def serializer(key, value_and_flags):
  """ Converts a value passed to pymemcache to one that memcached understands.

  Args:
    key: A bytestring specifying the encoded memcached key.
    value_and_flags: A tuple in the form of (value: bytestring, flags: int).
  Returns:
    A tuple in the form of (value: bytestring, flags: int).
  """
  return value_and_flags[0], value_and_flags[1]