Musing about why and how it's easier to RT the negatives and critique about a thing.
It's as if we're back in high school again and our teachers have once again chosen the tragedies rather than the comedies for some unexplained (and will forever remain unexplained) reason. Is it because joy and appreciation feel too easy? Too close at hand?
Is it because we doubt our own likes, are too fast to agree with someone we think has better authority on whether a thing is Good or not?
Or is it how the saying goes: the ones who cry loudest get rewarded?

All right.
Let's do a brief (and probably incomplete, because people) run down of all the different types of "vegetarian" you might come across in Taiwan.
No irony quotes there. Just an indication that it's...more complicated than you might think.

https://twitter.com/KatjeXia/status/1468118964878589954

Again, I'm gonna miss things, because culture and people. But this is at least a place to start to ask questions about what you're thinking about bringing to a potluck.
週邊素，literally "surrounding veg". This type of person is happy to pick out the stir-fried veg in a dish.

So I was speaking with a friend about cultural taste differences that might very well actually be based on genetics...
and I want to know, of my Chinese-descent friends...
Who here hates the taste of cinnamon?
Non-Chinese friends, please specify cultural background. Look, this is a quick and dirty Twitter poll, so roll with it.
While we're here,
CILANTRO

Trade “relations” with the US have forced US pork on TW consumers and stores/restaurants here have little signs going “made with local pork only”.

https://twitter.com/skinnylatte/status/1467168678533758977

Thinking about the myth that spices were so highly prized because people used them to cover up the taste of spoiled meat and y’all.
You can’t cover that up but you *can cover the taste of mediocre meat.

I witnessed RaceFail in action and have been avoiding Bear since then and was very confused when I arrived at a writer's conference/retreat and people were either blissfully unaware or ...something.

Another Elizabeth I'm avoiding is Elizabeth Moon.

https://twitter.com/sf_boswell/status/1276610141362753537

It's always good to see people characterize RaceFail09 as "Bear had an argument with the internet and lost" and "petty feuds from 10 years ago" because then you know that these people are probably not your people and you should stay away from them.