Would You Like Some Soda To Go With That Story?

I love everything about the news that Chipotle cups will now come adorned with fiction by Jonathan Safran Foer, Toni Morrison, George Saunders, and others of their literary ilk. Chipotle is already manna from the heavens — my go-to order is a veggie bowl with black beans, which comes with guacamole, is filling and delicious and, in Brooklyn, for whatever reason, remains slightly cheaper than Manhattan — so now it will provide physical and spiritual sustenance. Give Chipotle a Genius grant! Hell, give ’em a Nobel Peace Prize.

The company put the vegan but apparently pro-Chipo’ JSF in charge of the endeavor, since the Eureka! moment was his:

Chipotle refrained from meddling in the editorial process for the duration of the initiative, which the burrito chain has branded Cultivating Thought. “I selected the writers, and insofar as there was any editing, I did it,” Foer said. “I tried to put together a somewhat eclectic group, in terms of styles. I wanted some that were essayistic, some fiction, some things that were funny, and somewhat thought provoking.”

I don’t usually order a Diet Coke at Chipotle even if I want one, because that knocks me over the $10 mark and for atavistic reasons my brain rebels at spending $10+ for lunch. But to get a story, I will probably shell out the extra buck or two for the drink. What about you? Charmed by this coming together of literary and culinary worlds, or disgusted that you cannot even eat lunch without Malcolm Gladwell getting in the way?

Also, Chipotle, if you’re interested in a starting a Literary Residency, I would be ALL IN.

.gif via Vanity Fair

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