The novel begins with the narrator's statement that authors should consider themselves as publicans, and that their purpose should be to outline what they have to offer to the reader in the way a menu is presented to a customer.

Then the narrator explains that human nature is a wide subject which could be seen as general and crude. However, he argues that what matters are not the elements he represents but rather the way he uses and presents them, similar to the way a chef manipulates ingredients in order to fashion a dish that can appeal to many palates.

In conclusion all along the chapter there is the metaphor that compares a writer and his work with a chef ad his way to cook and to present his dishes. Then chapter I has the function to introduce the novel.