What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Tofu and Racism? (1 Viewer)

Is being critical of tofu racist?

  • Absolutely Racist

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • Mostly Racist

    Votes: 2 2.2%

  • On the Fence

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Mostly Not Racist

    Votes: 4 4.5%

  • Absolutely Not Racist

    Votes: 80 89.9%
  • Total voters
    89
Joe Bryant

Joe Bryant

Guide
Staff member
Had a discussion on this today and wanted to get your thoughts.

On this article on cooking with Tofu.

https://skillet.lifehacker.com/tofu-freaking-rules-1843024412

The writer opened with: (bolded mine)

To some extent, I get why so many people, particularly American meat-eaters, are resistant to the entire concept of tofu. Western culture has ruthlessly (and racist-ly) slandered the humble soy-based protein for as long as we’ve known about it,...
Click to expand...


My question, is being critical of tofu racist?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don’t mind Tofu but it literally tastes like nothing. Takes the flavor of whatever it’s cooked in. I can completely understand not liking it. 

 
To be honest, I've never considered the racial angle of tofu. I've always assumed that any resistance/hatred was based on stereotypical tropes associated with vegetarians.

 
[scooter] said:
To be honest, I've never considered the racial angle of tofu. I've always assumed that any resistance/hatred was based on stereotypical tropes associated with vegetarians.
Click to expand...
Good point. More attached to hippies and granola people than Asians when I think about it. 

 
Seems like the author started with a preconceived and probably inaccurate premise of "Americans don't like tofu," and then tried to project a racist basis on to it.   Considering the author's picture seems about as white as you can get, she seems to be inserting her politics into her cooking rather than actual facts or experience.   in truth, vegetarianism has been steadily increasing in the US for about 15 years which I assume would mean an increase in tofu consumption, since it's a common source of protein in a vegetarian diet. 

One of the things stores are consistently out of right now is tofu (my daughter is vegetarian, so it is always on our grocery list).   Demand is outpacing supply, so I think the author may want to do some research.   

 
Disliking tofu is not racist.  Full stop. 

Question for @Joe Bryant

Do you think it's possible to express your dislike of tofu in a racist way? Or to dislike it for racist reasons? 

I would say yes to both and i think that's what the article's author is suggesting they've experienced. 

 
Who gives a crap.

Honestly, the faux outrage over stuff like this is finally coming into perspective with a real crisis on our hands.

Any concern over racist attitudes toward tofu is about as important as what outfit Kendall Jenner is wearing during the pandemic.

 
I’m pretty sure if you try hard enough you can criticize and/or express your distain for any item in a racist way. The statement on its own is a ridiculous notion. 

 
:lmao:

Is this for real? A large percentage of people probably have no idea it is Asian

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I
 

bigbottom said:
It’s not racist to criticize tofu. But one can criticize tofu in a racist way. I believe this was the author’s point, perhaps inartfully worded. 
Click to expand...
Can’t you criticize almost anything in a racist way?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
bostonfred said:
Disliking tofu is not racist.  Full stop. 

Question for @Joe Bryant

Do you think it's possible to express your dislike of tofu in a racist way? Or to dislike it for racist reasons? 

I would say yes to both and i think that's what the article's author is suggesting they've experienced. 
Click to expand...
Sure. Anything is possible.

I didn't read her statement as whether something might be possible.

Western culture has ruthlessly (and racist-ly) slandered the humble soy-based protein for as long as we’ve known about it, 
Click to expand...
And to be clear, I'm just asking you guys what you thought. 

 
It is not as satisfying or as tasty as meat.   I eat it and it is OK.  But I would rather have beef, chicken, pork, lamb, duck, fish, etc.  I would take the mocking of it as more of a shot at vegetarian diets than Asians.  

 
Joe Bryant said:
Thanks. I'm guessing you're into cooking then. On the subject of the article and best ways to cook tofu, do you have thoughts on the article and the cooking techniques?
Click to expand...
She's right on when she talks about the salt water.   The big issue with tofu is that to end up with something that has a firm, crispy texture you need to get the water out of it.   Most people (myself included) when they start out cooking tofu think that means draining and pressing it...you cut it up into chunks, stick it between some paper towels or clean cloth, and put some weight on it.   It takes a long time, makes a mess and doesn't work that well.

Some people use a corn meal or flour dredge and bake it or fry it to get a crispy coating on it to get the right texture.   Pouring boiling salt water on it is the best and easiest way to extract moisture and firm it up.   

She does a lot with crumbled tofu, which I've only done by accident.   I think I'm going to try something like that crunchwrap thing she does.  

 
Joe Bryant said:
Sure. Anything is possible.

I didn't read her statement as whether something might be possible.
Click to expand...
Right but when she says "and racistly" in parentheses, she's pretty clearly not saying "it's always racist".

I say pretty clearly, because it's not totally clear.  She could have said "(and sometimes racistly)", for example. So it's bad writing and a hugely uncool suggestion to not back up later.  

I get that you're just starting a poll to ask the question, but these days, starting a thread or poll over it implies that you have an agenda, and the agenda I would assume from any other poster would be to say that this is a false claim of racism, and to imply that there are many false claims of racism, which ultimately is something people do as a defense against past accusations of racism. Like saying, l "see, this lady is saying it's racist to not like tofu, that's ridiculous, that's what all these cries of racism are". Which ultimately translates into "liberals are bad people and it's ok to be a little racist because everyone is".

