As I’ve gotten older, I note more and more problems with the literal interpretation of topics like these. This has made me change my default interpretation (and sometimes I mention it in my response) to a more charitable version, like “what are some of your enjoyable or recommended …”. In addition to the problems you mention, there are a few other important factors that make the direct “exactly one winner, legibly better than all others” interpretation problematic:
Variable over time. I explicitly value variety and change, and my ordering of things changes based on which attributes of that thing are more important in this instant, and how I estimate my reaction to those attributes in this instant.
Illegible preferences. I have no idea why I’m drawn to some things. I can make up reasons, but I have no expectation that I can actually discern all my true reasons, and I’m usually unwilling to try very hard.
High-dimensionality. Most discussions and recommendation-requests of this form are about non-simple experiences. Comparing any two requires a LOT of choice in how to weight various dimensions of comparison in order to get a ranking.
As I’ve gotten older, I note more and more problems with the literal interpretation of topics like these. This has made me change my default interpretation (and sometimes I mention it in my response) to a more charitable version, like “what are some of your enjoyable or recommended …”. In addition to the problems you mention, there are a few other important factors that make the direct “exactly one winner, legibly better than all others” interpretation problematic:
Variable over time. I explicitly value variety and change, and my ordering of things changes based on which attributes of that thing are more important in this instant, and how I estimate my reaction to those attributes in this instant.
Illegible preferences. I have no idea why I’m drawn to some things. I can make up reasons, but I have no expectation that I can actually discern all my true reasons, and I’m usually unwilling to try very hard.
High-dimensionality. Most discussions and recommendation-requests of this form are about non-simple experiences. Comparing any two requires a LOT of choice in how to weight various dimensions of comparison in order to get a ranking.