Jonathan Franzen Is Coming to a Burrito Bag Near You

Jonathan Safran Foer once had a dream to expand the literary palate of fast food enthusiasts and ever since authors have been lining up to do this allegedly well-paid gig.

This fall, Foer and Chipotle recruited Jonathan Franzen to write one of their illustrated essays that will be adorning their paper bags and cups. Franzen explains why he decided to sign on: “Honestly, Chipotle store credit was a decisive factor. Chipotle is my go-to fast food restaurant. I also admire its wish to be a good corporate citizen.” Now we know where to track him down with our questions about the symbolism in Purity.

Franzen’s featured “Two Minute Driving Lesson” has illustrations by Adam Hayes and takes a more or less obvious stab at restaurants and costumers who, unlike Chipotle, choose non-recyclable cups and packaging. Our world is based on short sight, Franzen claims, as he goes on to suggest that this is why Americans throw away sixty thousand paper cups every two minutes, simultaneously making the present easy and the future dark and complicated.

Other titles in this batch of essays include M.T. Anderson’s “Two-Minute Romance” and Laura Hillenbrand’s “Two-Minute Ode to Chocolate.” The other writers contributing this time around are Mary Roach, Laura Esquivel, Lois Lowry, Tom Perrotta, Sue Monk Kidd, Anthony Doerr and Stephen J. Dubner. All of the stories are available online here.