2009-11-29
Original: 2009-11-29 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (header banner): WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT PROCESSED FOOD
A red-haired woman, holding a small tub of butter, reads the label skeptically while a blond man stands beside her.
Woman: Pyroxidine? Ergocalciferol? How many ingredients do you need in BUTTER?
Panel 2 (header banner): WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT VITAMIN DRINKS
The same blond man, now grinning and holding a pink vitamin-water bottle, with the red-haired woman smiling beside him.
Man: WOW! It's got ergocalciferol!
Votey:
A hand-drawn bottle labeled VITA-WATER. The label reads:
CONTAINS:
* IMPROBABLE CLAIMS
* SUGAR!
A red-haired woman, holding a small tub of butter, reads the label skeptically while a blond man stands beside her.
Woman: Pyroxidine? Ergocalciferol? How many ingredients do you need in BUTTER?
Panel 2 (header banner): WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT VITAMIN DRINKS
The same blond man, now grinning and holding a pink vitamin-water bottle, with the red-haired woman smiling beside him.
Man: WOW! It's got ergocalciferol!
Votey:
A hand-drawn bottle labeled VITA-WATER. The label reads:
CONTAINS:
* IMPROBABLE CLAIMS
* SUGAR!
Alt text
A two-panel SMBC comic contrasting how people react to ingredient lists. Top panel, banner reads 'WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT PROCESSED FOOD': a red-haired woman holds a tub of butter and reads the label with disgust, saying 'Pyroxidine? Ergocalciferol? How many ingredients do you need in BUTTER?' A blond man stands next to her. Bottom panel, banner reads 'WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT VITAMIN DRINKS': the same man, now beaming and holding a pink vitamin-water bottle, exclaims 'WOW! It's got ergocalciferol!' The woman smiles beside him. The joke: people are repelled by chemical-sounding ingredient names on ordinary food but excited by the exact same names on marketed health drinks. Votey: a hand-drawn bottle labeled 'VITA-WATER' whose ingredient list reads 'CONTAINS: improbable claims, sugar!'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.