Food and the Imaginary Other

The article considers a number of food-related topics and uses examples from a wide variety of sources, ranging from literary texts through journalistic articles to posts on the internet. Special attention is paid to “real” and imaginary food travels, which have become a fascinating topic of research in our time. Food controversies are also touched upon. It is argued that foreign foods may have mostly been a source of disgust in the past but have subsequently acquired symbolic capital and consuming them has come to be interpreted as a sign of sophistication. Also, food can be said to represent, in many ways, a new discursive currency, which may signal a desired or unwanted identity. In a lot of cases, however, the “original” of a particular food item may not exist and what is provided for consumption is a simulacrum. Cases of nostalgia for the food of the past are approached from this angle. Overall, the article aims at presenting the diverse cultural landscape of the present of which the food of the Other is an integral part.