Green, a short story

An off-world trader and a green civil rights activist walk into a trendy restaurant on a desert planet...This unusual and provocative short story by Sara Zaske was shortlisted for The Reader's 2012 Short Story competition.After a war that nearly wipes everyone out, famine becomes the biggest problem as the toxic aftermath won't allow any growth. All of the plants and animals are nearly gone and people are dwindling. Then scientist come through by setting up farms in the vacant skyscrapers, using artificial sunlight and a sophisticated watering system. This story focuses on the regular schlubs that guard the farm. The only reason that the people that remained survived the famine was because they had slow metabolisms. The remaining society consists of former fatties. Not survival of the fittest, the narrator points out, but survival of the fattest. The two friends get themselves into a bind when one of them is challenged to an honor duel by a mutant.