Remember when the movie Babe came out, some people stopped eating pork for a while? That heroic little pig with that cute voice and that cute name, and the emotionally distressing storyline were responsible for converting some people to vegetarian for good. Nonetheless, the majority resumed to having bacon for breakfast, char-siu for lunch, and baby back-ribs for dinner after the summer holiday.

See, it is easy to incorporate pork in our everyday diet. Or is it difficult to avoid pork? If for any reason, you cannot or do not eat pork, for religious or health reasons, please stop reading right here. In fact, just avoid this column altogether.

Scientists have declared that pigs are the fourth most intelligent animals; only chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants are smarter than them. The snout (the "nose") is a very acute sense organ, which is why some pigs have the wonderful job of hunting truffles for us. I love pork, so naturally I believe a pig's most noble purpose in life is to provide pork!

Unless you make a conscious effort, it is not easy to avoid pork in Hong Kong. Pork appears in so many forms, especially in Chinese cooking. The sheer Chinese population all over the world does give us an advantage, and it is not surprising that Chinese people are responsible for over half the world's pork consumption per year.

Pigs are easy and relatively cheap to raise, and the entire animal can be eaten, making it a cost-effective animal. Pig's head, pork neck, the innards, and the feet are all edible and a delicacy in many parts of the world.

Pork is a versatile meat. That is why we are going to dedicate a whole column on this lovely animal. Each time, we will explore one pig dish and explain why it is so exceptional. Tell us which pork dish is your favourite and why we should feature it!