To Serve Man 2989195 223600261 2008-07-04T20:40:56Z George100 1032465 /* References*/ new section "'''To Serve Man'''" is a science fiction [[short story]] written by [[Damon Knight]], later adapted for use as [[To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)|an episode]] of the 1960s television series ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. In 2001, the story was awarded a Retro [[Hugo Award]] for the Best Short Story of 1951. == Synopsis == The story involves helpful alien emissaries, the pig-like Kanamit (singular Kanama), giving mankind all the necessary tools to survive and to end wars and famine. As a further token of friendship they even freely transport humans to their paradise-like planet. The aliens accidentally leave behind a book. A United Nations official from Russia named Grigori finds the book and via a Kanamit-English dictionary manages to decipher the book's title, ''How To Serve Man'', and first paragraph, which he explains to the narrator. The paragraph reveals the Kanamit's disquieting motives: ''How To Serve Man'' is a cookbook. == Appearance in other media == * The story was parodied in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' during the first "[[Treehouse of Horror]]" Halloween episode, [[Treehouse_of_horror#Hungry_are_the_Damned|Hungry are the Damned]]. * In ''[[Futurama]]'', the phrase is printed on an apron worn by [[Bender Bending Rodríguez|Bender]] in the episode [[My Three Suns]]. * It is also mentioned in ''[[Spooky Castle]]'' as a cookbook in the cooking section of the level "The Library". * The television show ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' also referenced the story, with Buffy's sister Dawn saying "I know! You never know what's coming, the stake is not the power, ''To Serve Man'' is a cookbook, I love you! Go away!". * In the television series ''[[Angel (TV series)|Angel]]'', [[Charles Gunn]] is heard exclaiming, "To serve man! It's To Serve Man all over again!" This remark followed the revelation that [[Jasmine (Angel)|Jasmine]], a [[goddess]] whose stated goal is to create a [[utopia]], is actually devouring humans in secret. * In [[Warcraft III]] if you click various times on a Troll Witch Doctor he screams "It's a cookbook! A COOKBOOK!" *On Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, when a nuclear bomb is about to explode, during a Presidential Party. Everyone runs around screaming, and a man grabs a woman and says "it's a cook book, it's a cook book!" while holding a book that says: 'To Serve Man'. That man is Lloyd Bochner, who was the main star in the Twilight Zone episode. * In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', ogre and troll enemies sometimes drop an item called "An Exotic Cookbook". If you read the cookbook, the title is "To Serve Man". * The story itself was later collected in "[[Bruce Coville|Bruce Coville's ]] Book of Aliens". * In the series ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' it is referenced in the episode [[Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense]]. While discussing a case, Frank Black mentions that a clue is left in a novel titled "To Serve Man" to which Peter Watts replies, "I hope you're not going to tell me it's a cookbook". * In the ''[[NewsRadio]]'' third season finale, a cookbook titled 'How To Serve Man' is given to the people of the station by Jimmy James. * In ''[[Madagascar (film)|Madagascar]]'', inside the plane where King Julian is holding a meeting. He says "Foosa!" and the meeting explodes into chaos. One lemur is shown holding a book called 'To Serve Lemur', shouting "It's a cook book, it's a cook book!" * In 2007, listener-supported radio station [[WFMU]] published a collection of recipes by the station's staff as a fund-raiser premium. The title of the book is "To Serve Man: A Musical Cookbook". * In the television show ''[[Married...With Children]]'' episode "Sofa So Good" Al can be heard over the phone in Wanker County yelling, "Peg, To Serve Man, it's a cookbook!" * The American deathgrind band [[Cattle Decapitation]] released an album in 2002 titled "To Serve Man." * In [[John Ringo]]'s first book, ''[[Legacy of the Aldenata|A Hymn Before Battle]]'',"To Serve Man" is mentioned as a classic example of aliens seeming to be benevolent, while in fact using humans for their own purposes. * [[George Scithers]], with the permission of (and due acknowledgment to) Damon Knight, has published a book-length work titled 'To Serve Man' which consists almost entirely of straightforward recipes for meat dishes, ostensibly intended to require "long pig" (human flesh) as their main ingredient. On legal advice, Scithers published the book under a pseudonym ("Karl Würf"), but he has made no secret of his authorship. The book was published by Wildside Press' in December 1979. ISBN 978-1880448823. * On the ''[[Cartoon Network]]'' program ''[[What-A-Cartoon! Show]]'' in a cartoon called ''Gramps'', when the title character (voice by [[Rob Paulsen]]) tells his grandchildren a story about how he saved the world from invading [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|aliens]] in his youth, a man (voiced by [[Charlie Adler]]) shows him the book saying ''To Serve Man'' and tells him that it is a cookbook, Gramps knocks him away saying "It's been done"! * According to a [[New York Times]] article from 1 April 2008, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/science/01patc.html?ref=science Inside the black budget]", an [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/03/31/science/0401-PATCH_2.html unofficial badge] of the [[509th Bomb Wing]] based in [[Roswell]], New Mexico, shows a space alien with huge eyes holding a stealth bomber near its mouth. The text reads "To Serve Man", while the caption below reads "Gustatus Similis Pullus" - [[dog Latin]] for "Tastes Like Chicken." * In [[List of Carmen Sandiego products#Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego?|Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego?]], the cookbook makes an appearance under a different name: ''Serving Mankind''. ==References== * {{imdb title|0734684|To Serve Man (1962)}} * {{cite book | last = Knight | first = Damon | authorlink = Damon Knight | coauthors = | title = The Best of Damon Knight | publisher = [[Pocket Books]] | date = 1976 | location = New York | isbn = 978-0671806996 }} [[Category:1950 short stories]] [[Category:Science fiction short stories]] [[Category:Hugo Award Winner for Best Short Story]] [[fr:Pour servir l'homme]]