When foreigners in China are asked what makes China appeal to them, you cannot expect them to say the air quality. Rather, a definite answer would be Chinese food. Even the cute, young American pop singer Alison Gold doesn't hide her love for Chinese food in her music video.

This is enough to make the Chinese people feel proud of their meals that they are able to eat every day and so no wonder when a documentary about Chinese food airs on TV, it has achieved high ratings and won praise from the Chinese audience.

A Bite of China, a documentary that combines visual grandeur and the country's culinary heritage and rightly touches upon the heartstrings and taste buds of viewers, was first broadcast on China Central Television in 2012. Two years later, it has just started a second season that continues to feature a variety of Chinese dishes.

However, such a show has apparently ignited speculation among those who disagree with the essence of this documentary.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article, saying that Chinese netizens are complaining that it is broadcast by the country's State TV station with "not-so-veiled elements of propaganda." The article held that the documentary stresses too much on the culture of ethnic minority groups and is more like a patriotic education series.

It is amusing to guess what is behind the author's logic. How could a story of culture be told without mentioning its people? Is there anything wrong to tap into people's hearts by telling the little known stories of ethnic groups when introducing their food?

This article of backlash against China also met with a backlash from netizens who expressed disappointment about coverage of contemporary Chinese society in mainstream Western media. Many are just upset that Chinese food, a concept that combines humanity, family and ingenuity, has been interpreted as a propaganda tool.

A Chinese folk saying goes like this, "Food is what matters to people." There are various implications as to what you eat and where you eat. Food can be a way to show love, it can be about interpersonal relations, and it helps many Chinese to make a living.

Indeed, A Bite of China has struck an emotional note with the Chinese public.

For many Chinese, the documentary triggered not only the nostalgia for food of their hometowns but also their pride for the country. They may have tried burgers and chips in Western countries or they may have found unique and elegant places to dine, but what they miss finally is the flavor of their hometown.

In the eyes of some Westerners who are dominated by political ideas, the Chinese government's "manipulation" of cultural works and its "propaganda" can always hit a nerve. Indeed, this has coincided with the thoughts of some Chinese who nowadays are ashamed to talk about patriotism and national pride.

But making food a political tool seems to be out of track. A Bite of China, a documentary that most of the Chinese audience appreciate, cannot help hide China's various problems such as conflicts among different ethnic groups, the dilemmas of the country's urbanization and migrant waves, and food safety that concerns people's everyday lives.

Yet the Chinese people have realized more than before that food is one truly extraordinary aspect of Chinese culture and the essence of A Bite of China is not about superiority over other political systems, but about affection for a piece of land.

Yu Wen, a media commentator based in Beijing