To Serve Man (and Woman)
The book was called To Serve Man.
It was a cookbook.
We told our Yrganian hosts that humans was preferable, but even aliens like obscure cultural references.
The Yrganians were hospitable, but since most of their food would kill us instantly, they meticulously compiled a list of non-lethal foods and created recipes.
I was trying to make stew. I studied the book and took down a spice. My Yrganian sous-chef touched my arm.
“That one . . . will change your . . . DNA,” she said through the translator. “Try this. It will not turn you into a parasitic spore dispenser . . . and it is yummy.”
The obscure cultural reference
Note: this week’s photo prompt was a picture of a Korean food stall and it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of eating this kind of food. I thought of writing something Korea but this is the story that came out of my head.
The Green-Walled Treehouse 
I expect they realised, you are what you eat.
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My husband mentions that book about once a year. You captured the creepiness very well.
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I like your intellectualized euphemism at the end. Are you talking about the Twilight Zone book?
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Fascinating including the sci fi link.
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Great story, lots of fun 🙂
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Cleverly done.
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Slam dunk. When I first started to correspond with you, I thought you were Korean. I love the photo.
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I loved this sci-fi story. Very clever!
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Thanks, Brenda! Glad you liked it.
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So long as it tastes good! 🙂
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Dear David,
Of course I went right there with the title. “It’s a cookbook!” But then I’m an old TZ geek. Nice little twist on an old favorite. My comment is submitted for your approval. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Twilight Zone was a gem, as evidenced that’s it’s still as enticing now as then. The impact of it on popular media can’t be overstated.
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