We commonly use food metaphors without even thinking that we are talking about……food!
“You are the apple of my eye.”
You are the apple of my eye. I credit my daughter with this idea. Great job Tink!
“A piece of cake.”
It’s a piece of cake….or a whole carrot cake. Yum!
“Mind your P’s and Q’s.”
Mind your P’s and Q’s. Preserve the harvest: take care of your pints and quarts. Thanks Nanny!
“That’s a real pickle.”
That’s a pickle of a problem. “Oh, pickles!”
“Keep your eyes peeled.”
Keep your eyes peeled. Potatoes have eyes…..are they watching you?
“That’s a recipe for disaster.”
A recipe for disaster. Honestly, some of my test recipes ARE disasters!
“You are nuts!”
You are nuts! Thank you. I love nuts!
“That’s as easy as pie.”
That’s as easy as pie. Really, not so easy, but so worth the work!
What is the origin of these phrases? Why do we use food as metaphors for what we really want to say? Food has always been and will always be such an integral part of our lives. Of course we depend on food for sustenance, but it has become so much more. Around the globe, we celebrate with food, compete with food, and show love for each other with food. Just in our country alone, we have everything from pig-pickings to oyster roasts, fish fry’s to apple bobbing, watermelon seed spitting tournaments to blueberry festivals, and don’t forget the ever-present “Bake Sale.” Those examples are just some of the tame food related activities we enjoy. Of course, there are more food events everywhere, but now we have plenty of television shows to fulfill every inkling of food curiosity we may have. Food is everywhere. So it makes sense for us to use food in our spoken language as well.
What is your favorite food phrase? Do you every want to eat your words?
Pastry Peaks 