Master Suku was reviewing code in a distant temple when she
asked a senior monk to take supper with her.
“I am hoping that you can help me,” said Suku as she stirred
a pot hanging over the fire. “In your clan’s code I found
the classes SubmissionEntity, SubmissionDatabase, and
SubmissionClient. Although Entity, Database, and Client are
not the naming conventions of my own temple, your monks use
them consistently, and their purpose is clear. Yet here and
there I have also found classes like SubmissionEntityHelper,
SubmissionDatabaseHelper, and SubmissionClientHelper. What
are these Helpers?”
“Sometimes decorators, sometimes adapters, sometimes static
utilities,” said the monk. “Sometimes all or none of these.”
Suku returned with two bowls, which she set before herself
and the monk. In her bowl was a beautifully grilled salmon
on a bed of saffron rice, drizzled with honey-mirin sauce
and garnished with toasted sesame seeds and curls of green
onion. In the monk’s bowl was only a large pink blob the
texture of toothpaste. It quivered slightly.
“What is it?” asked the monk, poking nervously at the blob
with his spoon.
“I found it in a tumbledown market on the ragged end of
town,” said Suku, pouring herself some tea. “They call it
Fish Helper.”
