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This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #1: Restricted Title: xkcd 1xxx

On your way to your usual taco1 stand, you notice a new place just opened, taking their menu to gloss over it later. But once you get back home from your adventures2, you notice the menu is incomplete! You curse and hex whatever compelled you to take that one menu instead of any other, but after calming down, you realize there might be a way to know what's missing...

$$ \begin{array}{|c|} \hline \\ \huge\mathbf{The\ Puzzling\ Delight}\\ \\ \small\mathit{The\ food\ contains\ additives\ and\ may\ show\ signs\ of\ resistance} \\ \\ \hline \\ \\ Garlic\ cloves \ on \ their \ blueberry \ bed \\ \\ Lavender\ and\ grape\ compote \ with \ chocolate \ delight \\ \\ Roasted\ smurf\ and\ its\ lime\ swirl \\ \\ Orange\ and\ tangerine\ duo\ with\ lemon\ and\ cranberry\ sauce \\ \\ Banana\ slices\ on\ their\ snow\ pillow \\ \\ Slice\ of\ strawberry\ pie,\ watermelon\ cubes\ and\ zucchini\ juice \\ \\ Also\ try\ our\ dessert\ of\ the\ week: \\ \\ \hline \end{array} $$

What is the missing dish?

1: or any other nondescript junk food you enjoy
2: Anything can happen, anything

Hints:

As the name of the puzzle suggests, the food is only there for show, but the name of the food can also be the name of their color.

"The food contains additives and may show signs of resistance", this flavor text hints to two mechanics of the puzzle regarding the dishes and their color.

After getting a number for each dish, look at the story text, a hint towards what to do next is hiding in there...

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  • $\begingroup$ (I've gotten past the obvious step, but I'm having trouble finding the next...) $\endgroup$
    – oAlt
    Jul 18, 2022 at 11:43
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    $\begingroup$ Not sure if you would be willing to answer this but rot13(jung pbybe ner gur tencrf? Bayl nfxvat orpnhfr gurer'f gjb pbzzba pbybef sbe gurz). Unless that's something we should figure out for ourselves... $\endgroup$
    – kaitlynmm569
    Jul 18, 2022 at 12:53
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    $\begingroup$ I think you can figure it out, but if you really need help it'll be posted as a hint tomorrow (about 19 hours from now) $\endgroup$
    – Auribouros
    Jul 18, 2022 at 13:06
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    $\begingroup$ @ArturoVialArqueros Technically, you're not just anagramming the last four, the first ones just remain the same after anagramming ;) I think it's worth an answer! $\endgroup$
    – xyldke
    Jul 21, 2022 at 6:44
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    $\begingroup$ Although the third hint makes me doubt your letters $\endgroup$
    – xyldke
    Jul 21, 2022 at 9:18

1 Answer 1

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I believe that the dessert of the week is:

Cotton Candy! EDIT: not Chantilly (cake) as my earlier mistake suggested

This is because we have six menu items, and for each one we:

Take the color of each food in order and translate it to a digit from a resistor color code chart. ("resistance"). This gives us 9,6 / 7,7,1 / 6,5 / 3,3,4,2 / 4,9 / 2,2,5

Next, we:

Add the numbers together to get a single digit for each menu item ("additives") This gives us: 15, 15, 11, 12, 13, 9

Next, we:

convert each line to a hex digit ("curse and hex") This gives us: FFBCD9 (EDIT: not EEBCD9 as previously posted)

Next, we:

see what web color that hex value relates to, which is Cotton Candy!

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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Nice one! I got to the hex string but didn't think of checking if it would be a color. $\endgroup$
    – Arturo Vial Arqueros
    Jul 21, 2022 at 19:03
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    $\begingroup$ You have everything needed, but you made a small mistake, check the qrpvzny gb urk pbairefvba again, and change accordingly :) $\endgroup$
    – Auribouros
    Jul 21, 2022 at 21:01
  • $\begingroup$ Ha! Well, that's embarrassing, given I did that part in my head. Ok, answer updated! $\endgroup$
    – MetaZen
    Jul 21, 2022 at 21:48
  • $\begingroup$ For additional "lore", it also seems to be Randall's favorite $\endgroup$
    – Auribouros
    Jul 22, 2022 at 9:28

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