#162 - Shouldn’t Be A Problem
Monday, June 9th, 2008As of today Anders Loves Maria will be updated M-W-F.
While I do love doing this comic every day, it leaves me with very little time to do the “business” side of things and if I am going to continue with the comic I’m going to have to start making some money. It also becomes impossible if I or my children get sick. And I really hate not being able to deliver what I promise.
Have you seen the gorgeous and hilarious comic that crazy gal Beaton has done for me? I still have a very sore throat and now it is even sorer from laughing at this for as hard as I could.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
They are using knifes and forks to eat pizza ^_^ How Adorable. Also, welcome back Ms. Engstrom! We missed you!
June 9th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Long time no see!
Judging from the choise of drink - the Kukträsk Maria grew up in was the northern one…
June 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
kaiki: You really only can eat Swedish pizza with a fork and knife. It’s not sliced.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Yay! Welcome back Rene!!
June 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Nooooooooes! I demand my daily dose of Anders loevs Maria. Actually, I’m surprised you managed to update every single day for so long.
You’re nuts.
Also, I would have no problem giving you my moneys if you put up some merchandise for sale. I know I’m not the only one who thinks that.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Welcome back, Rene; I’m glad the flu/crud is mostly over for you. Also, I think the change to the three day a week setup seems really sensible. As much as I like getting ALM five times a week, I like getting ALM on a regular, sane schedule that doesn’t burn you out a lot more.
Also, we pretty much eat pizza with knife and fork here in Chicago too, so it is hardly a strange thing (of course, this is only for deep-dish, but that is The One True Pizza, so it’s a pretty big category).
June 9th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Trocadero is the only drinkable soda for me, a born Stockholmer, so, northern? IMO the ending of the name of the place (-träsk) is more of a hint of it being up north.
About the Swedish pizzas: they are often too thin to be able to be held even if you slice them, the toppings just keep falling off.
So what I do is eat the central part of the pizza with knife and fork and then the rest of the slices with my hands.
The fact that pizza places in Sweden usually makes one pizza per person may seem strange for Americans too. There are usually 40+ different kinds of pizza, and each is a dish, pizza isn’t usually served as buffet or the like, when you can have a slice of this and a slice of that.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I usually eat the sides first, sometimes with my hands, and I dip the crusts in bearnaisse sauce. The middle I sometimes eat, sometimes not. usually it’s too soggy for me or I am too full.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
That’s soo funny! Loads of female friends of mine also start with the sides. I (and most of my male friends) always leave the sides to last, and skip them if we get to full.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Well, to be honest, I think most pizza places use sub-par ingredients. They are almost never fresh. So to me, the best part of the pizza, with the least amount of grease and tinned ingredients, is the sides.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I seriously doubt that it’s health reasons that make the difference in how my male and female friends eat their pizzas. You may be right and you may be wrong… White bread isn’t all that healthy either.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
My last roomate uses to slize her pizza and then mash the pieces together two and two. Eating them like sandwiches. Looked interesting. I tried it and yes oh yes. Yummy! And easier to eat. =9
June 10th, 2008 at 12:06 am
If Bjorn is 27, that makes Maria 19 right? Although with the way she’s acting I’d guess more like 9…
June 10th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Oh! They started going out when Maria had just turned 15, and Tina said they were together for about 5 years. So it’s getting pretty close to when they break up, yes?
June 10th, 2008 at 12:08 am
So, where can we donate money? I’d like to.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Rene:
Hearing about how poor pizza is in Sweden is making me loath to move there. Eventually. One of the best things about the States is that, in certain places (east coast), they actually know how to make a pizza. I’ve heard horror stories about Swedish food.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Shannon: Should one feel inclined to donate, I do have a Paypal account: info(at)reneengstrom(dot)com. Just email me if you plan on donating some insane amount, because I would feel much better sending something of equal value in the way of art. But I certainly won’t say no to a donation, whatever the amount. Thank you.
Michael: Pizzas here can be Ok as long as you find the right place. Swedish food is awesome and you are crazy.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Good that you’re feeling better, being sick is most of all boring.
And more drama, yay!
June 10th, 2008 at 12:47 am
I’m 27 and I am too young for a kid too. I don’t want one EVER.
… and if I were a grandpa, my parents would have a serious talk with me for several reason o_O.
June 10th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I will always be too young for a kid XD
Love panel 9
She’s just so pissed XD
He’s OLD.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:55 am
mohsart: Health isn’t a factor, but taste is. Tinned mushrooms = disgusting, snotty slugs. Fresh pizza bread with basil, olive oil and bearnaisse sauce is awesome.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Björn’s old! D: Well no, not really.
I know people who eat pizza with forks and knives even here in New York. It’s a bit weird for me, though. I just fold it up and gobble it down.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:54 am
Feswork… if you’re a guy, then you need to be cloned. There needs to be more men that doesn’t want to have kids. I’m a 25-year-ol’ girl and I DON’T want to have kids EVER!! Far too many men around my age just wnt to marry and have kids. No way jose!
June 10th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Man it is always something with this crew.
