As evidenced by the recipe collections and instructional manuals discussed in the book. Indeed, as Rath shows in staggering detail, food in Tokugawa Japan could be intended overwhelmingly for symbolic consumption so that in some instances-like the not-to-be-consumed breakfast for the emperor or the for-eyes-only dishes in aristocratic banquest-is was no longer valued for its practical benefits to the human body but only for its presentation, admiration, and signification.