JEFBOT.204_Unhappy Meal
It’s about time I did a strip on the Cornfather dieting, since in the “real world” his counterpart Michael Cornacchia has been on a diet for the past year or so and has lost close to 80 pounds. 80 pounds! That deserves a round of applause, a pat on the back or at least a random thumbs up from a stranger. He no longer looks like his cartoon-self (or his real self for that matter) but I really have no plans to start drawing a skinny Cornfather so rest assured, the Laurel and Hardy aesthetic of ‘bot and his friend will remain intact. At least in the strip. If I ever do a live-action JEFbot, I don’t know what I’m going to do.
And just for the record, Michael does eat a lot of spinach and vegetables these days, which does make me feel a bit self-conscious when I order my usual blue cheese burger and fries in front of him. At least until the order comes and I begin devouring all that deliciousness.
Heh! I take a rather profound delight in eating meat in front of vegetarians or having an extra helping in front of someone on a fad diet… It entertains me.
while i try not to eat bloody steaks around my vegan/vegetarian friends, i have no problem chowing down in front of those fad-dieters, Tanya! if all someone’s gonna have for a meal is lemonade, honey and cayenne pepper, i shouldn’t get the evil eye for ordering the beef stroganoff.
Best diet in the world, Eat less, move more… I miss living downtown where I could walk everywhere. Kept me slim.
Michael, Keep up the good work… Best way I lost weight was not to think of things like a diet, and walking everywhere.
so true. i actually didn’t start gaining weight until i got a desk job.
Life’s short!!! ….enjoy the burger!!!! Enjoy EVERYTHING in moderation.
yep, moderation’s the key, Funnyshaffer! and now i’m hungry for some chili fries…
Man I am so hungry. That’s something I’m usually not when I get up in the morning, so all this talk of extra bacon double cheeseburgers and strawberry shakes has my tummy rumbling.
Wow! I know Michael has been losing weight, and had no idea he had lost so much! I know you read the strip Michael, so congratulations to you! I have to admit that seeing the pics of you, and all of your weight loss, has inspired me!
This was a cute strip! Buzzkill or not, I loves me some snap peas! One question, are those chili cheese fries on the side? OK! Enough about food, as that’s all I have on my mind now. *Shakes fist*
i know what you mean, Spanky. i’m already plotting out my lunch, and my eyes are on a burger, fries and shake. heheh. and yes, those are chili cheese fries jefbot has on his plate, there.
yeah, Michael’s weight loss is pretty inspiring. i think he lost his initial 60-70 pounds in like, 8 months.
Thanks, Spanky!!! I can actually sit on airplanes comfortably now!
And no doubt tie your shoes without holding your breath. I’ve lost 30 pounds so far and that was the big life improvement for me. Still 80 pounds is a real achievement. Go you!
PS: In response to your question in the “Also:” portion of your BOTmail: You should totally do a Valentine’s Day theme for the header, or maybe even a mishmash of Anti-Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day.. so then it will appease your strip readers!
heheh. i might just go all out and make the entire header pink with hearts and rainbows, in a totally non-ironic way, just to see what people would think of it.
That would be completely obnoxious, and I love it! You should so do it! >:)
Damn, I dunno how to make the devil/evil face.
ha! we’ll see.
PPS: Happy Belated Birthday Lor!!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much! You are the sweetest! Have a great year Spanky McBubbles.
I hope 2010 treats you well too, Lor!
This strip did not end the way that I thought it would. What a surprise, Jefbot. Great writing.
arigato, sis! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Im actualy surprised that you have fast food where you can eat healthily. I dont frequent such establishments, ironicaly its quicker for me to cook something at home than going all the way to Fast food and back. And by the time I come home, Im hungry again.
PS: Happy birthday Lor, hope your husband thought up a good present. Its pretty hard to do that so dont be too hard on him if he missed.
And Jefbot, neglecting your familys important dates in your strip is not nice. First Xinda now Lor… Dont make that a habit.
yeah, it’s pretty easy to eat healthy where i live, Maryz. lots of vegan restaurants and salad joints around here. i wish i cooked more, though. would be much healthier as well as cheaper! maybe that should be my new year’s resolution. hmmm…
i thought about making a strip for Lor’s bday like i did last year but nothing sprang to mind. no worries, though – i have some other strips planned for her character down the road.
