1 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,879 Speaker 1: Radio and Stuff Media. I'm Annis and I'm Layin Vogelbaum, 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: and today we have another classic food stuff episode for you. 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: That's right, vintage food stuff, and it is about tofu. 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: It is I. I have a personal update, which is 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: I have started cooking with tofu a lot more recently 7 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: and I am currently experiencing Uh. I was going to 8 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: say love affair. I guess love affair with tofu? Yeah? 9 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: Is it because of this episode that we did back? 10 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: Like you? The power of this episode in Tempe. Oh wow, 11 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: really really changed my my game in the kitchen. That's great? 12 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: What what? What new way are are you using tofu? 13 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Do you want to tell us about it? It's very 14 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: boring and everyone out there we'll be like. But it's 15 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: the same with Tempe though. I pretty much just I um, 16 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: get paper towels and put my cast iron skillets. I 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: get out all liquid and then I use some soy sauce, 18 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: some olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper, and it's 19 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: a cube it If that wasn't that wasn't clear, so 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: I cub it. Then I just put a little bit 21 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: of cornstarch or arrow root and bake it and it 22 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: becomes super crispy and oh wow, oh yeah, it's simple. 23 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: But oh that sounds so good. Sometimes I put sesame 24 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: seeds on there. Oh yeah, sometimes I put lime both. 25 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: That's okay, all right, coming back from that one. I 26 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: appreciate your enthusiastic response to my very simple but delightful recipe. No, no, 27 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: A good crispy tofu is one of because because it 28 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: gets all it gets all soft on the inside and 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: the crispy on the outside, and you feel like you're 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: doing something just okay for your body. UM. More on 31 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: that in this episode. You'll have to listen. You will, 32 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: you will, You have to you most or you'll never 33 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: know the truth about tofu. UM and I do have 34 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: a national update about tofu. Tofu sales in the United 35 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: States have reached nine million dollars per year, so on 36 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: the rise, along along with along with other plant based 37 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: um meat alternatives. Yes, and I believe from my own 38 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: anecdotal experience, I think for a lot of my friends 39 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,959 Speaker 1: and myself has to do with um the environment, absolutely yeah, 40 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 1: and more environmental awareness and wanting to minimize your impact 41 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: where you can. Absolutely yeah. I mean, I do feel 42 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: bad about, uh, the way that many animals are treated 43 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: in many parts of the meat industry. However, it's really 44 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: me more the environmental effects that make me try to 45 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: switch out. Yeah, yeah so I And I mean also Lauren, 46 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: who knows maybe people heard this episode when it first 47 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: came out, and we're behind this book. We can't. We 48 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: can't know for certain We certainly cannot um. Well, yeah, 49 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: so we will let former Annie and Lauren take it away. Hello, 50 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 1: and welcome to food Stuff. I'm Annie Reeve and I'm 51 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: Lauren vocal Baum, and today for all of our vegetarian 52 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: friends and frenemies, and also for every single one of 53 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: you who wrote in with a listener request. We're talking 54 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: about tofu. Yes, well, tofu is a little bit more specific. 55 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:50,839 Speaker 1: Like people were like, hey, you guys just talked about 56 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: an organ meat for like an hour. Uh, could could 57 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: you talk about something vegetarian? And we were like, yeah, totally, 58 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: were absolutely, I'll do that. We'd love to I like 59 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: a vegetable. Yeah I do too. Oh, I love vegetables. 60 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: You like tofu? I love tofu? I too, especially when 61 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: it's deep fried, at which point it's you know, not 62 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: necessarily health food anymore, right, But I've always liked the 63 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: taste and texture of tofu. My mom actually started me 64 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: out eating it when I was maybe like five or six. Um, 65 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: she was kind of a crazy hippie. My family was 66 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,359 Speaker 1: the opposite. We were not allowed to have tofu in 67 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: my house. Oh my goodness, so much. But I had 68 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: this like really amazing tofu when I was in China 69 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: drink Sinse and I've been trying to recreate it ever since. 70 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: I think it actually might have been, um, the dried 71 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: skin like tofu skin. Okay, what was the dish like? 72 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: It was like it was served in a spiral um 73 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: and it was thin noodles. What it looked like thin noodles. 74 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: And I don't know if anybody remembers those bobbi um packages. Yeah, 75 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: it looks like that, but it was tofu and it 76 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: was like textured on the outside, and it was so good. 77 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: It was so good, And I've tried and tried and 78 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: I got kind of close recently. Um, I'm still looking. 