Food is one of those everyday subjects that Gary Larson could twist into something gloriously strange or turn into a hilarious dinner-table scenario. The Far Side certainly likes going to the dinner table again and again, or turning it on its head with the likes of livestock flipping the roles, or other creatures indulging in their own little feast.
The subject of food is also, in most cases, the most accessible of Larson’s works; we have all had great and bad experiences, from a fancy meal out to a home-cooked meal gone horribly wrong. Still, it is a testament to Larson’s ability to make the simple things in life absurd that draws me and many others to comics about food. So, it was to my well-worn copy of The Complete Far Side to find the most hilarious bits of Larson’s food comic strips.
Why You Should Trust Me: Gary Larson was a cornerstone of my early years and shaped a love of comedy I still carry decades later. I have amassed a large collection of his work that I revisit and reflect on often, and it’s become one of my roles at MovieWeb to curate his work for these lists.
Brekfust of Champions
This is one of Larson’s early works, when his art itself was a bit less polished than it would become throughout his ’80s offerings. The crudity of it actually adds to its already bizarre charm. There is no real joke here, except for the gloriously misspelled sign that reads “Brekfust Survded Anytim.” Instead, it is more of a fun visual and an absolutely absurd method to fling food that could only come from Larson’s playful humor.
Have It Your Way, If You Dare
The “Carrion King” restaurant name, with the tagline “Nothing Fresh!”, is such a silly idea that it becomes oddly charming despite the presumed rotting meat being bought and sold. The strip becomes exceptional, though, with its small details, the birds circling above (presumably waiting their turn), to the little branded bag; though I wish I could read what was on the menu. Larson’s captionless work is among my favorites, as it forces him to place greater emphasis on crafting the joke through subtle visual cues, which this one does exceedingly well.
The Cows Have Notes
Mapping out human cuts of meat on a chart, “Shoulder Chops,” “throw-away,” “spare ribs,” is such utterly staged silliness that you have to laugh at it before realizing the more grim implications. But my favorite part of this strip is the somewhat cinematic approach he takes, as Larson poses an awkward silence after Farmer Brown’s ghastly discovery, broken only by a dog’s bark in the distance. You can envision Martin Scorsese lifting his hands up and proclaiming, “ABSOLUTE CINEMA!”
Waste Not, Want Not
Sharing is caring, and at Rose’s Diner, it seems to extend beyond people into the animal kingdom. This strip is utterly adorable in its own way; the polite request for a fly from a soup is one most would be happy to indulge. The comedy is all in the framing. While this could veer toward the darker side of Larson’s wit, the strip presents itself as an earnest plea for a snack; the man’s empty stare also sells the moment, leaving it up to the reader to decide how he has taken the request.
The Bee’s Knees of Condiments
As ICP famously sang, “Magnets, how do they work?” There are things we just assume, such as ketchup coming from tomatoes, but in that little piece of naivety, you can’t expect everyone to know exactly how everything is made. This is where Larson injects his nonsense logic and leans on a common gag of treating absurd things as if they were just normal. I would assume the implication that bees are the ones making the ketchup, but it is all so nonsensical that it does not matter; you just have to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Caught Red-Handed
One condiment joke after another? The audacity! Yet, this strip is one of my personal favorites visually; it’s not often that Larson plays with shadow and light, and the idea of a condiment party is hilarious; I blame these parties for why I can never find what I need in the fridge. “Condiment Dance Tonight,” accompanied by music, also tells you everything that is going on in the fridge without actually showing it. You can even envision some drama as ketchup hits on mustard’s girlfriend.
While the Farmer’s Away
With Farmer Brown gone, the cows have taken over the kitchen and are having the time of their lives, as they should, but sometimes ignorance is bliss. Things will never be the same at the farm as “Betsy’s unwitting discovery” paints a macabre future for her and her fellow bovines. There is no clever misdirection here; this is Larson just laying it out as it is, in a gag everyone can understand. Sometimes it is his simplest deliveries that become the most humorous.
A Cut Above
Maybe it is the horror fan in me (I love a good cannibal film), but this strip is another early one that shows Larson’s darker streak that would become more pronounced throughout his career, with his ’90s period having some of the best gallows humor. Though at this point, I don’t know what is more shocking, that meat could have ever gone for “about $1.99 a pound” or that this kid was going to be eaten by the tall, creepy stranger. Either way, it remains one of Larson’s sharpest dark gags.
Recipes for Disaster
This made me laugh out loud at the visual alone, envisioning a complete cacophony of noise followed by a series of escalating accidents; it screams slapstick comedy. Yet it was not until later that I noticed the punchline was on the book itself: “Recipes for Disaster.” It honestly did not need this little extra push, but it makes an already hilarious visual spectacle all the more punchy, even if it is a bit of a groaner/dad joke.
We All Cuss for Asparagus
Asparagus is an acquired taste that certainly won’t boost sales by trying to attract kids. Can’t blame “Big Asparagus” for trying, though; the apple got the catchy proverb with “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and asparagus never stood a chance at that kind of branding. “I cuss, you cuss, we all cuss for asparagus!” is also a great example of how Larson can implant a new saying in the reader’s memory, making it utterly timeless.
Larson found comedy in every corner of the kitchen, from the butcher’s block to the back of the fridge. While these are my picks for the funniest, there is a whole pantry of tasty treats in Larson’s arsenal. So, let us know which Far Side food comic is your favorite, or which one you’d have added to the list.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
