Cheese and Tofu
What about them? They happen to be two of my (many) favorites. I like the creamy, rich texture, and the salty tang of cheese. There are so many kinds of them. You can find numerous websites dedicated to cheese. Once I found a website pointing out that nearly every village in France has their own cheese. And of each of them has a unique character. My tongue is far from expertise, so I'm really fascinated at how a cheese master can describe the complexity of a cheese. They can even tell what the cows are grazing on.
Tofu is another favorite. I can't describe the taste. I simply like it, especially when they have a clean taste without any trace of acids.
One afternoon I saw this feature on Metro TV. It was a special feature in regard of the coming chinese new year. A relatively new holiday enlisted in our calendar. It featured how tofu is inseparable from chinese culinary. In hard times, this simple yet nutricious food had helped the pheasants to survive. Then it showed the process of making tofu. But it didn't stop there, it explains further that there are many kinds of tofu, and regions has their own specialties. There's the regular white tofu, the compact, hard and yellow tofu, dried tofu, mouldy tofu, fermented tofu, iced tofu, and , the most intriguing one, black tofu with the smell of a sodden sock.
Then it dawned on me, cheese and tofu are so much alike. They're made from milk. Cheese from dairy milk such as cow's, goat's or sheep's milk, while tofu is made from soy's milk.
They're fermented to form curds.
Then the curds are skidded and separated from the liquids, and pressed to obtain the solid form.
It's the same process.
Cheese are allowed sometime to mature, and -while most tofu we know of are best eaten rightaway- there are equally many kinds of tofu that requires maturing.
Some tofu is further fermented and acquire their porridgy texture and extra strong salty flavor. Others are let in humid cellar to form cottony mould. The famed iced tofu is made by burrying the dough in the snow and can be stored up to five years.
Cheese, are obviously, (and famously) undergo the equally complex procedure. Some cheese required washing with brine several times a week. Some other are spiced with a mixture of herbs.
And as the monks in France usually have their fame for their special cheese, the monks in a particular region in China are also famed for their extraordinary iced-tofu.
Cheese are usually eaten in accompaniment of good wines, and tofu, of sake.
Aren't they similar in many ways, cheese and tofu?
I begin to think that tofu is the vegetarian version of cheese.
Men and their toys ...
Last saturday, as my boyfriend's car emerged from the street's corner, I hurriedly cross the street so I was on the passenger side. With the car behind honking loudly, I jumped in and safely settled myself on his left.
As usual, I rummaged through my huge backpack and secure my wallet to a more convenience spot so I can easily snatch it, the compartment underneath the tape-deck.
It was then that I see this intriguing new thing. It looked a hell lot like a car radio-call, what with the mouth piece and the spiral cords and all those little knobs.
For a moment I thought my boyfriend had utilize his car as a cab, a likely incident, considering his constant whining about the ever sky-rocketting gas price. Then I realized I didn't find any meter in the car.
I grabbed this 'thing' and asked him,
"What's this ? Did you get yourself a radio?"
He befriends a policeman and this friend gave him a simple black-hat with the word 'POLICE' embroidered at the front. He put the hat on the front window of the car, and this little hat worked in tight spots. I saw a clerk mouthing the word 'police' to his friend when sparing us a parking and we didn't have to give him the usual tip.
I couldn't help thinking that this 'radio' is the same sort of thing.
I asked him again with my inquiring gaze, but all I get was a seepish grin.
I simply had to laugh. This 29 year old man, with a posture toughly build on 3-times-a-week free-weight lifting is grinning with the part-happy-part-guilty expression of a 10 year old boy.
'I got a new toy' he said.
Then he confessed that he bought it this morning when looking for a broken instrument of his car. It was having a 'fever' - as men describes it -, meaning the temperature is unusually high, something to do with the radiator.
But I was still curious about what this new toy does, because he refused to say anything about it.
'Come on, what is it? How does this thing work?'
I tried to coax him, but he kept grinning wider and wider.
'We'll see ....'
It didn't help at all.
I was too intrigued to wait for him, so I quickly grab the thing again and pushed the leftmost button.
It was then I heard a deafening honk that seemed to be coming out from ... our car.
So that was it!!! A honk!!!
I laughed heartily. This is kinda fun. I tried the middle button and a siren howled loudly. I burst into a loud fit of laughter.
He silenced it immediately. He looked pleased with my finding-out. His eyes was asking 'so what do you think?' with a silent glance.
'Oh, that's so cool. It could come in handy for those bastards with their motor-bikes' I commented.
He beamed.
'Yeah, that's what I thought.'
I knew he was seeking approval. We had several disagreement about our definition of 'cool stuffs'. And he seem glad that I finally understood.
Well,to be honest, I don't think that a louder honk works on those thick-headed riders, but the siren can be a good shock therapy. Besides, he looked so happy with the honk in his grip. I couldn't help but nod a yes.
Men and their toys..., better leave them alone ...
Now it's my turn to find out what the right button does ...
