Eating Together By Li Young Lee Summary

To make a meal, you need all the ingredients. Ever piece of meat, all of the spices, or seasonings which add a different and unique flavor to the dish. By it self, a person may not enjoy eating each component, however when it is combined all together, it forms a whole new taste that didn’t exist before. Li-Young Lee writes the poem, Eating Together, relating a robust meal full of flavor, to a family who is missing some of their flavor. The poet uses metaphors between the meal and the family, an unstable structure of the poem, and specific adjectives to form a vivid image that demonstrates the mixed emotions a family has when a relative passes.
The metaphors are used in this poem to exemplify the somber tone of the family being portrayed. In past week, the father has laid “down to sleep,” (9) which indicates his death. On the outside, the father who died may of been like a “Snow-covered road,” (10) very put together and enjoyable, but it was hard to tell what was underneath. He had a “winding” lifestyle that makes him unpredictable and confusing to understand. The family has dealt with this for years, making his death even that much harder on them. He was “lonely” and lived “without any” people around him. He isolated himself.

On top of the use of metaphors, the poet writes one stanza, and each line varies in symbol length.

The lines that are the longest explain how within the “steamer” (1) are “sprigs of green onion,” and “sesame oil” (3). In the past few weeks that family has been through the unthinkable, and they have tried to keep it all inside: all the sorrow, fear, and anger. All the components of the meal are hidden inside of them. The last longest line at the end is a symbol of being “lonely” (12) and “without” (11) anything. The family feels “lonely” without their father because everything happened so “deftly” (8). They are starting to isolate themselves like their father

did.
The usage of animated and striking words furthers the meaning behind the poem. The “trout” (1) alone may be boring which connects to how the father is boring himself but his family “seasons” (2) him up. They try so hard to bring him happiness, but he just distances himself. Also the “two sprigs of green onion” (3) represent the brothers, the “sliver of ginger” (2), the sister, and the “sesame oil” (3) the mother. The words are very specific, showing how the poet wants you to image the meal. Just like you can image the perfect family, but when you take out one ingredient, it throws off the balance of the meal. And by writing “deftly” (8) and other words like “winding” (11) make the reader believe that everything happened so fast and unexpectedly.
Losing a family member is super difficult to deal with because you have developed a connection with that individual. Especially their habits, emotions, and mainly their personality. The family in this poem found their emotions all garbled because they were lacking that connection to their father. When he isolates himself their connection breaks. One must cherish and build strong relationships with those around them in order to live a happy and healthy life.