People grew attached to their own foods, taking them along when they relocated.
This was extolled as a virtue, or a sign of nostalgia, in the series.
I certainly view our food as a key part of our cultural identity, which is etched on us, mainly because of economic necessity.
Nowadays young people in big cities have access to all kinds of food. They may not like all of them, but that smirk of disdain is no longer visible on their face because they probably don't have their home cuisine as the only benchmark.
There is nothing wrong with thinking your hometown's food is the best.
However, one should caution against the flip side of this belief－that unfamiliar foods are simply inferior.
When CNN's website ran an article headlined "Top 10 disgusting foods in the world" about two years ago, many cried foul.
Most of the items highlighted were from Asia, including my personal favorite, pidan: the famous "hundred-year egg" or "thousand-year egg". Duck, chicken or quail eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for up to several months.
I have to admit, I would not have had the guts to taste some of the other choices.
But I'm sure their own locals love them. All have to be taken in perspective.
I'm sure most citizens of Atlanta, Georgia, where CNN is headquartered, would have been appalled by some of these foods.
But CNN is not just an Atlanta operation. It has viewers across the world.
Maybe to be accurate, the piece should have added a qualifying clause "from the point of view of middle Americans".
Likewise, Chinese foodies intoxicated by the pride of their own food should avoid rushing to any prejudicial conclusions.
Yes, Chinese cuisine is rich in its regional diversity, but it is not the world's only great food.
The way the Chinese prepare their food has as much flair as art－but so does French food.
Worldwide, Chinese food may not be on a par with French in terms of prestige. Then again, I'm not bothered by prestige.
Cultural confidence lies in the conviction of your own roots and at the same time in the awareness that there are other equally great things to consider in the national identity mix.
There is no conflict between preserving our own cultural heritage and absorbing nutrients from other cultures.
Only when one is extremely weak would one see all things different as a threat.
Food culture evolves with time. Unlike other culture-based products, food is first of all a necessity and, as such, its health values should not be ignored.
But food rises above that. It goes beyond filling the stomach and satisfying hunger, and slips into the realm of culinary art that appeals to all senses.
As the pace of globalization accelerates, there will be less and less pure-bred food.
So, for a younger generation so fixated on Western-origin fast food, this documentary is a gentle reminder of a luxury being offered up every day in our own kitchens, that we all may well have been taking for granted.
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