Food School | Jade Armstrong

A twenty-something college dropout enrolls in a full-time outpatient program for eating disorder recovery. As they change their relationship with food, their relationships with people change, too. 

Olive's post-secondary education isn't what they'd planned. Instead of college, they spend five days a week, eight hours a day at what Olive calls "Food School": a full-time outpatient program for eating disorder recovery where they learn, talk, and cry about eating disorders as part of a survivor support group. 

Intensely committed to recovery, Olive confronts the secretive, self-destructive, and sometimes tragically comedic nature of their illness, while struggling with the complexities of modern mental health care. With support and perspective from their roommate, a fellow patient, and their partner, Olive learns to open up about their abusive relationship with food and exercise—and finds ways to cope with the reality of living in a society that actively encourages disordered eating. 

In this fictional slice of life comic, Jade Armstrong (Scout Is Not a Band Kid) explores the ways our relationships with food impact our connections with the people we love.

About the Author

Jade Armstrong is a non-binary cartoonist who was raised in Almonte, Ontario. They studied animation in the Greater Toronto Area and worked as a background painter for a number of years. They are a member of the comics collective Hello Boyfriend, where they work with their friends creating more zines and short comics. Scout Is Not a Band Kid is Jade's debut graphic novel. You can find them online at @jelajade.