As you know, A Hamburger Today rarely deviates from its burger content. Despite daily temptations to blog about other worthy topics, we remain relentlessly on-message here. So I'm glad to have this excuse to give a shout out to one of my favorite podcasts.

It's called Escape Pod, and, as you can tell from just a brief glance at its logo, it's a science-fiction podcast. Escape Pod is produced by Steve Eley, who puts together weekly doses of engaging and imaginative short stories, ultrashort stories, and reviews that you can listen to on your computer or MP3 player at your leisure. I discovered it on Boing Boing a short time ago and have been rocketing through its archives, nearly exhausting all the available audio to date. Mr. Eley is an astute and professional editor, and the stories he buys for the show—all authors are paid for their contributions—rarely fail to entertain me. And, unlike many podcasts, the audio quality is, with a few exceptions, high. (The episodes' audio quality is subject to, and varies with, the recording equipment used by various guest readers.)

I finally had a chance to listen to Escape Pod Episode 2, a reading of a story called "Feng Burger," by author John Aegard. What follows is an excerpt of the story from the Escape Pod site, but it doesn't begin to hint at the surprise ending. I already know you're a burger fan, but if you're also a science-fiction fan, you would do well to download the story and give it a listen.

The Chinese are particular about their designs, and for good reason. A design with good feng shui—one that satisfies the universe’s sense of metaphor—attracts chi, the energy that raises mountains and pushes rivers and draws good fortune near and keeps tax collectors far away. Whether by accident or design, no one can say, but the Burger Pods have potent feng shui. Where normal men would see nothing but gleaming stainless-steel cabinets and a charbroiling grill, a feng shui practitioner would see arms and hands, cradling the Burger Pod’s occupant and bathing her in chi.

Escape Pod rates this particular story PG—for "sexual innuendo, mild profanity, and food service employees slacking off." (Did I mention Mr. Eley has a good sense of humor, too?)

Feng Burger [escapepod.org]
Subcribe to Escape Pod [escapepod.org]