Pepperoni by Donald Barthelme

Now I'm getting hungry.

Even when Donald Barthelme misses the mark and presents a less-than-stellar short story, their brevity usually prevents me from feeling completely disappointed. That's the beauty and of the short-story form. You can spend a brief amount of time engaging with the text, anticipating that it will leave some kind of an impression, evoke a certain emotion or enrich your life in some way. If it fails to do so, you simply shrug it off and move on to the next one. If anything, I'm more let down that a story called "Pepperoni" has nothing to do with pizza. It appears once in passing in relation to an article being published by a successful newspaper and media conglomerate. In a snapshot overview, the author presents random details and silly anecdotes concerning the company's management structure. While it's possible he aims to impart a blend of humor and profundity about capitalism or bureaucracy, the attempt feels somewhat superficial. My impression is that this story served as a mere warm-up exercise for the author, akin to cracking one's knuckles, before turning his attention to more substantial literary endeavors.