--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The boat was vacuum-packed with…" description: "\"“The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four generations to a family: great-grandmother, air-dried like a chilli pepper, deep red skin and a hot te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png" --- # The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four… ![“The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four generations to a family: great-grandmother, air-dried like a chilli pepper, deep red skin and a hot temper; grandmother, all sun-dried tomato, tough, chewy, skin split with the heat; getting the kids to rub olive oil into her arms; mother, moist as a…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png) > ““The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four generations to a family: great-grandmother, air-dried like a chilli pepper, deep red skin and a hot temper; grandmother, all sun-dried tomato, tough, chewy, skin split with the heat; getting the kids to rub olive oil into her arms; mother, moist as a purple fig, open everywhere - blouse, skirt, mouth, eyes, a wide-open woman, lips licking the salt spray flying from the open boat. Then there were the kids, aged four and six, a couple of squirs, zesty as lemons.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid, metaphorical description of a family on a boat, using food imagery to convey character traits. **In simple terms:** Family members are likened to foods, highlighting their personalities. Key Takeaway Use vivid imagery to portray characters. Themes family identity imagery culture humor Mood evocative intense Type literary creative When to use this quote - writing fiction - creative writing workshops - literary analysis - teaching metaphor Key Concepts metaphor sensory description characterization Questions to Reflect On - What does each food metaphor reveal about the character? - How does the setting influence the description? A Different Perspective Heavy metaphor may obscure clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Four generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-generations/) [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Olive oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-oil/) ## Related quotes > [My grandfather was born in India and three generations of my family served there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/my-grandfather-was-born-in-india-and-three-generations-of-my-family/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [As generations of my family have lived in Ramannagudem, I strongly associate myself with Telangana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijayashanti/as-generations-of-my-family-have-lived-in-ramannagudem-i-strongly/) [Vijayashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijayashanti/) > [I am my happiest self when generations in my family are getting together and I'm cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/i-am-my-happiest-self-when-generations-in-my-family-are-getting/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [“We would not be able to impact future generations if family was not one of our top priorities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-s-works/we-would-not-be-able-to-impact-future-generations-if-family-was-not/) Gregory S. Works > [The fans are very loyal. I look into the audience and you can see what is obviously three generations of the same family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-essex/the-fans-are-very-loyal-i-look-into-the-audience-and-you-can-see-what/) [David Essex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-essex/) > [The two mistakes that come to mind are people who introduce a flood of characters in the first few pages. Where the reader has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/the-two-mistakes-that-come-to-mind-are-people-who-introduce-a-flood/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [It's not so weird that four generations are living together under the same roof and trying to make it work. It's how a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-not-so-weird-that-four-generations-are-living-together-under-the/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [Texas is my mind's country, that place I most want to understand and record and preserve. Four generations of my people sleep in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-l-king/texas-is-my-mind-s-country-that-place-i-most-want-to-understand-and/) [Larry L. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-l-king/) > [Like a lot of us, sometimes I'm preaching to the choir, and sometimes my voice doesn't even get heard at all. Sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/like-a-lot-of-us-sometimes-i-m-preaching-to-the-choir-and-sometimes/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Not surprisingly, there's nothing to do at the Pentagon except start a war. Tourist aren't even allowed to take photos with the building in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/not-surprisingly-there-s-nothing-to-do-at-the-pentagon-except-start-a/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [Being in the public eye is easy for me because I come from a family of four generations of teachers, so I'm used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/being-in-the-public-eye-is-easy-for-me-because-i-come-from-a-family/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [It takes four generations to recover from every act of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-adamson/it-takes-four-generations-to-recover-from-every-act-of-violence/) [Rebecca Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-adamson/) > [Among the upper classes, especially three or four generations ago, men and women had separate bedrooms. That's just the way it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/among-the-upper-classes-especially-three-or-four-generations-ago-men/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [“But one of them had on an Army medal, a service medal, something like that. Do you know all of Chad's Army friends?" Radke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/but-one-of-them-had-on-an-army-medal-a-service-medal-something-like/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I knew I could never match my father as a violinist, and there were already four generations of outstanding cellists in the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-slatkin/i-knew-i-could-never-match-my-father-as-a-violinist-and-there-were/) [Leonard Slatkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-slatkin/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) [Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four generations to a family: great-grandmother, air-dried like a chilli pepper, deep red skin and a hot temper; grandmother, all sun-dried tomato, tough, chewy, skin split with the heat; getting the kids to rub olive oil into her arms; mother, moist as a purple fig, open everywhere - blouse, skirt, mouth, eyes, a wide-open woman, lips licking the salt spray flying from the open boat. Then there were the kids, aged four and six, a couple of squirs, zesty as lemons.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeanette Winterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanians-four-generations-to-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanians-four-generations-to-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/jeanette-winterson-166_family_the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanian_1562291.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians, four generations to a family: great-grandmother, air-dried like a…” — Jeanette Winterson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeanette Winterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The boat was vacuum-packed with Albanians,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanians-four-generations-to-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-boat-was-vacuum-packed-with-albanians-four-generations-to-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```