Food Metaphors

When I started to think about metaphors in the broader context, I realized that a lot of what we talk about is metaphorical, even when we think we're being literal. And, since food is one of the most common and universal things we all share, a lot of these metaphors relate to food in some way. One of the main metaphors that I think we use all the time without really realizing it is any desired item, or even concept, is food. There are tons of examples of this metaphor that are used in many different contexts, such as:

He was hungry for victory.

She was starved for attention.

Those shoes are so sweet!

She has an appetite for life.

That was a piece of cake!

Give me some sugar.

The same is true for the opposite: things that are undesirable are associated with foods or tastes that are undesirable.

That was a bitter loss.

That conversation left a bad taste in my mouth.

What a sourpuss!

What am I, chopped liver?

Ignore her, she's bitter she lost.

I think the reason we associate anything thats good with things that taste sweet and anything thats bad with things that taste bitter or sour is that everyone automatically understands because eating is one of the few things that no matter where we live or what our culture is, we have to do it. So many other sources of pleasure are complicated and dependent on many factors, but when you're eating something sweet, the reaction is simple and everyone can relate to it. The same is obviously true for the reverse: there are not many things as disgusting as biting into something with an awful taste. Even thinking about it, I make a face automatically, so it makes sense that we would use that as a metaphor for something unpleasant or gross. I think the universality of food is a key reason why food metaphors are so prevalent in many different languages and cultures.