There appears to be a misperception that tofu implies vegetarianism. An example of this surfaced in a negative form, unfortunately, during a cooking class that my mother and I were teaching. One participant assumed that a class on tofu would be vegetarian and complained because our last two dishes (out of eight offerings) had meat.

Tofu (or beancurd) in its myriad forms has been a significant staple in Asian diets, from China to Indonesia, since the 10th century. It wasn’t until World War II that the West expressed interest in the soy bean. Ironically, it was meat producers who first started using it as a “meat extender” in sausages. For most Westerners, soy sauce was the earliest introduction to a soy product. To suit Western tastes, processed forms of soy products and bean curd that tempered the “beany” flavor or altered the texture have become popular. Personally, although I eat an occasional veggie burger, I much prefer the original Asian-style products, like fresh soy milk, tempeh and naturally-fermented tofu.

Historically, except in Buddhist circles, the limited consumption of meat and the dominant role of tofu as a high-protein staple among Asian common people were due more to geography and poverty. It was not a dietary choice couched in a social, political or environmental activist context, as “vegetarianism” is often expressed here.

We could  have had a fascinating discussion about tofu (and vegetarianism) across different cultures but unfortunately, she was agitated and it became clear that the issue was more about her agenda, than grief about the beef!  Fortunately, several other students, including other vegetarians, loved our delicious, diverse menu.

My "Weeknight Veggie Sushi" with fried tofu