Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

A British friend told me he couldn't understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds as a snack so much.

"I've met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that's from cracking the seeds," he joked.

I've never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I'm watching TV or typing up a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds.

My friend says he can't understand why Chinese people like it. He doesn't like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

I think all food-related habits stem from traditions and early experiences. For me, and, I'm sure, many other Chinese, cracking sunflower seeds is associated with Chinese New Year.

When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year's Eve to check out what every household was making.

I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large redwood table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, readymade dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds.

Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

I don't think it's right to criticize one's choice in food or eating habits, no matter how gruesome they may seem.

When I visited the Mosuo people, a group of traditional matriarchal people living in Yunnan Province near Lugu Lake, I found that they have a most interesting preserved food. They would kill a whole pig during the winter and heavily salt it to preserve it for years. Some skillful chefs can even preserve the pigs for more than 10 years.

Then, whenever they have guests visiting or during holidays, they would cut a small piece of the pig and stir-fry it with vegetables.

Some people might say it's disgusting, how can you eat 10-year-old zombie meat? But I trust their skill and tradition.

It's not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of weird habits when it comes to food. In Denmark, they put pickled red herring on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it's a delicacy, and it's connected to their culture.

I think it's a wonderful tradition.

Nowadays, we no longer conduct the Chinese New Year's ritual of my youth, because we've grown up and moved far away from my hometown. I visit my grandparents only once during the festival. It can never be like old times, no matter how much cracking I do.