The Evil Empire of "Big Tofu"?
This satirically-minded editorial about "Big Tofu" made me laugh.
Yes, there are "food nannies" out there who seem intent on spoiling everyone's fun. Exhibit A is my favorite exhibit because of its sheer killjoy humorlessness: the effort to eradicate ice cream trucks in the UK. At the time I had laughed and said I was glad I lived in America.
But apparently there are "food nannies" here too, food nannies intent on making us all eat nothing but vegan health food.
Well, FINE. If you want to eat health food, go right ahead. It's a free country after all. But I give you fair warning right this minute. Heaven help you if you stand between me and my Peking duck. Or between me and my char sui roast pork. Or between me and my ha gow/shu mei/salmon sashimi/barbecue pork ribs/leg of lamb/big bloody steak/cheesy greasy hamburgers/sausage pizza/ etc. etc.
People have to take responsibility for what they choose to eat, dang it. I hate nanny government schemes with a soul-devouring passion.
Besides, I'm half-convinced that people who are obsessed with food in this way have an unhealthy relationship with food. Some of them doubtless cannot enjoy good food and cannot let anyone else enjoy it either. After all, good food is an earthly pleasure, and well, if the po-faced nutritional Puritans have their way, then anything that tastes fabulous must be taboo.
As for tofu, heck, I love tofu as much as anyone else, as long as it's cooked properly.
Tofu + stir-fried veggies and meat: YES.
Tofu + soup (especially miso or hot-and-sour, mmmmm!): YES.
Tofu stuffed with spiced meat and steamed to perfection in a bamboo steamer: YES.
Tofu mangled, mutilated, and forced to masquerade as hamburgers and ice cream: NO.
Tofurkey: HECK NO!