I don’t normally write tie-in fiction, or fan fiction for that matter, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. A recent meeting of the St. Charles Writers Group, sponsored by the St. Charles Public Library in St. Charles, IL, focused on food writing and writing about food memories. I took a “non-standard” approach and wrote a piece of fan fiction about a memory I had of a classic Twilight Zone food episode. I hope you enjoy the short vignette.
And I compiled several fiction and non-fiction writing pieces involving food into Volume II of the 2023 SF Adventures Souvenir Booklet Series.
You can download your copy here: SF The Food Edition
[Click the link and then check your Download folder. Print in Portrait, Two-sided select the Booklet option, and it’ll print out as a nice 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 booklet, complete with cover. Depending on your printer or your smartphone, the PDF may not be printable in booklet form from your phone and will be produced in portrait mode.]
Now, to the next adventure –
Planetary Cuisine*
I am beyond ecstatic to be heading home to Kanamit. These humans have exhausted me. Not quite like cattle, but gullible, oblivious, and self-absorbed.
Their arrogance made it easy for us to be accepted. Of course, they’d believe an advanced species would travel light-years to rehabilitate their miserable, insignificant planet, and end wars and famine for them. Why wouldn’t we want to apply our technological advances to spread plenty and abundance across the rock they seemed bent on destroying? And certainly, we’d “pay the freight”, to use an Earth saying, to have them visit our home.
On the other hand, it did make it easier, not having to transport the humans to our collection sites; all eager to board the ships for the trip to our world.
A knock at my door. Ah—that must be dinner. I’m looking forward to what the chef has concocted.
“Come in. The hatch is unlocked.”
My adjutant enters, and yes, indeed, he has brought dinner.
“That is a remarkable new aroma, Kiel.”
“It’s an Earth recipe, Ambassador Kiel—barbecue. This particular offering is from a place they call Texas. But the chef tells me different regions have different recipes. Each group is very proud of their local fare and touts it as the best barbecue.”
I share a smirk with Kiel. “How very human of them.”
I taste the succulent flesh; the savory, smokey flavor is lovely, and the meat is tender and juicy. Absolutely the best meal I’ve had since we arrived.
“This is fabulous, Kiel. I must get the recipe. My wife would just love this.”
“You’re in luck, Ambassador. Chef Kiel has collected all the regional recipes into a new cookbook he’ll be publishing: To Serve Man: Southern Style.”
*Planetary Cuisine is a respectful homage to one of the most memorable, and one of my favorite, episodes of The Twilight Zone. The original episode aired on March 2, 1962 (According to IMDB) and starred the well-known actor Richard Kiel in all three parts as the Kanamit (The Ambassador, the Kanamit weighing in the passengers, and the attendant delivering the narrator’s dinner.)