Line by Line - Verse 12, Line 3

The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The five flavors dull the taste.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

(No corresponding line)
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

My wife is a huge fan of The Food Network. It has scads of programs that cover almost every conceivable aspect of cooking (including several off-the-wall cooking competitions). One of the themes the various hosts and cooks harp on is making sure the flavors in any dish meld together. Too many disjointed flavors that don't flow together well can really turn an appetizing creation into a complete culinary disaster.

This same metaphor applies to all aspects of our lives as well. Too much of a good thing can be just as detrimental as not enough.

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