Vegetarian Lasagna
In today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse, Lynn Johnston does another of what have become a standard in her new-runs – repeat the same kind of joke she has done before with a reprint. The idea is that no one in her family likes eating Elly’s diet food. At first this was shown with bowls of leafy green vegetables, and now she has moved to vegetarian lasagna as her variation on the theme. We know that ultimately Uncle Phil is going to arrive and save the day with pizza; so the only question is: How many “I hate this healthy food” strips are we going to see before Phil arrives?
As for vegetable lasagna itself, I like the stuff quite a bit. I have never made it, but I seem to remember that lasagna was a fairly complex dish to make which, in my mind, means that Elly bought this from the store. As for store-bought vegetable lasagna purchased in the early 1980s; I have a different opinion. That stuff stank. In the early 1980s, I was just entering university and cooking for myself, i.e. buying a lot of frozen foods. Frozen vegetable lasagna was disgusting. If this is what Elly is serving, then I sympathize with Michael Patterson.
As for vegetable lasagna itself, I like the stuff quite a bit. I have never made it, but I seem to remember that lasagna was a fairly complex dish to make which, in my mind, means that Elly bought this from the store. As for store-bought vegetable lasagna purchased in the early 1980s; I have a different opinion. That stuff stank. In the early 1980s, I was just entering university and cooking for myself, i.e. buying a lot of frozen foods. Frozen vegetable lasagna was disgusting. If this is what Elly is serving, then I sympathize with Michael Patterson.
posted by howard at 10:32 PM
11 Comments:
Even my parents, who think that veggies should just be a tiny side dish to a big ol' chunk of meat with gravy, love my vegetable lasagna.
Frozen lasagna of all sorts is disgusting, and is usually not healthy or diet (even if it is veggie).
So how I feel about this strip really depends on the provenance of the lasagna. I suspect that Elly probably resorts to a lot of prepared foods. In which case, I am with Mike. But if it is homemade, then I think Mike and John are just looking for something to complain about.
Then again, Elly is probably kind of an awful cook. Everything I have ever seen her prepare has been dripping with grease.
So complain away, Mike!
howard,
We know that ultimately Uncle Phil is going to arrive and save the day with pizza; so the only question is: How many “I hate this healthy food” strips are we going to see before Phil arrives?
Given Lynn's need to repeat a joke so her fan base finally gets her point, I'd say that we were good for at least two more.
qnjones,
Then again, Elly is probably kind of an awful cook. Everything I have ever seen her prepare has been dripping with grease.
That's true. What makes it more horrifying is that the Pattersons actually love her greasy crap.
Frozen lasagna of all sorts is disgusting, and is usually not healthy or diet (even if it is veggie).
Yes, my first thought was that this would probably have lots of cheese and be very high-calorie. Not exactly diet/health fare.
And Lynn's current compulsion to pad out the old story arcs with repetitious filler is distressing.
Ah, but Elly doesn't understand the concept that food (no matter how elegant, or convivial, or necessary for some celebrations) ultimately = "fuel".
Just because it has veggies doesn't mean the calorie count is low. Just because it doesn't taste good doesn't mean it's low-cal.
Elly probably thinks all the calories in the lasagna are in the tasty meat, or that veggies "suck out" calories. It wouldn't occur to her to get out a calorie counter booklet or wheel (certainly available in the 80s) and check how many calories are in the slabs of noodles and mounds of cheese.
And, of course, the converse - that low-cal and/ or veggie food can be very good - is unknown to the FOOBs. It wouldn't occur to Elly to say "lasagna means the the neat stack of noodles - there are lots of ways to stuff things between them, and we're trying a new one. It's supposed to be tasty, and we all have to at least try it tonight."
Of course, in 1980, various low-cal, less-meat options that were good in and of themselves (instead of being a poor imitation of other foods) weren't nearly as well known. It probably was a poor lasagna.
qnjones,
Even my parents, who think that veggies should just be a tiny side dish to a big ol' chunk of meat with gravy, love my vegetable lasagna.
There’s something about big, thick, noodles that forgive almost anything put in them.
Then again, Elly is probably kind of an awful cook. Everything I have ever seen her prepare has been dripping with grease. So complain away, Mike!
Exactly. There are so few times when I can agree with young Michael Patterson, and thanks to the new-run, another has appeared.
DreadedCandiru2
Given Lynn's need to repeat a joke so her fan base finally gets her point, I'd say that we were good for at least two more.
That's true. Probably need to fill out the week.
What makes it more horrifying is that the Pattersons actually love her greasy crap.
Greaseburger from Elly or vegetarian lasagna from Elly? Hum. I think I might prefer the greasy crap too.
aprilp_katje,
Yes, my first thought was that this would probably have lots of cheese and be very high-calorie. Not exactly diet/health fare.
Oh, aprilp_katje. Don’t you know that vegetables are always healthy, especially with lots of cheese on it? If it weren't for cheese, I never would have tried Brussels sprouts and discovered how much I love them.
And Lynn's current compulsion to pad out the old story arcs with repetitious filler is distressing.
“Rejuvenating” is the word. All she has to do is look at the old joke and see if she can find a new way to do the same kind of thing. Original humour sucks the life out of you, but repeating old jokes is rejuvenating. It’s like a new way of being lazy, and we know how much Lynn likes that.
InsertMonikerHere,
Elly probably thinks all the calories in the lasagna are in the tasty meat, or that veggies "suck out" calories. It wouldn't occur to her to get out a calorie counter booklet or wheel (certainly available in the 80s) and check how many calories are in the slabs of noodles and mounds of cheese.
I suspect the real source of the problem is some childhood trauma Lynn Johnston had with vegetarian lasagna, and she is using this strip to get her revenge, little suspecting that not everyone shares her opinion, or understands her history with the hated dish.
I suspect that every strip is really about some secret psychic trauma that Lynn has endured. Or thinks she has endured.
qnjones,
Or thinks she has endured.
I suppose you are talking about the day the vegetarian lasagna ate the city of Corbeil. It all started one evening when Lynn Johnston was putting on her thrift store negligee and full makeup in order to make herself beautiful to herself before she went to bed. Then she noticed the smell of thin, flat noodles in the air…
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