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"To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story originally written by Damon Knight, later adapted for use as a Twilight Zone episode. See also To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone). The story involves helpful alien emissaries, the telepathic Kanamits, giving mankind all the necessary tools to survive and to end wars and famine. As a futher token of friendship they even freely transport humans to their paradise-like planet. The aliens accidentally leave behind a book. A United Nations official (Mr. Chambers) and his staff take their time in deciphering the book. Eventually they are able to translate the title as "To Serve Man,". Mister Chambers signs up for a flight to the alien home world, as he climbs on board the ship for the trip, his assistant yells to him not to get on: "It's a Cookbook!" The irony of the story is instead of 'serving man' by providing for his needs, the aliens were literally 'serving man' as a meal on their home planet. The episode served as the inspiration for the survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 to consume the bodies of their dead comrades until they were eventually rescued. It was also parodied in an episode of The Simpsons during one of their "Treehouse of horror" halloween episodes, Hungry are the Damned. It is also mentioned in Spooky Castle as a cookbook in the cooking section of the level "The Library", and as 'To Serve Lemur' in DreamWorks' Madagascar.
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