I’ve noticed a number of bloggers linking recently to the amusing McSweeney’s article “Selections from H. P. Lovecraft’s Brief Tenure as a Whitman’s Sampler Copywriter,” but I prefer the magazine’s piece that spoofs my favorite Raymond Carver short story, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.”

Check out “What We Talk About When We Talk About Mad-Cow Disease,” by Steve Lohse:

Dan, Cheryl, and Clare were all vegetarians once but not anymore. We were having a barbecue. Dan and I were standing by the grill while Cheryl and my wife, Clare, were up on the patio, talking.

“The only thing that makes me sad about veal is when it’s overcooked,” I said. I was trying hard to be funny.