very good bread in NW EUrope. But, it's not difficult to find good bread, it's just a little more expensive.

 

[awkwardness]

I'm loving this new storyline, the two are growing as characters as we see a side of Dora that she tries to hide but is also a good explanation for why her coffee roasting is so great: dedication and focus. Tai's laidback acceptance of Dora's faults and wanting her to do her thing even though it's making Tai look bad shows that she's thinking of Dora first even if it's not what's needed.

There was talk a few weeks ago about strong relationships? This is the foundation of one: directing your spouse without controlling. Tai needs direction, Dora is trying to do that.

[Farideh]

I forgot about Ritter Sport! How did I manage to do that? Used to love that brand.

[cesium133]

Unfortunately, Ritter Sport seems to be fairly hard to find around here. The only store I've found that has it only carries the peppermint version, which is my least favorite version.

[Farideh]

I really dislike peppermint with chocolate, after an unfortunate encounter with an After Eight in my youth.

[cesium133]

The Ritter Sport version that I like the most but haven't been able to find for a long time is yogurt. I'm generally not a fan of yogurt (not strongly opposed, just won't go seeking it out...), but with chocolate it works pretty well.

[Gyrre]

On the one hand, Hershey’s is not the only American chocolate out there and there is some good stuff. On the other hand, my favorite chocolate brand is from Germany.

Ritter Sport for the win!

Anyway, as a European who has lived in the US for 13 years now, I think some of the criticism of US foods is indeed exaggerated.
It's not like we don't have crap food in Europe, and it's definitely not like it's difficult to find good food in the US. I do think really crap food is more ubiquitous in the US, and more damningly, the difference in price between crap food and decent food is generally greater than in Europe, IMHO.

BUT (there's always a but), Hershey's is pretty terrible in my opinion, because of above aspects. Other US chocolate is just fine though.
American regular supermarket sliced bread is not good, but that might be because I am grew up with very good bread in NW EUrope. But, it's not difficult to find good bread, it's just a little more expensive.

Re: supermarket banana bread;
The notion that homemade food trumps storebought versions exists for good reason here.

[John Allenson]

What I'd bring to a potluck.
Dependent on whether warm food could be kept warm:  Mormon potatoes (hot) or a couscous vegetarian dish (cold).

An AI they should invite, Hannelore's companion Winslow.

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new person!

[Oenone]

Do you think we’ll get any surprises for plus ones?

[Nepiophage]

comng late to the party — but Spathe ham of course

[Nepiophage]

Just...why people.  What is the appeal to macaroni and potato salads?

They are delicious.

Eww, no.  When I take over the world, anyone caught using mayonaisse will get death by impalement.

Dracarys

[Nepiophage]

I was going to make fun of anti-mayo people, but then I realized that no matter what the foodstuff, there will always be people who dislike it, and I am not really one to say anything about weird dislikes, since I hate popcorn (mostly because of the smell, I find the flavor just boring), do not like icecream, mint (except fresh mint-tea), and peanutbutter (unless as a sauce base for Asian dishes).

That said, being from the Netherlands I still do not understand why people in the US insist on ketchup to eat their fries with instead of mayo. I do like Curry Ketchup with fries though, which is oddly hard to find in the US.

Samouri sauce!

[flondrix]

Up in the "Old Wadsworth" neighborhood of Westminster someone opened what is supposed to be a Belgian style pomme frittes shop with a bunch of different things to put on your french fries, including several flavours of mayonaise.  Yummy.

[Farideh]

Mayonnaise on fries is the Best Thing Ever. Aioli comes a close second (since that is basically mayonnaise with garlic anyway).

It's a Dutch/Belgian thing.

[Gyrre]

Mayonnaise on fries is the Best Thing Ever. Aioli comes a close second (since that is basically mayonnaise with garlic anyway).

It's a Dutch/Belgian thing.

It might depend on the fries, the person, or both -- but I think I like the aioli more. Honey mustard[1] is pretty dang good, too. And just straight up honey is about the only way to make American McDonald's fries edible for me[2]

[1] especially spicy honey mustard
[2]Yes, they're much different here. And terrible. Nineteen ingredients instead of the simple potatoes, lard, and salt most of the rest of the world gets.Burger King's are about the same, if not somehow worse.

EDIT: just, not nust

[tmv]

I prefer to have both ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries. But I also kind of like Javascript (not on fries) so I might just be some kind of pervert.

[flondrix]

I prefer to have both ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries. But I also kind of like Javascript (not on fries) so I might just be some kind of pervert.

I wish I had saved the actual quote from back in the Usenet days, but it went something like "I know three people who claim to have eaten human placenta.  All three have written device drivers for Unix.  I do not think this is a coincidence."

[pwhodges]

I'm afraid it doesn't hold true.  A friend of mine cooked and ate the placenta from her first birth, and anyone less likely to write a Unix device driver you cannot imagine (she's a Celtic harpist).

[Farideh]

Doesn't placenta kind of taste like liver?