Speaking as somebody with a hyperactive metabolism with mostly overweight friends, I understand completely. I’m 6’6″, currently 138 lbd, and eat more than anybody I know. There’s no greater buzzkill than trying to appease the beast in the gullet (or as my friends call it, Stomach #7) with two burgers, fries, salad, a large order of cheeseballs, and chicken fingers, only to have people around me purposefully only eat half their chicken sandwich. Makes you just a tiny bit self-conscious.
ha! wow! that’s a lot of food, Thin!!! i’m impressed. heheh. i generally can’t eat large portions, which is why i’ve managed to stay relatively thin since i don’t have a super-fast metabolism. i pretty much peter-out after eating something the size of a happy meal, which makes me even more self-conscious when i leave all that leftover food on my plate in front of my dieting friends.
Yes, I’d noticed how svelte MC had been getting in Grey Skies! Kudos, Michael! AND, damn you for your gluttony buzzkill!
Oh, and BTW, great minds think alike once again, as we’ve got a binge-eating episode over at SubCulture too: http://subculturecomic.com/wp/?p=1249
okay, i’m calling it: underwear-themed strips for friday!
yeah, his transformation is pretty astonishing, SY! now i just gotta find someone to have lunch with that isn’t always killing my gluttony buzz.
Well, if I’m ever in town, you can have lunch with me — I have that great Asian metabolism (not the sumo wrestler one).
deal. if i get my JEFbot book out this year, we’ll get gluttonous at a convention sometime.
Thanks, Stan. Sorry for the buzzkill but let me tell you, I LOVE being skinny. It really makes getting around the world a lot easier.
again, funny cuz it’s true
totally true, skinny!
HAHAHA–seems vaguely familiar to me somehow…
doesn’t it just make you wanna order a tofu salad, Jeff?
80 pounds?!Wow that’s more than…..Nicole Richie weighs!
i know! he could’ve made a whole ‘nuther person out of all the fat he’s lost, IDTMRB!
ew.
Ahhh the greatness of bacon, yet I kinda do when I go to some fast food place get the feeling to leave early or order something healthy when everyone around me is ordered salads.
And 80 pounds, dang I would almost be light enough to fly away in the wind from that much weight loss. XP *thumbs up to Cornfather*
Nice add on to your comic
Thanks, Zolen. And don’t worry, I’m stayin outta the wind only cause being skinny makes me cold ALL the time. But it’s a fantastic price to pay.
Get a anchor set up just in case XP those winds can surprise ya
mmmm… bacon. so good. i really try not to put it on my burgers unless it’s a special occasion, Zolen. like tuesdays.
and yeah, if i lost 80 pounds i’d probably be dead.
Bacon’s good for every time of the week. But I probably would be more into the awesome powers of beef jerky.
only way to beat the gluttony buzzkill is to ignore it….a greasy bacony good breakfast is the only way to kick start the new year mojo
i feel like bacon with breakfast doesn’t count as gluttony, JF3. on burgers, yes. with dessert, most definitely. but i think you can get away with eating as much bacon as you want if you have eggs with it.
Wait, does that mean if I put a fried egg on my x-x-x-bacon cheeseburger, it doesn’t count as gluttony? I must say, I like this loophole!
yes. bacon burger = gluttony. bacon burger with egg = not gluttony. enjoy the loophole!
I lack the widow’s peak… but would still totally audition for the role of CF in the live action version.
good to know, 11teen. i’ll keep your headshot on file and notify your agent should the need arise. and don’t worry about it – the “cornfather curl” can be added with a prosthetic or cgi. the “cornfather beer belly” though, is another matter entirely.
Perfect strip, bot. But I don’t know what you’re all upset about. You’ve ALWAYS been skinny. You’re metabolism is higher than my weed supply.
i did gain a little weight in ’08, but then lost it in ’09. though if i continue on the burger binges i’ve been indulging in lately, 2010′s gonna be the year i go full-on sumo.
Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lor!!!!
Great strip, Jefbot. And good job Cornfather!
Double kudos to both of you.
