The narrator’s father (Symbol)
The narrator's father is a symbol of responsible parenting. The father loves cooking, and he is committed to teaching her daughter how to be a great cook. Traditionally, women are considered the best cooks, but the father in this novel has taken the responsibility of bringing his daughter in an upright way. The father also watches cooking shows with his daughter to sharpen her skills at an early age. When talking about his father, the narrator says, "He loved cooking shows. We watched Wok with Yan, my father passing judgment on Yan's methods."
The cooking of rice
The title of this book is symbolic because it represents the narrator's father's hobby. Cooking is a hobby, and for the narrator's father, cooking is a symbol because it involves the use of symbol recipes. The narrator says, "There is a simple recipe for making rice. My father taught it to me when I was a child. Back then, I used to sit up on the kitchen counter watching him., how he sifted the grains in his hands, sure and quick, removing pieces of dirt or sand, tiny imperfections.”
The narrator’s dream
The dream represents the imagery of sight and the narrator's admiration of her father. The narrator talks about his father with passion and love making it real for the reader. The narration feels livelier, and the reader can see everything taking place and how the father is dedicated to teaching the daughter in the right way. The narrator says, “Sometimes I dream my father, his bare feet flat against the floor, standing in the middle of the kitchen. He wears old buttoned shirts and faded sweatpants drawn at the waist.”
The Ritual
The ritual represents the father’s determination to teach his daughter kitchen skills. The reader concludes that the father is ritualistic but from the positive side of life. For instance, the narrator says, “Every night before dinner, my father would perform this ritual – rinsing and draining, then setting the pot on the cooker.”
The fish (Symbol)
The fish represents innocence of the narrator. The narrator is still a young girl excited with what she sees around her. Just like the fish, she does not know what holds for her in the next minute. Fortunately, she under safe hands, and the father is determined to her the best in life. Unfortunately, several people in the world are innocent and are taken for granted. The narrator says, “I keep watch over the fish while my father begins the preparations for dinner. The fish folds its body, trying to turn or swim, the water nudging overtop.”
