Meaning:
Vengeance is more satisfying when exacted some time after the harm that
instigated it.
Background:
The proverb "revenge is a dish best served cold" is not especially old but
first appeared in English in the translation of Eug e Sue's novel Memoirs of
Matilda in 1846.
It has since been used in many works of popular culture, including Kind
Hearts and Coronets, The Godfather, and Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn. The
proverb suggests that revenge is best taken when it is carefully planned and
executed, rather than in the heat of the moment.
- Kind Hearts and Coronets, 1949: "Revenge is a dish which people of taste
prefer to eat cold."
- The Godfather, 1972: Don Corleone nodded. "Revenge is a dish that tastes
best when it is cold," he said.
- Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn, 1982: Kirk, old friend, do you know the
Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served cold"?
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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The world is such a confusing place that the promise of revenge, served hot or
cold, sounds overrated. The Godfather, for whom vendettas are business, modus
viviendi, understands that hating the enemy clouds one's judgment. Sans hatred,
however, vengence would deliver a shoddy dish, like mapo tofu without sichuan
pepper.
There was no lack of loathing between Christians and Jews back in the days in
Venice, but would the curse on his nation be lifted and Shylock enter an eternal
bliss had he exacted his pound of flesh? All things considered, he might be
punished more by his burning quest than for it.
