Geez, Owen…in Westview, insulting someone’s sarcastic ability is like slapping them with a glove, or yelling personal remarks about their ancestry. Pistols at dawn; bring your second! By insulting the lunch lady, she’s honor-bound to respond and you’ll be lucky if you only find yourself fishing your filthy hippie hat out of your casserole, rather than your whole head. (At the very least the lunch lady should nail your head to the floor.)
Sarcasm is the very lifesblood of the citizens of Westview. It is valued more than money. The only more holy aspiration is the pun, and this lady’s memorized recitation already shows that she prepares well enough to challenge anyone in any of the Westview arts.
Besides, who wouldn’t want to see Owen punched out by a little old lady? I know I would. Heck, I’d set up a stand and sell tickets. The souvenir program book would outsell Fallen Star on eBay by a wide margin.
Son of Stuck Funky 
Heh heh, a regular FW character annoyed by a sarcastic remark…the definition of irony. I would have assumed that after six or seven years of high school, Owen would have the daily menu memorized by now (and probably the lunch lady’s name too). It’s funny how Owen and Cody never age, while everyone else most definitely does.
I’m assuming that Owen became TB’s “go-to” WHS character because he enjoys drawing that hat. If you think about it there’s a definite correlation there, as soon as the hat became permanent Owen wrested “top dog” status away from Cody and hasn’t relinquished it since. It spares him from having to draw hair as well, which has always been a FW bugaboo particularly with lesser-seen characters. Ask Cayla if you don’t believe it. In any event, it’s actually been a positive move for the strip, as Cody was always completely detestable while Owen is merely very annoying. Like when there’s a Funky arc after four weeks of Les…it’s all relative.
Owen speaks with the voice of a fussy 60-something comic strip author. Most high school kids would have asked WTH is venison, if they were to engage in any banter with a cafeteria lady at all.
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you.”
And here we have the most succinct critique of Funky Wickedness possible.
You asked for this beckoningchasm:
Well Owen, if you hate the cafeteria food so much, maybe you could actually graduate from Westview High, that way you won’t have to eat this slop. I mean, really, what are Owen and Cody? Six year seniors?
A chullo filled with Casserole Surprise is not very becoming either.
And again, aren’t they usually offered at least two choices at a cafeteria? If the school decided to go for cutbacks including just one option, why aren’t these two bringing food with them?
Given Westview’s economy, Owen probably qualifies for a free lunch, so quit complaining.
Lunch Lady: “Listen, kid. Let me remind you of one thing: “Funky Winkerbean is a reality-based comic strip that depicts contemporary issues affecting young adults in a thought-provoking and sensitive manner.”
Owen: “THIS is the issue Tom thinks is all today’s teens have to worry about? Gross lunch casseroles?!?”
Lunch Lady: “Well, you teenagers -are- automatically and innately evil, spoiled brats. It’s natural for a 67 year old cartoonist to view you with disdain and contempt.”
Owen: “And all these alleged trips to real life high schools to observe us?”
Lunch Lady: “Pshaw. Cover story so his wife won’t know he’s hanging out at the comic shop again!”
Cody: “Um, could I have some of that venison? That sounded gr-”
Owen and Lunch Lady: “SHUT UP, CODY!”
A web search revealed to me that grinding venison is a thing, but I’ve never been served it in such a triturated state, neither in earnest nor sardonically (nor even pedantically). Nor has the Universe, in consequence of my enjoyment of unground venison, spitefully smitten any of my loved ones. Caramelized onions and sundry preparations containing one or more of pecans, maple, and sweet potatoes have I also happily consumed without the All’s karmic retribution. So score 1 to Batominc for the lunch lady’s speech.
However, I think Owen’s diction is quite unbelievable. The sense of becoming that he uses seems to have become rather uncommon here in the 2nd decade of the 21st century CE, particularly among contemporary young people experiencing issues. The literalist in me wants to retort: “Of course sarcasm doesn’t become a lunch lady. Sarcasm is an abstraction, and the lady is a concrete object. Sarcasm emerges from the lunch lady, but it can in no sense become her.”
But that’s just me.
The sad thing is that the Lunch Lady’s sarcastic reply to Owen is the closest we’ve come to someone expressing an honest emotion in this strip in months.
Sarcasm doesn’t become you…
In Westview, YOU become sarcasm.
Man, this lunch line is worse than Chicago’s Wieners Circle!
I love Owen’s little bitchface in panel 3. He’s so funny when he’s indignant. I want Batiuk to turn this strip into nothing more than situations that make Owen angry.
Billy, you forgot Soviet Westview.
Well I guess Owen could go to the local deli…oh…..oops!
Owen’s moonlighting over at SMBC (sans chullo).
If Owen’s so upset about the lunch lady giving him sass, he should be glad that she didn’t come back with.
“You could try reading the posted menu, you little asshole.”
Imagine if every school employee who cut in line, as well as all the children they cut in line in front of asked that poor woman to recite them the lunch menu. The sad little kids who got bumped to the back of the line might get out of there by 4:30.