Swoi i obcy przy wspólnym stole
US and THEM at the table

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to reconstruct the US - THEM relationship, with the (dinner) table as the central place in a familiar setting, the home. For a speaker of Polish and a representative of a traditional culture, meetings at a family table are prototypical situations of the pole of “familiarity” (US) and allow one to establish, in the form of concentric circles, its relationship and distance to the opposite pole of “foreignness” (THEM). The author presents images of the home and the table (the central place in the home), established in phraseology and proverbs, with special importance of the rules of ritualistic behaviour. Then she discusses the linguistic and cultural pictures of the sacrificial table (pre-Christian, biblical and Christian), the family table (a major element of Polish culture), the table laid for special occasions (ritualized behaviour is especially important at the wedding or Christmas/Easter table), the table laid for a feast. The author also takes note of special and peripheral varieties, such as a conference table, a table for playing cards or for a seance. The analysis reveals that the conditions of building a long-lasting feeling of community are connected both with the place and the purpose or kind of feelings accompanying a given encounter. An important factor is the openness to the outside world: real and supernatural. With a view to the stability of the bonds linking the community at the table, the most important role is played by the family table, where the bonds between US are constantly being revived. Meetings at the family table model the creation of cultural patterns of behaviour, which enable people to establish broader communities.

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