To Serve Man - February 9, 2007

If there's one taboo common to all human cultures, it's cannibalism. Yet, since the dawn of recorded time (and before), anthropophagy has been both practiced discreetly and used openly to smear one's enemies.  There just seems to be something in the idea that whets people's appetites. From Shakespeare to Monty Python, we can't get our fill of cannibalism. There are even two musicals about it.  What student hasn't made a restaurant reservation for "Donner: party of five" or joked about a distasteful side-dish being composed of Soylent Green? And who could forget America's favorite cannibal, that gruesome gourmet Hannibal Lecter?  There's enough curiosity about "long pig" that not only did an enterprising reporter roast some up (it tastes like veal, apparently), but also a hoaxster tried to market tofu-based "hufu."  One thing's for sure. If you receive a book called To Serve Man, run for the hills. Suggested Sites... Cannibalism -- the Ultimate Taboo -- Is Surprisingly Common - Anthropophagy: It's What's Not Not for Breakfast Anymore. Wikipedia: Cannibalism - everything about cannibalism, from the Bible to the 21st century. Cannibalism: A History of  People Who Eat People - a big-picture look at the practice. Hannibal Lecter Biography - just how in the world did he get his peculiar tastes? Wikipedia: To Serve Man - "It's a cookbook! It's a cookbook!"