5 ms·

I'd like to taste a convincing argument that tofu is actually delicious to eat. I'd rather eat fried ants.

by vlehto 11y ago

nawitus 11y ago
Do you know how to perfectly prepare tofu?
- vlehto 11y ago
  I don't know how to perfectly prepare anything. Most foodstuff is still quite enjoyable.
  - nawitus 11y ago
    But it's easy to perfectly prepare tofu.
SwellJoe 11y ago
Do you live in a large city? Know a really good Thai or Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant there? Go there. Order a curry with tofu, or kung pao tofu, or lemongrass tofu. If that isn't at least as tasty and satisfying for you as the same dish with chicken or beef, I'll be very surprised. I prefer the tofu version of all of them over the meat option (I am vegetarian, but have not always been so...I remember the taste and texture of the meat options).
- vlehto 11y ago
  It doesn't even have to taste like meat. I just don't like to eat tasteless rubber. Then the next problem is that I'm poor bastard. I can buy groung pork for 4,50e/kg, or half a chicken for 2,50e/kg. Tofu costs 12e/kg in supermarket, I could eat pretty decent beef for that price. I usually can afford eating in a restaurant maybe once in a month. So if I find good tofu, it's really not going to change my diet. According to some studies beef/pork/chicken production consumes resources in that order. Also they churn out CO2 and other pollutants in that order. And they cost money in that order. Price is roughly proportionate to enviromental impact. Why is tofu so freaking expencive?
  - SwellJoe 11y ago
    Ah, so you've never had well prepared tofu. That is an entirely understandable situation to be in; I was an adult before I'd eaten good tofu, even growing up in a city that had a reasonably large Asian population. It can be tricky to get it right (when preparing it at home, without a pro gas wok cooker, for most types of fried or sauteed tofu, draining, pressing, and then freezing it provides a nice texture and makes it easier to marinate effectively, as the freezing puts tiny holes in it). As for price, I don't know. That's not been my experience. In the U.S., even small cities with limited options, it is never much more than $2/pound, which is, I believe, competitive with most meats, though it has been a long time since I've bought meat (I was regularly buying chicken for my dog a few years ago when she had cancer and had a poor appetite, and I seem to recall it was a couple bucks a pound). Asian markets are consistently the cheapest place to buy tofu, and often have fresh, locally made, tofu for good prices. At least that is true for much of the U.S. and Canada. Where do you live? Is there a "little China" or "Chinatown" in your city? That might be a place to go to check out your low priced tofu options. Other vegan alternatives to meat include seitan (made from wheat gluten and costs about $3/pound to make using expensive organic wheat gluten and organic packaged vegetable broth...I've made it much cheaper than that) tempeh (expensive when packaged but can be made at home with all sorts of beans, including soy), and, of course just eating nuts, beans, lentils, etc. There doesn't have to be a slab of "meat" on the plate for a meal to be satisfying and delicious. I've gone years without buying tofu (only eating it when eating out, since it took me a while to figure out how to make it well), or eating any of the faux meats. There are plenty of vegans and vegetarians that don't eat tofu. I happen to really like it, especially now that I've learned a few ways to prepare it that are really tasty.
    - vlehto 11y ago
      I live in Helsinki, Finland. There is kind of China Town in my city. The local technology university has somewhat high Chinese population. I lived at the uni campus and there was this incident about shady van going around and distributing weird packages to Chinese in exchange of money. Someone called cops because "maybe there is drugs!". It turned out they had organized tofu van, because they could not find cheap good tofu anyway else.

I'd like to taste a convincing argument that tofu is actually delicious to eat. I'd rather eat fried ants.

by vlehto 11y ago

I'd like to taste a convincing argument that tofu is actually delicious to eat. I'd rather eat fried ants.

nawitus 11y ago

Do you know how to perfectly prepare tofu?

vlehto 11y ago
I don't know how to perfectly prepare anything. Most foodstuff is still quite enjoyable.
- nawitus 11y ago
  But it's easy to perfectly prepare tofu.

SwellJoe 11y ago

Do you live in a large city? Know a really good Thai or Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant there? Go there. Order a curry with tofu, or kung pao tofu, or lemongrass tofu. If that isn't at least as tasty and satisfying for you as the same dish with chicken or beef, I'll be very surprised. I prefer the tofu version of all of them over the meat option (I am vegetarian, but have not always been so...I remember the taste and texture of the meat options).

vlehto 11y ago
It doesn't even have to taste like meat. I just don't like to eat tasteless rubber. Then the next problem is that I'm poor bastard. I can buy groung pork for 4,50e/kg, or half a chicken for 2,50e/kg. Tofu costs 12e/kg in supermarket, I could eat pretty decent beef for that price. I usually can afford eating in a restaurant maybe once in a month. So if I find good tofu, it's really not going to change my diet. According to some studies beef/pork/chicken production consumes resources in that order. Also they churn out CO2 and other pollutants in that order. And they cost money in that order. Price is roughly proportionate to enviromental impact. Why is tofu so freaking expencive?
- SwellJoe 11y ago
  Ah, so you've never had well prepared tofu. That is an entirely understandable situation to be in; I was an adult before I'd eaten good tofu, even growing up in a city that had a reasonably large Asian population. It can be tricky to get it right (when preparing it at home, without a pro gas wok cooker, for most types of fried or sauteed tofu, draining, pressing, and then freezing it provides a nice texture and makes it easier to marinate effectively, as the freezing puts tiny holes in it). As for price, I don't know. That's not been my experience. In the U.S., even small cities with limited options, it is never much more than $2/pound, which is, I believe, competitive with most meats, though it has been a long time since I've bought meat (I was regularly buying chicken for my dog a few years ago when she had cancer and had a poor appetite, and I seem to recall it was a couple bucks a pound). Asian markets are consistently the cheapest place to buy tofu, and often have fresh, locally made, tofu for good prices. At least that is true for much of the U.S. and Canada. Where do you live? Is there a "little China" or "Chinatown" in your city? That might be a place to go to check out your low priced tofu options. Other vegan alternatives to meat include seitan (made from wheat gluten and costs about $3/pound to make using expensive organic wheat gluten and organic packaged vegetable broth...I've made it much cheaper than that) tempeh (expensive when packaged but can be made at home with all sorts of beans, including soy), and, of course just eating nuts, beans, lentils, etc. There doesn't have to be a slab of "meat" on the plate for a meal to be satisfying and delicious. I've gone years without buying tofu (only eating it when eating out, since it took me a while to figure out how to make it well), or eating any of the faux meats. There are plenty of vegans and vegetarians that don't eat tofu. I happen to really like it, especially now that I've learned a few ways to prepare it that are really tasty.
  - vlehto 11y ago
    I live in Helsinki, Finland. There is kind of China Town in my city. The local technology university has somewhat high Chinese population. I lived at the uni campus and there was this incident about shady van going around and distributing weird packages to Chinese in exchange of money. Someone called cops because "maybe there is drugs!". It turned out they had organized tofu van, because they could not find cheap good tofu anyway else.