Daily bread

When life gives us lemons, we make lemonade. How many times have I heard that saying in my life? Countless. 
But it rings profoundly true every time I hear it for a number of reasons, however you interpret it. Whether you have noticed it or not, food has earned its place in adages of people all over the world, and rightfully so.

Long before the written word, there was the spoken word and many cultures used these sayings to pass on life’s great lessons from one generation to the next. These sayings would often have subjects that would be easily understood by all so it is only natural that food was one of those subjects. Since food is a basic essential need of hum-ans — the one need we all have in common — it makes sense that it features in many of these words of wisdom. I thought it would be fun to explore a few and their meanings with you this week. Let’s dish them out.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

This is the food mantra of optimism. Whenever the season brings extra harvest, we have to find ways to use them up. But the most popular interpretation is to make the best of any situation life throws at you.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

This is exactly as it says. Too many people working on the same project is disastrous.

Know on which side your bread is buttered.

You have to be aware of your advantage points or, conversely, one’s weaknesses.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

You cannot have it all. As a child, I often wondered why on earth you would want 
to have cake but not be able to eat it but 
then as I grew older I understood the innuendo, which is very different from its lite-
ral meaning.

There are plenty more fish in the sea.

This is the saying every mother or best friend says to a child or friend who has just gotten his or her heart broken. And everyone who has eventually found lasting love can attest to it. The search for love continues, so life is not as bleak as it looks right now.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Lots of idioms refer to apples. This is one of the most widely used ones. This one has a literal meaning — perhaps a way to encourage children and adults to eat fresh fruit.

One bad apple spoils the lot.

Variations of these exist in different countries. This is also a literal phrase but it is mostly used figuratively to show that one bad person in a group can have a corruptive influence on all the others.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Used to show how much our parents, or family, influence who we become. Our past gives insight to our future.

Have a lot on one’s plate.

This is the state of the world today. In these busy times, we can all say we have a lot on our plate because of all the many varied tasks we have to be managing simultaneously. It simply means you have a lot going on.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Very similar to the previous adage but slightly different. This means one has taken on too much. The difference is that, in this case, it is by choice (albeit not so wise) as opposed to fate throwing you a lot to deal with at once.

Never bite the hand that feeds you.

This is a warning to never be ungrateful — especially to those who have, in the past, been kind to you.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Also cautionary to avoid going from a bad situation to a much worse one.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Somehow, somewhere, all favours will be paid for in some way or another.

Never put all one’s eggs into one basket.

It is a reminder to have a backup in place, to diversify one’s income and investments or keep valuables stored separately to minimise risk.

Born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

This is one of the first sayings I remember hearing as a child and one I will be sure to repeat ad nauseam to my children, just as 
it was to me while I was growing up. It means to be born into privilege. Often used by older generations to note how much easier life is for newer generations than they had it in the past.

• Food and Dining