The one difference though, is if you live in the Jiangnan / southern Jiangsu region of places like Wuxi, Zhenjiang, and Changzhou where the food is not spicy at all, and everybody has a very sweet tooth. My students from Sichuan and Hunan complain very loudly about how the food is not spicy enough for them and how they can't wait to go home and "eat real Chinese food." =D
Your post also reminded me that I haven't eaten anything today and am rather hungry! =)
That's a good point! There are swaths of places in China where spicy foods aren't popular at all. Although, even in those places, the midnight snacks will tend to be on the spicier side.
Better start thinking about getting some food dear!