Passin’ out, havin’ babies, choking or possibly havin’ heart attacks…I feel like this strip is just using all these medical problems to be edgy and confrontational. 
When I was a kid I NEVER ate the crust of the pizza. If I was given a single-serving sized pizza, there would be a perfect circle, unbroken save for a single point of entry, left on my plate when I was done.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Stop making me so hungry! I could go for some pizza right now. Deep dish or otherwise.
Also, panel 9 is good, but I love panel 10. That’s just about the most girlish choak fit/ heart attack I’ve seen in a while. Yah Bjorn! Keep up the grood work Rene! No one expects you to update every day. That’s madness! ‘Gads!
June 10th, 2008 at 8:10 am
i’m beginning to make up my own reasons for why maria hates tina. bjorn slept with tina when maria was pregnant, didn’t he?! HOHOHO. thanks for the long-needed update. been checking back everyday.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Deep Dish! Forks! Knives! New York is offended. We didn’t invent it for such maltreatment.
June 10th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I love how Bjorn starts out the conversation to try and talk her out of having the baby: “so we’d probably accidentally starve the kid to death. we’re so wacky!”
you make it. i’ll buy it.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:39 am
How old is Maria here?
June 10th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Maria is 19.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Hey, Dresden Codak updates, what, once every three weeks? I still read that. I’ll miss Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I won’t begrudge you them. I don’t think anyone ese will, either.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
@ Yanina -
Really? Hmm.. I guess I am a bit of a weird guy. I know a lot of people that are getting married my age though.
However, I don’t think that people need to have as many kids as they do. I mean, We have too many as it is! If I get a kid, I’d rather adopt. There are tons of kids without parents out there… no need to make more.
Also, on a side note, I’m still figuring out MY life… I don’t feel like putting it on hold for 20 years to help someone else to grow and figure their out too :/
June 10th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I’ve run out of comic! I hate catching up to comics, especially ones with plots like this ne, it means I have to wait for updates..boo
June 10th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I learned the One True Way of eating Swedish pizza from a neighbour: scissors.
Still, Swedish pizza-joint pizza is rarely worth eating at all.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:47 am
I know everyone seems to be loving the “Maria is pregnant and irrational” angle. but I’m waiting for someone to come along and put some sense in her that’s not Bjorn. I know it happens at some point but right now she wants to have the baby out of spite. I’m hoping Johan comes over and just lays it out for her at some point. “Look, you’re 19, poor, a student, and the father of the baby is 8 years older than you and doesn’t have a steady job. I’m not saying you won’t love the baby, but at this point in your life you’re not equipped for it. and I don’t want to be an uncle.”
June 11th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I’m sooo lost, what happened to anders? I though he and Maria were about to work things out.
June 11th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Swedish pizza? It certainly can’t be any worse than English. Or Italian for that matter.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Wow found this webcomic today and actually read all the way through. So first comment yay! Anyway, I’m a stickler for mysteries and twisted plots and jumping back and forth from past to present so you have to piece together the story is right up my alley.
So observation before I go, as I was reading this I noticed that very early on Maria tells Yumi that Anders doesn’t want *another* kid when she discovers she’s pregnant (again apparently). When I first saw that I thought it was typo or something… now I’m not so sure. I’m hooked Rene, this webcomic rules.
June 11th, 2008 at 8:08 am
NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA IS THE KING OF PIZZAS AND THE CRUST IS THE MOST DELICIOUS OF PIZZA PIE PARTS!! Aside from the delicious fresh pineapple chunks and real bacon bits. Canned pineapple is just heresy.
I think Maria is just really stressed out and overwhelmed. I always either panic or turn into an irrational bitch when I’m stressed! If it were me, I’d just want to be left the hell alone by everyone to not think about anything, and then I guess to think about everything. And pizza is a great soother of pains, you know. Or maybe Maria’s just coming to the realization that people are assholes??
PIZZA FIXES IT AAAAAAAALLLLL.
And Bjorn is totally exaggerating! He should just take some Pepto-Bismol. Or maybe he caught this damned flu. Is everyone in the world sick with this monster?? I’m finally not feeling like I have TB, and no one seems to know how to get projectile vomit stains out of drywall…
June 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
“i’ve called you all here into the accusing parlor, because someone…is a FATHER!…and that father…is in this very room!! Dun Dun Dun!”
I totally think Maria mystery lovers should start showing up, each claiming to be the real father. Every one should be more exciting than the previous, including outrageous pirate captains, astronauts, space aliens, voodoo witch-doctors, G.I Joes, circus performers, talking dinosaurs, ect, ect, ect…
then they should fight!
Also, where I live, girls are popping out kids like they were collectors edition. They usually range from 14-19 and if they know who the father is, he’s usually taken off to sell drugs in a different city…. yah….
Canada has its rough spots. Hamilton just happens to be more of a stain….
*tear*
June 11th, 2008 at 11:00 am
i strenuously object to the m-w-f schedule. neglect your family, let yr children starve, quit your day job - just give us our daily dose of anders and maria…!
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Swedish pizza is the king of all pizzas, this has been empirically proven several times over, so just stop arguing.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
A pizza place with a poster of Greece?!?
This cannot be a real pizza place!!!