GASTRONOMIC IMAGES IN A TRANSCULTURE PARADIGM

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of food as a cultural phenomenon in Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, where the problem of cultural hybridity is greatly expanded, portrayed through the motif of national food as personification of “our”. The problem of cultural hybridity expands because of the national food motif as “our”. Food choices have always been important for Indians (we can compare: Americans are simply starving, but for Indians eating is sacred). It is indicated that food and the process of its preparation are of particular importance: usual home-cooked dishes are synonymous of protection, security, peace, belonging to one's home; instead, the presence of “other” exotic dishes makes it possible to get acquainted with the culinary preferences of another culture, as well as to trace the basic similarities and differences.