I found this vivid, precise writing to be extremely enjoyable to sink into.
America doesn't know tofu
11–20 of 153 posts
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's tofu that melts? Huh. That (I thought) it didn't melt was the one thing holding it back from being a true vegan cheese[0] alternative to me. [0] Process for making {cheese, tofu}: take {milk, soy milk}, add some acid to make the proteins coagulate, then draw the rest of the owl to get your sliceable high-protein block of controllable firmness and flavour.
There are vegan cheese products that melt. I like Violife brand cheeses when I want something melty.
I'm aware of Violife; the trouble is, while it melts, it has zero protein — from the ingredients it's basically solidified flavoured coconut oil:
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/302277589
To me, a true vegan cheese alternative has to tick all the boxes that cheese ticks at the same time, not a separate product for each box you want to tick.
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#13If anyone else's wondering whether the author followed up on importing tofu in the US, here's what his webpage says: > It’s nice to meet you. I’m working on promoting Chinese tofus in the States. If you’re not familiar, China has over 20 types of tofus. They taste nothing like conventional white blocks. Some are bready. Others taste like aged cheese. Some bake up like pastry crust. Others melt. > I’m writing a book t…
> They taste nothing like conventional white blocks
tofu isn't green?? welp, my life is a lie
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#14There are some great Tofu suppliers in America, but also a labor saving device that allows people to easily experiment with variations themselves: https://www.soymilkmaker.com/
One of the problems is that, like so many things in America, tofu has taken on some silly political baggage. Among a significant share of the population, both conservative and health oriented, there is a common belief that soy is full of extrogen that will, if ingested, reduce masculine characteristics and emphasize feminine characteristics. The reality is that the phytoestrogens in soy do not have a significant effect on humans and we have an extremely large amount of data including the massive "China Study" that shows that. But the idea has taken hold and now many people are afraid to eat tofu because it will turn them into weak and unhealthy girls.
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are vegan cheese products that melt. I like Violife brand cheeses when I want something melty.
I'm aware of Violife; the trouble is, while it melts, it has zero protein — from the ingredients it's basically solidified flavoured coconut oil: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/302277589 To me, a true vegan cheese alternative has to tick all the boxes that cheese ticks at the same time, not a separate product for each box you want to tick.
Im sorry but you seriously worry about the protein content of your cheese? There are plenty other protein rich foods
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#16There are plenty of people in America of Asian descent that know lots about Tofu. There are also plenty of articles about secret off menu items at Chinese restaurants, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you could get some of this Tofu there.
This stuff just takes time. I remember reading a news article where someone talked about drinking bubble tea in NYC before it was popular as a kid, as a treat. Now you can get bubble tea everywhere
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#17If anyone else's wondering whether the author followed up on importing tofu in the US, here's what his webpage says: > It’s nice to meet you. I’m working on promoting Chinese tofus in the States. If you’re not familiar, China has over 20 types of tofus. They taste nothing like conventional white blocks. Some are bready. Others taste like aged cheese. Some bake up like pastry crust. Others melt. > I’m writing a book t…
There's tofu that melts? Huh. That (I thought) it didn't melt was the one thing holding it back from being a true vegan cheese[0] alternative to me. [0] Process for making {cheese, tofu}: take {milk, soy milk}, add some acid to make the proteins coagulate, then draw the rest of the owl to get your sliceable high-protein block of controllable firmness and flavour.
> [0] Process for making {cheese, tofu}: take {milk, soy milk}, add some acid to make the proteins coagulate,
I wonder if anyone's tried adding lactose to soy milk and using cultures and rest of the process as if to target a particular traditional cheese.
I'm not saying the result would be vegan, I don't know if there's a vegan source or way of manufacturing lactose, but just for interest.
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#18I found this vivid, precise writing to be extremely enjoyable to sink into.
Asterisk magazine has much more vivid, down-to-earth writing than "bay area rationalist magazine funded by effective altruism" would evoke.
One of the articles in that same issue was the one that pushed me to finally become vegetarian.
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm aware of Violife; the trouble is, while it melts, it has zero protein — from the ingredients it's basically solidified flavoured coconut oil: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/302277589 To me, a true vegan cheese alternative has to tick all the boxes that cheese ticks at the same time, not a separate product for each box you want to tick.
Im sorry but you seriously worry about the protein content of your cheese? There are plenty other protein rich foods
If it has calories, then someone who cares about bodybuilding or athletic performance is going to care about its macronutrients.
Re: America doesn't know tofu
#20There are some great Tofu suppliers in America, but also a labor saving device that allows people to easily experiment with variations themselves: https://www.soymilkmaker.com/ One of the problems is that, like so many things in America, tofu has taken on some silly political baggage. Among a significant share of the population, both conservative and health oriented, there is a common belief that soy is full of extro…
Don't forget the anti-asian racism implicit to the belief that soy, a food eaten widely in asia, makes you weak and feminine (whatever that means). The backlash to soy is inextricably tied to old stereotypes of asians as weak and docile.