I consider that a non-sequiter. I'm not trying to be rude but you have taken my comment, said nowt about it and then produced a The Tale of Genji which is nothing to do with food or the region we are discussing.

A cook book is on show here and not a novel.

You might like to investigate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf which is a poem written about the same time as The Tale of Genji. It isn't a novel as such. It's an epic in poetic form which is basically a long story with a lot of baggage!

Beowulf, I feel, helps to tie England to its roots and there are a lot of roots. A lot of roots, not to mention a tangled thicket above ground!

I was responding to this:

> that women in East Asia had few opportunities to express themselves in any form, let alone a book

By pointing out that another woman in East Asia expressed herself in a book, which was passed down the centuries.

I'm familiar with Beowulf; English is my native language. Talk about non-sequiturs!