It’s a tough question to crack, writes Terry Durack.
Hello, silly sausage. Could you please stop carrying on like a pork chop and tell me why so many of our terms of endearment and everyday phrases relate directly to the food we eat?
I’d hazard a guess that it’s because food holds such an affectionate place in our minds, it’s the first thing to come up (sorry) when searching for a metaphor.
Linguistics expert Dr Howard Manns of Monash University confirms that food phrases are central to our very human love of creativity, conviviality and community.
“We love to play with words that are near and dear to shared human experience,” he says. “And what better human and communal activity is there than eating?”
Hence, he says, words such as “sweetie” and “sweet pea”, are metaphorically and linguistically well suited to our relationships.
But let’s not peer too closely at the logic. Do pork chops actually carry on? How can you be full of beans and still have so much energy? And since when did a turkey move from the Christmas table to being a shocker of a film on review website Rotten Tomatoes?
I also take exception to the term apple-pie order, as there are very few apple pies that are orderly. And in what sort of crazy world can you be as cool as a cucumber, as warm as toast and as hot as a jalapeno?
Australians are particularly fond of inventing new phrases, says Manns, and the playfulness of the expressions we use can help soften the blow of the truths they reveal.
“Sure, we could call someone out for lying or being shifty, but many Aussies find it more satisfying to say ‘Don’t come the raw prawn with me’, the insinuation being that a raw prawn is hard to swallow.”
The playfulness of [Aussie] expressions can help soften the blow of the truths they reveal.
Admittedly, we also have delicious ways of referring to people we’re unsure about: That’s one tough cookie. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. What a meathead. He’s as nutty as a fruitcake, as thick as half-baked damper, and a few Tim Tams short of a packet.
We use language like a buffet, piling different words on our plate and constantly giving them new meaning, like the current social media-fuelled use of the word “rizz” for charisma, and “mid” for things that disappoint.
There’s no real logic to it. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
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Terry Durack has been reviewing restaurants and seeking out new food experiences for three decades. Author of six books and former critic for London’s Independent on Sunday and the Sydney Morning Herald, Terry was twice named Glenfiddich Restaurant Critic of The Year in the UK, and World Food Media’s Best Restaurant Critic. Australian-born and a resident of Sydney, he brings a unique perspective on the global food scene to his travel writing.
