2013-05-02
Explanation
This single-panel comic shows a man dressed in elaborate royal attire -- a crown, fur-trimmed robe -- imperiously commanding, "Bring me the mingled blood of a thousand forest dwellers!" The caption below simply reads: "I am no longer welcome at Waffle House."
The humor comes from the extreme contrast between the grandiose, medieval-tyrant demand and the utterly mundane setting of Waffle House, a budget American diner chain known for its no-frills atmosphere and 24-hour breakfast service. The joke works because "the mingled blood of a thousand forest dwellers" could, in a very generous interpretation, describe maple syrup (sap from maple trees, which are "forest dwellers"). The man has apparently shown up to a Waffle House dressed as a king and ordered his syrup in the most theatrically menacing way possible. The deadpan caption confirms that this behavior was, unsurprisingly, not well received. The comedy relies on the absurd juxtaposition of regal pomp with the most down-to-earth dining establishment imaginable.