This falls into the category of unclassifiable. It's not quite a joke, and not quite a self-help book. It's not really a sticker book, and it's definitely not a novel of any sorts.
To be honest, I've no idea where this came from or what its intended purpose was. What I suspect is that my dad, in all his good intentions, saw that I had an interest in scratch-and-sniff stickers, and came across this book, most likely at the dump or someplace similar where items like this are meant to be discarded and thought to himself; "my son will love this," and voila, I became the owner of it.
That was a frequent occurrence. He would notice my interest in something and get me an item or items along the line of that thing I liked but yet somehow not quite right. Kind of like a Mexican knock-off of a Batman toy where his batman logo on his chest is just wrong somehow. Words can't describe what exactly is wrong but you know it is. Kind of like a "what's wrong with this picture" puzzle.
Anyway, I digress. The Ultimate Executive Lunch by Professor Tymus Munney (oh, right, I get it) is a book, I believe, for those looking to lose weight. It purports that by simply smelling the scents of your favorite dishes, that your senses take over and you no longer have to ingest them, thereby putting on weight. From the book:
The removal of the taste sensations cleverly avoids the act of swallowing—so no ingestion of calories, cholesterol, salt, triglycerides and the many other components of food which, in one way or another, experts tell you are harmful. You are left with the Olfactory sensations of food—the mouth watering fragrances that assail the nostrils and stimulate the anticipation of the pleasures to come. The masterstroke of The Ultimate Executive Lunch is that it stops right there. No chewing, no swallowing, no wondering if it's good for you. Simply a menu each day to titillate and satisfy your sense of smell. No timewasting at the restaurant or staff dining room. No hassle with who pays the bill. No time away from the important task of making money. Just sit at your desk and scratch the labels for each day's Menu.
…And then it does just that. Page after page of "meals" like Stockholm Succulence (a scratch and sniff sticker of a sliced pickle), Hawaii Hello! ("a freshly macerated tropical fruit nectar"), Mexicana Iceberg (a sticker of a shrimp), Entente Cordial (cheese). If this sounds weird…you should smell it. And no, it did nothing to my hunger. In fact, it just made me hungrier.
Oh, and if you think that it's just a cure for fatties looking to cut back, it appears to serve a purpose for drunks as well. There is a whole cocktail section. My favorite? The Friday Treat…which smells curiously like a vodka tonic. And again…just made me thirsty for one…
