This article is devoted to the alimentary culture of the Other. The authors suggest that the perception of the Alien passes through a set of clearly-determined parameters, one of which is alimentary culture. Looking at someone unkown, we are trying to analyze him and understand him through the prism of what he eats, and thereby accept him or decline. On the one hand we are afraid of his eating habits, and at the same time we are always interested in what he eats. Can't we eat the same food? We pathologically afraid of the fact, that he is able to eat our reserves, and at the same time it is easier for us to accept him, if his eating habits are close to ours. Being practically an absolute metaphor, the food helps us to classify the Stranger, to give him a clear definition, and ultimately, perhaps, find a dialog with him, while showing interest in what he eats. This explains why suddenly a foreign cuisine becomes the В«trendВ», and a part of our mass culture. This allows us to understand the Other, making him В«the same as we areВ». We are ready to be suspicious of the Americans, but willingly eat American burgers. We are not always able to establish dialogue with the Japanese and the Chinese, however, we rush in sushi bars and Chinese restaurants. All this allows us to come to a conclusion about the importance of nutritional markers in developed of the dialogue with the Stranger.
