Interview of Jason Gluskin, food cartoonist, by Jacob David.

Jason Gluskin, the newest food critic, actually cartoonist, has something new to say. Nope, not snobby, boring old articles, frowning upon how you tip your glass to drink wine, which angle is right, or how you didn't use the soup spoon for the soup.

And the other day, I saw two wine critics arguing over the texture of cork that lids the wine bottle. Get over it. It's just a cork. People should have better things to do with their time. And Jason Gluskin has certainly managed that. It is through his creation - the Munchies cartoon.

The Munchies characters are lively and entertaining. And they seriously have something to say in each strip, albeit in a humorous way. From Food to dabbling in Politics, these characters are a hoot. I asked Jason if he'd agree to an interview. And he graciously consented. 

Jason Gluskin, cartoonist, with his golden retreiver, Chewbacca.

 

Jacob: Thankyou Jason Gluskin for agreeing to do this interview.

 

Jason: You're welcome, Jacob.

 

Jacob: Jason, how did you come upon this idea for such a cartoon, talking fruits and vegetables?

 

Jason: The summer after I graduated college I had a temp job that entailed answering a phone that rang 4 times in 3 weeks.  This left much time for the brain to wander. I was eating pasta for lunch and thought what if there was a noodle who had some mindless job like I do. I created a 10 page graphic novel called Spaghetti and Meatballs. A few years later a wise man suggested I shoot for a strip. There has been much evolution to the current form of The Munchies.

 

Jacob: How many characters and what are they named?

 

Jason: There are four main characters whom embody the attributes of their food type: Peaty Pea-Pod (sweet, vulnerable) Oogie Onion (nasty, stinky) Barry Banana (Alpha male, soft in the head) The Pines (a pineapple: edgy, wild)

 

 

 

Jacob: So tell us, which character popped out first onto the paper? Do you remember?

 

Jason: Peaty Pea Pod. Its easy to draw a pea. Just one little circle.

 

Jacob: I personally think your cartoon the Munchies is cool. I like Barry the Banana. Which character is your personal favorite?

 

Jason:  I like the bullion cube. Just kidding. Peaty and The Pines are really pieces of my personality. But, the Pines is much cooler. He wants to be a rock star and artist, but is confident and socially / politically aware. That's more than you can say for most exotic fruits. 

 

Jacob: Who do you think will be the main audience, age group wise, for this cartoon?

 

Jason: I think The Munchies  will find its own audience.  Visually it appeals to kids but I’d like to think the writing is a bit more sophisticated. I’m shooting for Ziggy meets Hemingway.

 

Jacob: I see you have a following for your cartoon. Any idea how many? Any in Houston?

 

Jason: I’m not sure of the numbers. I’m in about four papers, am signed with Full Tilt Features (a web syndicate) and have a cookbook series coming out. My website gets some good traffic. Munchies is a popular Google.

 

Jacob: I saw some famous personalities write short one line reviews for your cartoon? Can you list some of those famous personalities and what they say about Munchies?

 

Jason: Oh yeah … Rush Limbaugh and Gene Simmons… we go way back.

 

Jacob: Have you had fans contacting you about Munchies? Have they suggested ideas for the cartoon?

 

Jason: People threaten me on a regular basis. Usually, about the immorality of a punk-rock pineapple.

 

Jacob: Have you been to arts school? How did you develop a flair for drawing funny stuff? This question is for those aspiring cartoonists out there in Houston.

 

Jason: I’ve always been drawing. I minored in art at in college and majored in business/marketing. My day job seems to be paying the bills until I get rich drawing silly cartoons all day.

 

Jacob: So how did you come up with the name Munchies? Tell us about that in detail. Is it after the saying, "I've got the munchies" (I'm feeling hungry, or I want to snack)

 

Jason: Um. No comment.

 

Jacob: What type of topics have you covered so far besides food and politics?

 

Jason: They are really themes based on my observations of society. Aspiration vs. Laziness, Capitalism vs. Socialism, Whole Milk vs. Soy.

 

Jacob: Tell us about your website and what one can expect there in brief please?

 

Jason: The website has a full archive as well as The Munchies panels, which people like a lot.  Also I have a lot of other artwork I have done up there on, no food related. Plus you can preview the cookbook series I’m working on.

 

Jacob: Thankyou for agreeing to do this interview. Do you have any final words to say about the Munchies?  What can we expect them to do? Do you have plans for them?

 

Jason: They have the same preservatives as SPAM. Should be around a while…

 

 

Jacob:Thankyou Jason,

 

Jason:Thankyou Jacob.