Suppose an astute, competent, skillful cook was to serve a ruler or their chief minister with an extravagant variety of curries: chiefly sour, bitter, pungent, and sweet; hot and mild, and salty and bland.

And that cook took their master’s hint: ‘Today my master preferred this sauce, or he reached for it, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it. Today my master preferred the chiefly sour or bitter or pungent or sweet or hot or mild or salty sauce. Or he preferred the bland sauce, or he reached for the bland one, or he took a lot of it, or he praised it.’