Well, once again I can kind of see the joke here. If Owen was slightly likable, it could have worked, though in the main it seems like a joke well past its prime. I recently unearthed a whole slew of BC paperbacks I’d put in storage, and this seems like a joke BC might have used back in the 70’s. Peter would be leaning up against a rock painted “Peter’s Popcorn Emporium” and BC himself would ask about flavors and be given the same spiel, with the same response.
Although, I think BC would have…phrased…the final question somewhat better. “Do you just have any plain popcorn” is really awkward, almost desperate; it would be far better said “Do you have any just plain popcorn” but I guess if you’ve been out of the joke-telling business for a decade or two, the ol’ muscles get a bit rusty.
And yes, I can also see the attempts at humor in the flavorings–sushi, gruyere-porcini, et al. If Tom Batiuk really wanted to kick it into “funny” territory, the last entry would be “spam.” But I guess that was a bridge too far.
By the way, those old BC paperbacks were pretty funny. Amazing what could be done with some rocks, some odd tunics, ants, a Fat Broad, and a Cute Chick.

