Help us find this specific smutty story
June 28, 2011 3:11 PM Subscribe
My partner was telling me about a fascinating bit of erotica he read sometime within the past 15 or so years about a society where it was acceptable to have sex in the open, but eating was something shameful you did in private. He can't remember who wrote it or where he read it, though; can you help us find it?
There's a Stanislaw Lem story with this premise in either Imaginary Magnitudes or A Perfect Vacuum, which are both collections of reviews of fictional books.
posted by chrchr at 3:36 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by chrchr at 3:36 PM on June 28, 2011
Oddly enough, I read a screenplay to that story written by one of my oldest brother's closest friends. It was written about 1983. The teen eating scene was hilarious.
posted by plinth at 4:19 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by plinth at 4:19 PM on June 28, 2011
Since others mentioned Star Trek, I feel I should also suggest The Phantom of Liberty, wherein people defecate together in public and individually retreat to a private room for meals.
posted by milk white peacock at 4:29 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by milk white peacock at 4:29 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I'm fairly certain it's not Star Trek fanfic or fanfic of any sort. More likely it was part of an anthology of erotica.
posted by rhiannonstone at 4:34 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by rhiannonstone at 4:34 PM on June 28, 2011
I suspect he might be talking about this bit of Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions", just remembering it a little wrongly.
posted by Missiles K. Monster at 4:36 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Missiles K. Monster at 4:36 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
It's hardly erotica, but Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land has this as a minor plot point too.
posted by ook at 4:38 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by ook at 4:38 PM on June 28, 2011
^^^ What Missiles said above. I was going to post the same link to the same excerpted fictional Kilgore Trout story.
posted by mosk at 4:39 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by mosk at 4:39 PM on June 28, 2011
There's a short story called "The Lizard of Ooze" [PDF] that uses that trope with eating/defecating. Eating in public is taboo, while pottying is a social event.
posted by reverend cuttle at 4:46 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by reverend cuttle at 4:46 PM on June 28, 2011
Yeah, this instantly reminded me of Buñuel's "The Phantom of Liberty", as milk white peacock mentioned.
posted by Decani at 4:50 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by Decani at 4:50 PM on June 28, 2011
ringu0: "Richard Matheson, "The Foodlegger"?"
That's the story I thought of, it's also known as "F---".
posted by octothorpe at 4:51 PM on June 28, 2011
That's the story I thought of, it's also known as "F---".
posted by octothorpe at 4:51 PM on June 28, 2011
Seconding ook's "Stranger in a Strange Land" suggestion.
posted by easily confused at 5:18 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by easily confused at 5:18 PM on June 28, 2011
I'm certain I've read this and that it has not been identified yet.
posted by Benjy at 5:24 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Benjy at 5:24 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
I also remember this. Everyone wore scarves over their mouths (even if they were otherwise naked) in public.
posted by Wossname at 5:30 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by Wossname at 5:30 PM on June 28, 2011
In Heinlein's "Space Cadet", the Venusians eat in private, and while the human protagonists are on Venus they do, too.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:38 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:38 PM on June 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yep, it is indeed Heinlein, but --- as Chocolate Pickle says --- its "Space Cadet", not "Stranger in a Strange Land". (See 'water bladders' or 'syrup bladders')
posted by easily confused at 5:43 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by easily confused at 5:43 PM on June 28, 2011
2000AD, ABC Warriors, Khronicles of Khaos? The Froyd act out violent and sexual fantasies in their sleep, the Phooka vomit on people as a sign of welcome, but treat eating as a private matter and do it in gender-specific stalls.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:56 PM on June 28, 2011
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:56 PM on June 28, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, Benjy and shaun! He says that's the one. And thanks to the rest of you for giving me some very interesting reading material...
posted by rhiannonstone at 10:20 AM on June 30, 2011
posted by rhiannonstone at 10:20 AM on June 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo at 3:27 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]