Few scandals in China provoke as much outrage as those relating to food.
This is perhaps only natural in a country that takes immense and justified pride in its wondrous culinary heritage.
Concerns about public safety, corporate responsibility and regulatory capacity all distil into one essential question:
can the food on your table be trusted?
A furore that has gripped China in recent days poses the question in a different way.
It revolves not around safety, but rather around food quality and the very definition of cooking.
Anger has erupted at a popular fast-casual restaurant chain, Xibei,
which bills its north-western-style food as fresh and family-friendly.
Think of it, roughly, as a big upgrade on America's Olive Garden chain with extra-scrumptious roast lamb.
Xibei was revealed to be serving dishes made with frozen ingredients, often whipped up in advance in central kitchens.
The controversy stings because it touches on deeper anxieties
about authenticity in China's hyper-urban landscape and the emergence of new class divisions.
It all began innocuously enough, with an acerbic comment from a dissatisfied customer,
the kind seen on social media anywhere in the world.
"Almost all pre-made dishes, and still so expensive.
Really disgusting," fumed Luo Yonghao, an entrepreneur-cum-influencer.
Mr Luo has 1.4m followers on Weibo, so his message was bound to attract eyeballs.
But Xibei made it even worse.
Along with threatening to sue Mr Luo for defamation, Jia Guolong, Xibei's spirited owner,
opened its kitchens for curious customers to see for themselves.