Before there were smartphones and iPads, we used to read cereal boxes while we were eating — and we loved it.

This, I assume, is the driving principle behind a bunch of new paper products at your local Chipotle, which will feature short pieces by authors including Michael Lewis, Toni Morrison and George Saunders. The idea is the spawn of Jonathan Safran Foer who “was sitting at a Chipotle one day, when he realized that he had nothing to do while noshing on his burrito. He had neglected to bring a book or magazine, and he didn’t yet own a smartphone. ‘I really just wanted to die with frustration.'”

Out of this horrible experience was born the idea for something interesting on the cups. And rather than proposing that the next edition of McSweeney’s be published as a sleeve of paper cups, Safran Foer emailed Steve Ells, Chipotle’s CEO. Read the full history here.

I wish I could say something smart-alecky about this like it’s a dumb idea, but it’s actually a really cool idea.  And this is not the first cool, quick art that Chipotle has been party to.

Go stuff your face and stuff your brain at the same time.

– Michael Moats