Deliciously dark! Enjoyed this one a lot. I'm a vegetarian, but even non-meat food has become pretty creepy lately. I'm trying to grow some of my own so I at least know what's in it, but it's harder than it looks!
Thanks 😁 I have a total brown thumb, so I could never grow my own food. Maybe one day I'll just be able to grow my own meat... insta-steak, full of chemically deliciousness!
Thanks, Justin! I can't pronounce most ingredients in packaged food today, so I'm sure there are lots of "trade secrets" we would rather not know about 😂
I used to work in a butcher store when I was in my early twenties. The butcher would grind up bone and cartilage with a bit of water and red dye in hamburger meat to make it weigh heavier and look good. Ugh, they're coming for us, Brian. Good read
My grandmother always insisted on picking out a piece of beef and WATCHING the butcher grind it. Everyone treated her like an unreasonable pain in the ass, but one suspects she'd witnessed such shenanigans in the past.
Coincidentally, I was listening to ELOs "Tightrope" while reading this! I enjoyed it, for some reason meat and cultivation reminded me of David Brin's Piecework.
Loved the premise and enjoy your writing Brian. Spent a portion of my career supporting food production. It frequently sucks when you know how something is made...
Thanks, Mark, I appreciate that! I had one food service job at TCBY when I was a teen. I couldn't eat frozen yogurt for a long time, so hopefully you weren't too scarred 😁
My mom worked in the fruit cannery and in the freezer plant for many years. She would NEVER serve frozen spinach or canned pears to us. She knew what went on in that food processing especially regarding the use of lye and the insalubrious inclusion of insects and spiders... and worse. Eeuuw! I like your story, Brian.
I eat mostly plant-based nowadays but eat most things if they are offered -- opportunarian -- still remember going to an integrated pork facility -- plant manager wanted me to know I was welcome to shop in the company store -- no thanks -- not interested in pork for a while but thanks sir -- the experience is mostly it doesn't matter what you eat -- unless you just eat whole foods and wash em good, industrial production of anything ruins stuff.
One of my favored memories was providing some automation for a company making machines to put those asinine cross-hatch markings on food if you are foolish enough to eat at Chili's or Applebee's -- it is fun to think a team of engineers and technicians working through making something look like it was grilled -- people order it because it comes with a free side and might go home thinking that chicken was TASTY. All kinda funny and really dumb.
My favorite experience didn't happen to me. One of my sons BRIEFLY worked at KFC -- he of course shared with us the adventure of making "mashed potatoes" in a sort of metal laundry tub and just waiting for them magically to thicken -- just absurd while people are thinking these must be a healthier choice than fries. All of it is funny if you don't dwell on it too much. I would imagine his experience with the phase change of matter is similar to your TCBY memories.
Thank you, Scott! I'm thinking of writing a piece where I go super deep into some world building and lore, but the right story hasn't jumped out at me yet. I would have a lot of fun with it.
Deliciously dark! Enjoyed this one a lot. I'm a vegetarian, but even non-meat food has become pretty creepy lately. I'm trying to grow some of my own so I at least know what's in it, but it's harder than it looks!
Thanks 😁 I have a total brown thumb, so I could never grow my own food. Maybe one day I'll just be able to grow my own meat... insta-steak, full of chemically deliciousness!
Eeek! The “trade secret” paragraph made my skin crawl a bit. Remind me in 30-40 years to not ask too many questions about the food I consume. 😄
Great story, Brian!
Thanks, Justin! I can't pronounce most ingredients in packaged food today, so I'm sure there are lots of "trade secrets" we would rather not know about 😂
Haha, so true. I didn’t know I’d wake up this morning and become a vegetarian! 🤣
😂😂😂
I agree. But I don't think we will have to wait that long.
I used to work in a butcher store when I was in my early twenties. The butcher would grind up bone and cartilage with a bit of water and red dye in hamburger meat to make it weigh heavier and look good. Ugh, they're coming for us, Brian. Good read
lol, that sounds disgusting and interesting at the same time! Nobody knows exactly what we're eating anymore. Thanks for reading and sharing!
My grandmother always insisted on picking out a piece of beef and WATCHING the butcher grind it. Everyone treated her like an unreasonable pain in the ass, but one suspects she'd witnessed such shenanigans in the past.
At this point, I wonder if what lands at the butcher is any better! They'll get deliveries from the lab instead of the farm 🤢
Ahh, the Machiavellian survival vs morals conundrum. I love how you tackled the concept! Reminds me a lot of Tender is the Flesh.
Thank you, Andrei! I'll need to pick up Tender is the Flesh and give it a read.
It is stellar. One of the best modern horror novels, though to even call it horror would be to cheapen it, as the book is so much more than scary.
Yes, in reading the synopsis and some of the reviews, it appears almost like it's modern gothic, with some horror. It's just the type I enjoy.
I guessed where this was going early on, but that took away none of the intrigue—love it!
Thank you, Sujan! There were definitely some hints that things weren't going in a good direction 😁
Coincidentally, I was listening to ELOs "Tightrope" while reading this! I enjoyed it, for some reason meat and cultivation reminded me of David Brin's Piecework.
Nothing like me responding a year late. Thanks, Alexander!
Loved the premise and enjoy your writing Brian. Spent a portion of my career supporting food production. It frequently sucks when you know how something is made...
Thanks, Mark, I appreciate that! I had one food service job at TCBY when I was a teen. I couldn't eat frozen yogurt for a long time, so hopefully you weren't too scarred 😁
My mom worked in the fruit cannery and in the freezer plant for many years. She would NEVER serve frozen spinach or canned pears to us. She knew what went on in that food processing especially regarding the use of lye and the insalubrious inclusion of insects and spiders... and worse. Eeuuw! I like your story, Brian.
Thank you, Sharron, and thanks for commenting with your experience!
I eat mostly plant-based nowadays but eat most things if they are offered -- opportunarian -- still remember going to an integrated pork facility -- plant manager wanted me to know I was welcome to shop in the company store -- no thanks -- not interested in pork for a while but thanks sir -- the experience is mostly it doesn't matter what you eat -- unless you just eat whole foods and wash em good, industrial production of anything ruins stuff.
One of my favored memories was providing some automation for a company making machines to put those asinine cross-hatch markings on food if you are foolish enough to eat at Chili's or Applebee's -- it is fun to think a team of engineers and technicians working through making something look like it was grilled -- people order it because it comes with a free side and might go home thinking that chicken was TASTY. All kinda funny and really dumb.
My favorite experience didn't happen to me. One of my sons BRIEFLY worked at KFC -- he of course shared with us the adventure of making "mashed potatoes" in a sort of metal laundry tub and just waiting for them magically to thicken -- just absurd while people are thinking these must be a healthier choice than fries. All of it is funny if you don't dwell on it too much. I would imagine his experience with the phase change of matter is similar to your TCBY memories.
I liked this story a lot. Made for a fast and intriguing read. Thank you for writing it. Rudolph Ferro, rferro0322@gmail.com
Thank you, Rudolph!
Great story Brian. I love the details you always include in your work.
Thank you, Scott! I'm thinking of writing a piece where I go super deep into some world building and lore, but the right story hasn't jumped out at me yet. I would have a lot of fun with it.