Ahero ordering at -insert fast food chain here-’s drive through: “I’d like a burger and fries…*narrows eyes* …toy optional.”
Oh, and Happy B’day Lori!
thanks, Ahero! but what are you gonna get to wash the burger and fries down? strawberry shake? dr. pepper? oreo blizzard? fry grease!?
enjoy the toy!
I’d get water. xD I don’t drink soda and I don’t like ice cream blizzards and stuff because I get incapacitating brain freeze..really really easy. D=
i had a “throat” freeze the other night drinking a margarita too fast, Ahero. it was the worst!
Now you’ve got me feeling hungry!
after going through these comments, i’m feeling a bit peckish myself, speearr. hmm… i wonder if in-n-out’s still open?
LOL
*reads again*
ROFL
That was hillarious. Gluttony buzzkill indeed XD
It’s Three Wise Kings Day!!! HORAAAAAAY!!!!!!!
thanks and happy Three Wise Kings Day, Sonitan! may your gluttony be buzzkill-free!!!
Haha, good stuff. Very cool comic.
thanks, Brogan. i checked out your Arctic Blast Comic – good stuff!
Sorry if this response is a bit long but, Wow…
I also noticed you take the time to reply to your readers, supply them with pretty constant updates, and basically care about them. So, Thanks for being an inspiration to us all. 
I started reading JEFbot yesterday and could not stop until I finished just now with this recent post. I have to say, the progression your art has made since strip #1 is amazing. It’s hard to find comics that relate to such a wide variety of things such as yours and it was awesome from start to finish. You’ve possibly motivated me to get off my butt and finally work on my own comic, something I’ve been dying to do forever.
Consider me a loyal reader(and fan xD) power to the girl gamers!
~Andi
thanks for the comment, PiePirate! i really appreciate you going through the archives and letting me know what you think about JEFbot. it’s funny, when i was drawing the strip over the past couple years, i didn’t feel like i was progressing much at all, it’s only after i would occasionally look back 20, 30, 100 or so strips that i could see how my skills were improving. and i hope they keep doing so since i still have a long way to go. and yep, totally love and appreciate my readers (including the girl gamers!). they’re the coolest.
glad to hear you have a webcomic brewing around in your brain – just start putting pen to paper and putting it out there! you’ll make mistakes, you might not be 100% satisfied with your art or writing, but you can only get better and there’ll be nothing to gain by waiting and just thinking about it. do it! and let me know when you do so i can check it out.
Ok, so several things. ^^;
First, happy (belated) new year to all and a happy (also belated) birthday to Lor.
And naturally some well deserved congratz to CF for loosing that much.
happy new year, happy lor’s bday and happy michael’s weight loss back atcha, Cemalidor!
congratulations cornfather on losing 80 pounds. god knows how much i tried to lose weight. when i look at myself in the mirror i see a fat guy. but compared to other fat people it seems that mosy of my weight comes from my flesh and not my fat. sort of like kingpin. fyi im 120 kilograms. may this year bring u strength and lose more weight. i know i for one would try to drop my weight.
“sort of like kingpin.” awesome! i could use some more strength and some pounds off myself, JF3. i think i could stand to shed, like, 5-10 pounds this year. we’ll see how it goes. good luck!
Whoa-ho! The Cornfather is making the rest of us look bad, hey? If this was a competition I’d so lose. I love getting those specialty sandwiches at diners, I always try at least one from the menu if I’m visiting a new place; usually sharing it with whomever I’m with so I don’t spoil my appetite for the main coarse.
It’s great that you dropped the weight Cornfather! If you enjoy eating a lot of spinach I’ve got a neato smoothie recipe that you might like. Take some baby spinach leaves, some ripe mango pieces (and juice if you’ve got it,) and some orange juice. Jam it all in a blender and show them who’s boss with a little frappé action. That sucker will be green and chunky, but sweet and yummy. You can change it up to your liking; personally I like adding pineapple chunks and juice in mine then poring it over lots of ice. Whatever you do don’t add milk to your smoothie, the orange juice will curdle the milk.
darn. missed the opportunity but i should’ve held a “Biggest Loser” type contest here on JEFbot! …although now that The Cornfather’s out of the running, it opens it up for someone else to win.
and i hear you about those specialty sandwiches, Foxmouse – i like to try new menu items (not always to my benefit), but they’re not usually the healthiest choices. i just can’t help myself.
ooh. i might just try that recipe myself with the new food processor Mombot got me for christmas.
