The menu as metaphor

I have sympathy for the people who write menus for creative restaurants, I really do. I used to consult on menu design, and have experienced the struggle to put the essence of a unique dish into a few words. It’s made immeasurably more difficult by the fact that there are so many regional and stylistic variations in the culinary world. If I say something is like chili, does that mean it compares to my mother’s mild version with beans and chunks of tomato, or a fiery all meat concoction that