What Is Programming? A Simple Introduction Using a Cooking Analogy

In everyday work, many technical colleagues enjoy sharing their insights, and this article is selected to introduce the basics of programming to a broader audience.

Programming, put simply, is the process of expressing what you want to achieve or describe through a series of logical steps so that it can be executed or visualized. More formally, programming can be expressed as:

编程 = 算法 + 数据结构

An algorithm is a method for solving a problem, a step‑by‑step description of the solution. A data structure is a way of organizing and storing data, like a bookshelf for books.

To make the concept concrete, consider the everyday problem of getting dinner ready after returning home at 5 pm so that the family can eat by 6:30 pm. Two possible algorithms are:

编程问题：17:00 回到家，怎么让家人在 18:30 之前吃上饭？
算法一：先煮上饭然后去买菜
算法二：买完菜再回来煮饭

We can model the cooking process as an object with methods:

做饭 = {
  煮饭() {},
  买菜() {},
  切菜() {},
  做菜() {},
}

The core of programming lies in how we structure these methods. A novice might write:

做饭 = {
  开始() {
    煮饭(); 买菜(); 切菜(); 做菜();
  },
  煮饭() {},
  买菜() {},
  切菜() {},
  做菜() {
    if (家里没有油了) { 买油(); 炒菜(); }
    else { 炒菜(); }
  }
}
做饭->开始();

An expert adds a checking step before buying ingredients, ensuring nothing is missed:

做饭 = {
  开始() {
    煮饭();
    检查结果 = 检查();
    买菜(检查结果); 切菜(); 做菜();
  },
  检查() {
    if (家里没有油了) { 买菜的时候要买油 }
    if (家里没有辣椒了) { 买菜的时候要买辣椒 }
  },
  煮饭() {},
  买菜() {},
  切菜() {},
  做菜() {},
}
做饭->开始();

This demonstrates that the expert’s program is more thorough, reducing missing steps and improving efficiency.

Abstraction further simplifies code. By defining a generic 做菜 method that handles washing, cutting, and frying, we can apply it to any dish listed in a menu:

做饭 = {
  开始(菜单) {
    煮饭();
    买菜(菜单);
    菜单->逐一(做菜);
  },
  买菜() {},
  煮饭() {},
  做菜(菜品) {
    洗菜(菜品);
    切菜(菜品);
    炒菜(菜品);
  }
}
菜单 = 辣椒炒肉、红烧狮子头、剁椒鱼头;
做饭->开始(菜单);

Without abstraction, the code becomes repetitive and verbose, as shown below:

做饭 = {
  煮饭() {},
  买菜() {},
  洗菜() {},
  切菜() {},
  做菜() {},
}
做饭->煮饭();
做饭->买菜();
做饭->洗菜(辣椒炒肉);
做饭->切菜(辣椒炒肉);
做饭->炒菜(辣椒炒肉);
做饭->洗菜(红烧狮子头);
做饭->切菜(红烧狮子头);
做饭->炒菜(红烧狮子头);
做饭->洗菜(剁椒鱼头);
做饭->切菜(剁椒鱼头);
做饭->炒菜(剁椒鱼头);

The article concludes that while programming itself is not overly complex, writing good programs requires solid algorithms, an understanding of execution environments, and the ability to handle changing requirements.