〈香料共和國〉是導演半自傳式的電影，以伊斯坦堡與雅典一一東、西方文明最貼近的場域作為劇情敷陳的空間，以土耳其、希臘的政治與軍事衝突作為歷史背景，以東正教、伊斯蘭教不同的宗教信仰，以性別、飲食、族群、土地等元素構築不同的文化內涵，架構出龐大的複雜糾葛。然而在極複雜的糾葛中，導演卻舉重若輕地藉著香料與飲食的關係作為譬喻與象徵，也從中引發主流價值與個體安頓相融的可能。本文試從流浪的悲音一一認同與其實的衝突、生命的滋味一一表象與底層的交融，耙梳影片的脈絡與可能的終極指涉一一原鄉的追索﹔從字源學的關係，將人文性的美食與宇宙性的天文學進行連結，拈出近於道家哲學的宇宙視野，無二無別的寬廣視域可能才是人類理想共和國的唯一路徑。影像融入生命教育可以產生其實的覺知，在覺知中更助於人文素養與通識精神的落實。〈香料共和國〉開展的多元課題，可以作為通識課程的參考教材。

“A Touch of Spice” is a semi-autobiographical film. The story is happened in Istanbul and Athens and these areas are affected by Western Civilization and East Civilization most. The historical background is based on political and military conflict between Turkey and Greece. The director constructs different cultural deposits and complex entanglement by different religions, gender, diet, ethnicity, land, etc. However, the director uses the relation of spicy and diet as symbols and signs to discuss the possibility of combing conceptions of mainstream values and settle down in the complex social environment. This paper tries to discuss the sadness of vagabondage by the taste of life, the conflict between identification and reality, and the mixture of superficial condition and real one. After clarifying the idea of the film, seeking for spiritual adscription is the main theme in the whole film. Connecting food with astrology and humanity with universe by the relationship of Etymology is the way to bring out the universal conception of Taoist Philosophy: the only way to the Utopia is having an unbiased wide vision. Combining Life education and images makes students have real vibrations and awareness which helps teachers to put Quality of humanism and Principles of general education into force certainly. “A Touch of Spice” can be a reference material of general education because it has multi-issues.