As they get older they branch out, and foodies are on the lookout for the places that add a twist to old flavours, like making a particularly crispy oyster omelette (an egg omelette with tender fresh oysters) or using eel balls instead of fish balls in their wonton mee (noodle and wonton soup).

BBC: Finding a favourite hawker stall in Penang

Ask him to check on a favorite like yellowtail, eel or tuna and the answer is the same: Skip it.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The food, too, is a souped-up version of traditional mountain cuisine, complete with rural treats such as eel or frog.

ECONOMIST: As communism crumbles, a great cuisine revives

If they had snacks in front of the television, it wasn't chips or candy, it was rice crackers or dried bonito and smoked eel.

WSJ: Marcus Samuelsson on Traveling to Japan to Eat Fugu | Traveler's Tale

To attain true gourmet snobisme, a food must be rare (beluga), painstakingly obtained (foie gras), or initially revolting (smoked eel). (If it is all three, you are eating a truffle.) In the English-speaking world it also helps a lot if the French liked it first.

FORBES: Roe Rage