Tofu!

Despite living in California for 3 years with mainly folks from the west coast, I was never a fan of tofu. I even spent 2000-2001 living in a dorm/apartment with a group of girls who were, unbeknownst to us, dubbed the Granola Girls. You cannot imagine the amount of tofu that was consumed by all of them. I never had any interest in the stuff. The texture grossed me out; it had no flavor. I resisted all the forces around me and did not give in to tofu.

While I was pregnant, my step mom, dad, and I were out for Thai food and we ordered a fried tofu appetizer with sweet and sour sauce. It was good. It was fried; how could it not be good? But, after that experience, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Tofu? Me? In the months that followed, I ordered pad thai with tofu a couple of times.

Then came today. I had bought a block of firm tofu. It sat in my fridge for a couple days. Upon Moira's return from vacay, she (as tofu's biggest champion) sent me a recipe for baked tofu. I followed it. I ate it. I liked, nay loved it.

This is the story of tofu triumphing against all odds. When I was a granola-girl college student living on the west coast surrounded by vegetarians and hippies, tofu could not break me. Now that I am now sort-of yuppified wife, mom, lawyer living in the midwest, tofu and I have found each other.

It took a long time, but we have made our peace, tofu and me. Today, it was baked tofu over salad greens and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. Whow knows about tomorrow? The future is beckoning, and tofu and I are hand in hand, ready to take on the world.