In most science fiction, when a planetary culture is described from some place that is not Earth, there is usually a unified planetary cuisine.

There is “Klingon food” for example, without mention of regional variations.

But on Earth we have literally hundreds of different styles of food, each related to the location where it is from.

So if friendly aliens arrived and wanted to eat “Earth food,” what would we give them?

In my view, it would be a dish made of meat and rice, with a beer to drink.

There are cross-cultural versions of meat with rice that span the globe. There is:

• Chinese fried rice
• Plov from Uzbekistan
• Indian biryani
• Arabian kabsa
• Spanish paella
• Arroz con pollo in Latin America
• Arroz caldo from the Philippines

Additionally, rice is the primary staple food for more than half the world’s population, which makes it a prime candidate for being “Earth food.”

As for beer, it has been a beverage for humans for approximately 5,000 years and is produced and consumed in nearly every nation today. Plus it goes well with a lot of food, including meat with rice.

I make a point of eating “Earth food” as often as possible. In fact I had biryani just the other day.

It’s not just that I enjoy the flavor, because I really do. More than that, I feel that I’m engaging with global culture, communing with millions of other humans who find the same food as delicious as I do.

This is especially important to me at this time in history. In my view, there is far too much irrational “us” against “them.” Far too much circling of the wagons. Far too much exclusion and not enough inclusion. Not enough finding common ground over a shared meal.

And if unfriendly aliens show up, and we keep on behaving this way, we will be ripe for takeover.

Unless we are able to win them over with our delicious “Earth food”.