Food as Metaphor
6 min readThe Daoist philosopher Laozi，who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period（770-476 BC），said，”One should govern a large country as one would cook a small fish-very gently.”If the fire is not correctly regulated，the fish will be burned；if the government is not correctly regulated，the country will become unstable.China’s ancient classics contain many such examples of the use of food metaphors to illustrate political，social，and philosophical principles.
Ancient Chinese writings record the story”Yi Yin takes up the ding and advises the Emperor Tang.”Yi Yin（dates of birth and death unknown），an eminent prime minister of the Shang Dynasty（c.1600-1046 BC），was a famous chef before entering government service.Yi Yin referred to principles of cooking when advising the emperor on matters of state.According to Yi Yin，many kinds of food，such as fish and mutton，have a strong and objectionable odor when raw.But with the appropriate blend of water，fire，and the Five Flavors，they can be transformed into delicious dishes.This subtle process requires close attention to every aspect of cooking，including heat，cooking time，seasonings，and theorder in which ingredients are added.Similarly，the subtle process of ruling a country requires the appropriate blend of policy，and close attention to social and economic conditions and opportunities.
The achievements of outstanding politicians，like those of brilliant chefs，reflect their mastery of their respective transformative arts.
Ancient China philosophers made extensive use of food metaphors to explain the subtleties of government.Lunyu（The Analects），the collected teachings of Confucius，contains 41 uses of the word heng（politics or government）and 41 uses of the word shi（food or grain）.Furthermore，these two words often appear together.In one passage，the Duke of Qi，one of the feudal states of the Spring and Autumn Period（770-476 BC），asks Confucius for his counsel on government.Confucius replies that the ruler must act as ruler and the official as official；the father must act as father and the son as son.
The Duke agrees，saying that if all members of society were not to act in accordance with their positions，even if he still received his grain，how could he bear to eat it？（The Analects，Book XII Chapter Yanzi，another famous philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period，compared the relationship between ministers and their ruler to the process of cooking a dish.Cooking a fish，for instance，requires fire and water as well as the proper blend of vinegar，soy sauce，salt，and plum.If any of the seasonings are insufficient or excessive，it is up to the cook to make the necessary adjustments in order to produce a harmonious and delicious result.Similarly，harmonious government requires the proper blend of policy.If a ruler approves policy that is flawed or rejects policy that is sound，it is up to the ministers to make the necessary adjustments.If ministers were to blindly follow their ruler’s decisions，it would be like boiling a fish in plain water.Who would want to eat it？If ministers do not season their ruler’s policies，how can there be good government？
Confucius often mentioned food when discoursing on standards of ethical behavior.He said，”A scholar，whose mind is set on truth，and who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food，is not fit to bediscoursed with.”（The Analects，Book IV Chapter I，translation by James Legge.）Confucius’s favorite student was Yan Hui（521-481 BC）.He praised Yan Hui，saying，”Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui！With a single bamboo dish of rice，a single gourd dish of drink，and living in his mean narrow lane，while others could not have endured the distress，he did not allow his joy to be affected by it.
Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui！”（The Analects，Book I Chapter IX，translation by James Legge.）China’s ancient philosophers also used food as a metaphor for the process of literary creation.It was said that a writer’s ideas are like grains of uncooked rice.When the grains are boiled into porridge that is prose；when they are fermented into wine，that is poetry.Porridge can fill the belly，but wine can intoxicate the spirit.
The ancient classics also link food and music.It is recorded that when Confucius visited the State of Qi and heard the perfection of the ancient music known as Shao，he was so moved that he had no appetite for meat for three months.
History records many stories concerning food and famous people.
MengChang jun（dates of birth and death unknown），a minister of the State of Qi during the Warring States Period（475-221 BC），was known for supporting thousands of followers known as shike（food guests）in his household.These people were wined and dined and given free lodging in return for their services，which ranged from birdcall imitations to cat burglery，and were always on hand to come to Meng Changjun’s aid in times of need.
Detail of Qingming Shanghe Tu
（Riverside on the Festival of Clear Brightness），by Zhang Zeduan（dates of birth and death unknown）；Song Dynasty（960-1276AD）Han Xin（？-196 BC）was the supreme military commander during the founding of the Han Dynasty（202BC-220AD）.History records that during Han Xin’s youth，when he was destitute and starving，awasherwoman once gave him a bowl of rice.Years later after he rose to power，he located her and rewarded her with 1000 liang of gold to repay her kindness.
Li Si（？-208 BC）served as prime minister under Qinshihuang，the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty（221-207 BC）.Li Si related that in his youth，he often saw dirty and bedraggled mice in public latrines，living by eating filth and fleeing in terror whenever people or dogs approached.Later，early in his career，Li Si worked in the imperial granary.Here he saw mice living in comfort，eating the best grain and with no people or dogs to threaten them.Their fur was thick and shiny，and they comportedthemselves with dignity and grace.Seeing these mice，Li Si realized that people，like mice，are products of their environment，and vowed to be a granary mouse rather than a latrine mouse.
Through untiring effort and struggle，he eventually accomplished his meteoric rise to power.
Once when Confucius was traveling with his students，they had nothing to eat for seven days.Finally his student Yan Hui went out begging and brought back some rice.As Yan Hui was cooking the rice，Confucius saw him stealthily eating some out of the pot.Confucius was very unhappy，since Yan Hui was his favorite student and this was a serious violation of the rites.He reminded Yan Hui that the rites required an upright person to make an offering to the ancestors before starting to eat.Yan Hui hastily explained that some ashes had fallen into the pot，so he took the dirty rice out and ate it before it could contaminate the rest of the grain.Confucius exclaimed，”One relies the most on one’s own eyes and has the most faith in one’s own judgement.Today I have been mistaken in both my vision and my thinking.It is very difficult to truly understand another person！”
In modern times，numerous stories link Mao Zedong and food.One of the most famous concerns abanquet Chairman Mao held for Soviet foreign minister leader Anastas Mikoyan（1895-1978 AD）.
Mikoyan had a huge capacity for liquor.Mao realized he couldn’t drink Mikoyan under the table，so he challenged him to a chili eating contest.When Mikoyan said he wasn’t used to eating spicy food，Mao told him，”You can’t be a revolutionary if you don’t eat chili peppers！”
Many food-related terms are used to express how people support themselves.For instance，the”iron rice bowl”referred to the permanent employment provided by China’s centrally planned economy.
With China’s change to a market economy，the terms”being given a rice bowl”（being hired）and “having one’s rice bowl broken”（being fired）have come into vogue.To come out worst in a situation is called“eating loss”；being sued is called“eating a lawsuit.”A man who is supported by a woman is saidto be“eating soft rice.”These popular expressions represent yet another aspect of China’s traditional food culture.
