Sheep brains. Hamburgers.

Bats. Steak.

Rice. Pasta. Noodles.

Would you like fries with that?

Chicken feet?

A side of stereotypes? An extra order of personal preferences?

Food is perhaps China’s most pervasive conversation topic.

The good, the bad and the ugly are fair discussions about fare.

Hence, there has been fierce controversy surrounding the recent Yulin Dog Meat Festival’s official cancellation due to its impact on China’s image.

But personal preferences sometimes signal individual rather than cultural culinary tastes.

I recently recounted with a Chinese food writer my experiences eating snake.

First time: Kebabs in Beijing. Hated it.

Second time: Broiled, with minced peppers, garlic, cilantro and purple basil in Cambodia. Loved it.

Third time: A salty soup in Wuxi. Savored it.

She puckered her face while shaking her head: “I couldn’t.”

But she adores sea cucumbers.

I detest them.

I’m from a place where snakes aren’t staples. She’s from a place where sea cucumbers aren’t endemic. Palates are personal as well as cultural.

I didn’t know it was sheep’s brain kebabs I was gnawing on in Gansu province’s Dunhuang. I found out after I discovered I loved it. Crispy.

A Tibetan in Dali bought me a bowl of soup filled with fibrous meat orbs I couldn’t chew. Gristly.

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