“The veil between the Living and the Dead drew me in, guided my spirit, deposited me before the welcoming glow of--- I shit you not--- an In-N-Out Burger. Turns out the Afterlife? Where you go when you die? It's a Food Hall. There were good things to eat in every direction. Spirits strolled the streets with the lazy haze of tourists. They ate crepes in waxed paper; they licked swirls of ice cream. They chewed translucent strips of prosciutto folded inside newsprint cones. My stomach growled at the sights; it moaned at the smells. Garlic crisping in foaming slabs of butter. Crusty bread, still steaming from the oven. Glossy discs of chocolate melting over double boil. In the Hall, it was impossible to think about anything but food. Everywhere I looked, something beckoned. And as I passed a storefront--- a sweetshop, the candy arranged in the window like so many jewels--- the cravings won. Just one bite, I thought, and pulled open the door. Inside, on a marble counter, a black box appeared. Nestled inside were four perfect confections--- a sampler surprise. The aroma was decadent--- thick and bittersweet. I didn't even think before shoving one into my mouth. A gourmet peanut cup. Dark chocolate. Crunchy nut interior. Hard, thick outer shell. A bastardization, but enough to trigger a memory so strong I nearly dropped the box. Reese's. Everleigh. Halloween. The whole reason I was there.” HungerAfterlifeLittle SisterCrossing OverFood CourtReeses Book:Aftertaste Source: Aftertaste
“When you get to the Food Hall, you eat and you drink. You're starving by the time you arrive, so you pretty much stuff your face with everything. Pomegranate pips. Mushroom caps. Blood-red wine. Soda pop. Cinnabuns. Spicy Girl rolls. This thing you had once on vacation with your parents, at a bed-and-breakfast that hasn't been there for a decade. This other thing you couldn't have eaten while you were alive, even if you wanted to, because the restaurant that makes it won't open for years. That's the cool thing about the Food Hall. It serves, like, everything. Anything. Whatever you want. Whatever you feel. It's full of coffee shops and grocery stores and restaurants. There's bodegas and clam bakes and a whole island of cheese. Imagined places to hit up for imaginary meals. Carbon copies of your favorites from the Living world. It's endless. All-you-can-eat. Edible Eden, basically. And it's all there to feed you because that's the whole reason the Food Hall exists--- to nourish the spirits of the Afterlife. To help us get full so we can move On to our next lives.” HungerAfterlifeIn BetweenWandering SoulSmorgasbord Book:Aftertaste Source: Aftertaste