Editing 2795: Glass-Topped Table

{{comic
| number    = 2795
| date      = June 28, 2023
| title     = Glass-Topped Table
| image     = glass_topped_table.png
| titletext = You can pour a drink into it while hosting a party, although it's a real pain to fit in the dishwasher afterward.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a play on the multiple meanings of the word 'glass'. "Glass-topped table" usually means the table top is made from the material glass, but in this comic the phrase further represents a table with a glass surface where surface has been "topped" with a drinking glass. Notably, the glass is part of the table top, merged with the regular glass surface so that the glass can not be lifted off the table. This would thus require the use of a straw to drink from it, or the lifting of the entire table. 

Furthermore, the otherwise normal-looking drinking glass looks like it has been placed over ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s83Wrnr5cAw or has 'walked' to]) the edge of the table and is about to fall off. This could make anyone unfamiliar with the table likely to automatically reach out for the glass to prevent what appears to be an imminent disaster. This could have unfortunate consequences, since the glass is not independently movable without shifting the entire table. Assuming the person does not hurt their hand or arm from the unexpected load as they take the strain through sheer reflex or by shattering the glass in the attempt, they may successfully move the glass ''and entire table'' to cause other things on/adjacent to the table to be toppled/struck sideways.

It is not certain if the advertisement for this item makes this configuration clear. By its name alone, buyers might expect to get an ordinary table with a glass surface, but few of them would be interested in buying one when they discover the extra glass attached{{citation needed}} and the caption says this is the least popular item in their furniture store. In a web-page/catalogue picture, the glass would just look like part of the scenic depiction presentation of the table, albeit a weird one. It is not unusual that a table in a commercial or an in-store display would feature glasses or other accessories artfully placed upon it, to give it a sense of scale and contextual use, but the dissonance of the 'carelessly' positioned glass would work against the usual advertising pressures employed. Anyone who still ordered the table, without establishing the true nature of its permanent feature, is also then likely to complain and negotiate a refund/replacement (negating whatever sales were actually made) and write bad reviews (discouraging others from even looking at the product).

The title text adds to this by saying it would be difficult to put the glass in a dishwasher, since you would need to bring the table with it. There are dishwashers [https://www.thekbzine.com/pages/13317/worlds_largest_dishwasher_unveiled/ big enough] to fit tables, but they are not for {{w|Kitchen Debate|regular households}}. And that won't make moving the table any easier. Cleaning the glass after a drink would thus have to be done by hand, and the water in the glass has to be sucked out, mopped up or drained by inverting the whole table (or entire top, if detachable) in a non-damaging way.

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows a square table with a glass surface. The glass surface is not clear enough to see through and may be located on top of an opaque surface. A drinking glass stands nearly half-way over the right edge of the table, so it looks like it is in 'danger' of falling. Apparently, however, it seems that this glass is merged with the glass surface of table, thus it cannot fall off or be removed. There is a caption below the panel:]
:The least popular item at my furniture store is probably the table with a decorative drinking glass built into the edge of the glass top.

{{comic discussion}}

<!-- Include any categories below this line. -->
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Puns]]