I liked this strip a lot, good stuff, and was even more happy to see the link to Mike’s site, very good stuff indeed
thanks, dude! i designed mc’s site so hope you enjoyed that aspect of it as well as the awesome content.
It really looks professional man, not gonna lie, its really functional too, and MC is funny as hell, loved the “Pushing Daisies” skit.
Awesome work, keep it up
yeah – MC was great in Pushing Daisies, and did you see the clip of him in Six Feet Under? quite good as well.
thanks for the kudos! keep up the awesome work, too – been really enjoying Nerf This.
I’m really happy that you are a reader of Nerf This, means a lot coming from you
I just checked out the Six Feet Under skit, and you’re right, just as awesome! MC is one hell of a guy 
Heylo.
I read all 200 and something “episodes” or strips if you prefer, in two nights.
Fricking awesome, dewd. Slightly reminds me of Ctrl+Alt+Del, but in a soooo much more approachable way. Accessible. Whatever you will.
I am currently imbibed and ablicallyholled, so forgive me for everything. ^w^
BUT, not only is eveything, autobiographical, biographical or whatever.
Micheal is awesomesauce, the artsezness has evolved ten thousand times… Fold.
I wish to see more of Abraxas and Mu and Mo, and…
More of everything basically.
Much love,
Nya.
thanks for reading through the archives, Nya, and glad you could relate to the strip! although i hope it’s not just ‘cuz of the imbibing.
michael’s definitely awesomesauce and thanks for the kudos on the evolution of the art, too. it’s been a lot of work but a lot of fun putting out the past 200+ strips, but i feel like i’ve really only just begun. rest assured: more Abraxas, Michael, Mu, Mo and “everything” to come!
At the risk of spamming, I have so much more to say about Jefbot than this.
Just can’t right now. Beer/Shaiya
I like this one. A lot. Next time, I’m going to get drunk and leave a comment. It’ll sure be more interesting to read than my usual…”Great job, bot.” or “Fantastic, bot.” or “You’re a genius, bot.” or “Where’s my underwear, bot?”
ha! no worries, Nya – i’ll wait ’til you sober up to hear what else you have to say about the strip. or maybe i’ll just buy you another round.
and MC – i have no idea where your underwear is, and i’m frightened that it’s missing.
/jefbot
Ye gawdz! =O I was still lolling at a gay christmas, when suddenly I got abducted by Michael Poppins and a Japanese Angel (amongst others). xD
That was fricking magnificent!!! I howled with laughter. Also, something to keep me occupied until the next strip. ;oD You lads rawk. Seriously. ^_^;
I just saw Abraxas with a little white cotton something sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Well, more grey than white, really, but they looked like Y fronts. ^w^
Any help?
glad you dug those shorts, Nya! thanks!!! did you check out WTFWT?!
and re: Abraxas – is that the real story behind Mu’s abduction!?
You mean the HAMSTER was that bulge in the Y fronts?
Thank goodness. *forehead backhanding*
I barely darested askeded. xD
Diet, schmiet.
Hey Jeff are you considering Ustreaming how you digitally ink the strip? I’d love to see how you arrive at the look for Jefbot.
Regards.
definitely been considering it, Timothy. it just takes me so long to do the inking and coloring, i wouldn’t want to bore you all with a 4 hour video stream! might just record the process and show it with some fast-forward action and editing and post the results on the site.
[...] out the previous strips in the “Cornfather’s Diet” storyline, here: • JEFBOT.204_Unhappy Meal • JEFBOT.205_Just Desserts Share and [...]
[...] you’d like to visit/revisit the storyline check it out here: • JEFBOT.204_Unhappy Meal • JEFBOT.205_Just Desserts • JEFBOT.206_Getting Served • JEFBOT.207_ Dinner’s On Me • [...]
[...] I was thrilled with how you guys embraced the “Power of” storyline (which began with JEFBOT.204_Unhappy Meal and ended with the strip that inspired this wallpaper, JEFBOT.211_The Legend Begins. Anytime you [...]