Metaphors of cooking and eating are a firm favourite among writers on multiculturalism. No comment on cultural contact seems complete without the proverbial “melting pot”. This metaphor tends to imply a balanced mix of diverse ingredients, each adding its own flavour but merging with the whole.

We now associate this image with visions of broth, stew, maybe a fondue. In the early 20th century, however, the phrase more often suggested an alchemical blending of base metals in a crucible. The turning of lead into gold stood in for the conversion of the foreign into the familiar.

The later move into the kitchen can tell us something about changing attitudes toward cultures other than our own.

Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia suggests another metaphor. The National Museum of Australia exhibition brings together works of contemporary art, personal reflections on cultural inheritance and a rich selection of archival photographs.

While the melting pot isn’t entirely absent, a richer analogy arises here in the equally time-honoured image of the market garden.

It’s a short walk from the garden to the kitchen. But as metaphors for cultural contact, the two are miles apart.

The kitchen implies a one-way process of selection, preparation, combination, cooking and consumption.

The garden is a place for setting down roots, grafting and pruning, nurturing and cultivating. A place for........

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