Abstract
Food is not only an essential means to survive; it is also an essential means to preserve identity, keep history, and transmit culture. It is, therefore, used as a marker or a sig-nifier of a certain society. The connotations that food and drink imply are prevalent in poetry. Wallace Stevens and Ibtisam Barakat are among those poets who tackle serious topics through the use of food and drink symbolism. In spite of the cultural, social, and religious differences be-tween them, both have themes in common. Firstly, Feelings of estrangement and longing permeate their poetry; second-ly, for both of them the world is either chaotic or brutal; thirdly, both find refuge in imagination to escape the anar-chic savage world. Finally, both have been affected by radi-cal influences; World War II left its impact on Stevens' works whereas occupation influenced Barakat's poetry. Affected by philosophy, Stevens finds in food stuff the nex-us he seeks between reality and imagination. Barakat, on the other hand, finds in food the means to stick to her memories, identity, and history.
Key Words:
Food – identity – culture – history - marker – connotation – occupation – imagination