I don't think that's the case here. I don't think you're trying to own the libs. But I think that's how some people will take it.

 
jon_mx said:
It is not as satisfying or as tasty as meat.   I eat it and it is OK.  But I would rather have beef, chicken, pork, lamb, duck, fish, etc.  I would take the mocking of it as more of a shot at vegetarian diets than Asians.  
Click to expand...
As someone who grew up eating tofu regularly (my mom is Asian and I lived in Japan as a child), I agree with the article that the main disconnect seems to be viewing tofu as a meat substitute. I never viewed it that way, and often ate dishes that featured both tofu and meat. I like tofu. But I don’t like it as a substitute for meat. 

Edit:  Mapo Tofu (aka Mapo Doufu) is an amazing Sichuan dish that my mom used to make when I was a kid. It combines both tofu and pork in a spicy sauce. Delicious!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
bostonfred said:
I don't think you're trying to own the libs. But I think that's how some people will take it.
Click to expand...
Goodness, I'd hope not. 

I am like others here in that I don't associate tofu much with race.

I wondered how many other people felt like I do. So I asked a group of people here I "know". Understanding they're a very tight demographic.

I hope we're not to a point where someone like me with a long track record can't even ask a question to hear what others are thinking without some thinking I have some sort of agenda or trying to own libs. (Of which I'm one who leans that way). 

 
-fish- said:
She's right on when she talks about the salt water.   The big issue with tofu is that to end up with something that has a firm, crispy texture you need to get the water out of it.   Most people (myself included) when they start out cooking tofu think that means draining and pressing it...you cut it up into chunks, stick it between some paper towels or clean cloth, and put some weight on it.   It takes a long time, makes a mess and doesn't work that well.

Some people use a corn meal or flour dredge and bake it or fry it to get a crispy coating on it to get the right texture.   Pouring boiling salt water on it is the best and easiest way to extract moisture and firm it up.   

She does a lot with crumbled tofu, which I've only done by accident.   I think I'm going to try something like that crunchwrap thing she does.  
Click to expand...
Thanks. 

The article caught my eye as 1) I like Lifehacker for food stuff and 2) It looked delicious.

I've cooked just a bit with tofu mostly with poor results. Always the typical things she relates in the article. But I've eaten it out a good bit and it's much better. 

So I was glad to have found something that maybe had some tricks to make it better. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
Goodness, I'd hope not. 

I am like others here in that I don't associate tofu much with race.

I wondered how many other people felt like I do. So I asked a group of people here I "know". Understanding they're a very tight demographic.

I hope we're not to a point where someone like me with a long track record can't even ask a question to hear what others are thinking without some thinking I have some sort of agenda or trying to own libs. (Of which I'm one who leans that way). 
Click to expand...
I always assumed it was developed by Monsanto to come up with more demand for supply of poisons.  Turns out it originated from Soymilk gone bad.  Not a fan, but beats eating bats and dogs.

 
bostonfred said:
This 100 percent
Click to expand...
If someone says "tofu eaters", they're talking about vegetarians, not Asians. I'm certain I've heard it said by people just being condescending to liberals too, but definitely vegetarians, vegans, or whatever dietary, non-race-based group I'm forgetting. I think she was just making a joke, but I can't blame Joe for wondering either. Racism is real, but it's become such of a powerful label to put on someone, some people abuse it. Yes, "some people" was a joke too.

BassNBrew said:
Tofu is about as racist as being a fantasy football owner.
Click to expand...
Sup, JoeT. ;)  

 
-fish- said:
She's right on when she talks about the salt water.   The big issue with tofu is that to end up with something that has a firm, crispy texture you need to get the water out of it.   Most people (myself included) when they start out cooking tofu think that means draining and pressing it...you cut it up into chunks, stick it between some paper towels or clean cloth, and put some weight on it.   It takes a long time, makes a mess and doesn't work that well.

Some people use a corn meal or flour dredge and bake it or fry it to get a crispy coating on it to get the right texture.   Pouring boiling salt water on it is the best and easiest way to extract moisture and firm it up.   
Click to expand...
I was watching diners, drive ins and dives once and one of the places made tofu on the flat top. She would first cook it for a while with a grill press on top of it. Then she would put her sauce on it after the moisture had dried up quite a bit. And then put the grill press back on it. 

She cooked it like that for well over an hour. 

I tried this method on our griddle with my grill press. I used a homemade sriracha sauce. 

It turned out fantastic. 

 
I always looked at it as soy --> tofu --> men growing breasts.

So misogynistic instead of racist.

 
Sand said:
I always looked at it as soy --> tofu --> men growing breasts.

So misogynistic instead of racist.
Click to expand...
Phytoestrogens don't cause men to grow breasts. But you're right, tofu and all soy products are slandered as feminine - not tough and manly, like meat. Hence the "soi boi" moniker.

 
Maybe 50 years ago there was some  racists making racist comments/jokes about tofu. Now it's just people prejudiced against hippies and vegetarians making jokes about tofu.

I'll eat a little bit of tofu in a soup but not a fan of it in a main dish.

 
jplvr said:
If someone says "tofu eaters", they're talking about vegetarians, not Asians. I'm certain I've heard it said by people just being condescending to liberals too, but definitely vegetarians, vegans, or whatever dietary, non-race-based group I'm forgetting. I think she was just making a joke, but I can't blame Joe for wondering either. Racism is real, but it's become such of a powerful label to put on someone, some people abuse it. Yes, "some people" was a joke too.

Sup, JoeT. ;)  
Click to expand...
:hot:

Mr. Ham said:
I’d you apply this standard to any cheese, or ricotta (not cheese, but a bi-product of making it,) there’s no difference. It’s all a product of fermentation and essentially bacterial excrement. 
Click to expand...
Unless Covid19 started in a lab, then you could apply this standard to that.

Mr. Ham said:
I thought the premise of the post was preposterous. But we did it! We actually managed to make tofu racist. 
Click to expand...
So it's racist to say you'd prefer tofu over bats or dogs?  OK.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top