Endearing or not, some Chinese delicacies stick with you

When it comes to scents that offend the senses, perhaps two in China, both related to edibles, stand out most.

The first is that of fermented "stinky tofu", an inexplicable stench that is matched in its repellent nature by the sickly gray hue of this snack, which is often served by Beijing street vendors.

I recall with fondness how my Chinese girlfriend at the time, Feifei, once told me, as we dined at a Peking duck restaurant, that it was high time I sampled "stinky tofu".