Slowly, the tiny alien approached the dish, hovering without a sound, ready to pounce

The thing about meat is this: if you know it’s meat but you don’t know exactly what kind of meat, you’re still assured that it’s meat, and you know it’s meat.

No one knows what this is right away. Gradually, your eyes adjust, and think: peppers? Asparagus. With a coating of Lemon Pledge.