By Robert Walser (1878–1956), from Girlfriends, Ghosts, and Other Stories, a collection that will be published next month by NYRB Classics. Translated from the German by Tom Whalen.

Today I am discoursing on food, which is a necessity and at the same time can be a pleasure.

An apple at first seems to me a fine comestible, although I fear for a tooth when I bite into it. I prefer to eat it cooked rather than in its natural state.

Pears taste scrumptiously succulent. Nuts I handle with care, in that I chop them up fine in order to…