79 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: If any Listener heroes are out there and know what 80 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: I'm talking about, that would be yeah, yeah, if you 81 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: have a recipe, send it on in so tofu what 82 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: is it um tofu or dofu and Chinese pinion is 83 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: coagulated soy milk that's pressed into blocks. And we will 84 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: do a whole other episodes on soy and or soy milk, 85 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: probably because they are kind of big topics. Yeah, pretty huge. Um. 86 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: Sometimes almonds or black beans are used in place of soybeans. 87 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: I can't say I've personally seen this, but but but yeah, 88 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: Traditionally it's a it's soybeans. Yes, the literal translation of 89 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: tofu is being curd, but it's a Japanese word. Yes. Um. 90 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: It also goes by the equally appetizing bean cheese or 91 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: bean curd cheese, which is actually a super good scientific 92 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: to scription for it um, but does not sound tasty. No, 93 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: it doesn't bean cheese. It can come in two main types, fresh, 94 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,799 Speaker 1: which can be like soft or silken, extra soft, firm 95 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: or extra firm, which sounds like mattresses now that I'm 96 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: saying it allowed mattress descriptors. Yes, Or it can come processed, 97 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: which includes pickled, fermented, which you might know is stinky 98 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: tofu dried, frozen or fried. And then there's also like 99 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: byproducts such as tofu skin swipe pulp, tofu burgers, to 100 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: pot ducks, to noodles, to cheese, tofu cream, cheese, toful 101 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: ice cream. You've seen the aisles. I'm sure, yes, aisles 102 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: might be a lot. But but but well, items on 103 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,799 Speaker 1: multiple aisles. Yes, they're pervasive, They're ever throughout. The store 104 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: and retail of tofu in the United States made two 105 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy four million dollars as There are some 106 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: two d thousand manufacturers competing in the tofu industry, the 107 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: largest ones in Japan, producing about fifty tons per day. Wow, 108 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: that is a lot of tofu. I can't conceive of 109 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: that much tofu. I'm like looking at the size of 110 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: this room and going way more than this room. And 111 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: that's about all all my imagination has for you today. 112 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: It's a popular vegetarian cuisine, as you probably knew, um, 113 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: in part because it's pretty low key flavor wise, so 114 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: you can customize it. It can be savory or sweet 115 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: or anything in between. That also can be used in smoothies. Um. 116 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: It's pretty low calorie, low fat, but high and iron 117 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: and protein depending on the thing you use for coagulating, 118 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: like calcium or magnesium sulfate. It can also be high 119 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: in either of those things, calcium or magnesium um. But 120 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: speaking of coagulants, let's talk a little bit about those 121 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: things and how tofu is made. Yes, let's start about 122 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: so all you really need in order to make toe 123 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: food is soybeans and water that have been made into 124 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: soy milk, plus a coagulant, and traditionally speaking, that coagulant 125 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: is nagari, which is an extract of salty seawater. You 126 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: evaporate that brine to let the sodium chloride the table 127 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: salt crystallize, then take that out, leaving you with what's 128 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: essentially a liquid solution of magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and 129 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: maybe a few other mineral salts um. You can also 130 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: evaporate this to get a powdered form if you so desire, 131 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: and some people do. These and other agents that are 132 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,599 Speaker 1: used as coagulants, like um like like acids or enzymes, 133 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: work on the soy milk in the same way that 134 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: various coagulants work on regular milk in order to make 135 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: it clump up into yogurt or cheese or et cetera. 136 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: You can see a yogurt episode for a full description 137 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: of this, but essentially here's what's going on. So soy 138 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,439 Speaker 1: milk is an emulsion of proteins and fats in water. 139 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: An emulsion means that these molecules are negatively charged, which 140 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: means they're kind of keeping each other at arms length. 141 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: You know, they're they're giving each other space. And the 142 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: coagulant works by acidifying the soy milk just enough to 143 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: change the molecular charge of the protein and fat molecules. 144 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,959 Speaker 1: Within Suddenly they're all like like come in for a 145 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: hot body doing um, and they clump up, thus creating 146 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: solid curds of protein and fat and liquid whey, which 147 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: is water and some water soluble proteins. In these our 148 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: modern times, most large scale manufacturers skip the sea brine 149 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: and just use straight magnesium chloride or calcium sulfate a 150 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: k A. Gypsum because they might be making like three 151 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: point five to fifty tons of toe for per day, 152 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: at which point you know you're you're looking to streamline 153 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: um and nagari, being a natural product, varies in its 154 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: chemical composition, so the second half of this equation is 155 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: the soy milk. Uh. To get soy milk, a factory 156 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: will usually purchase dried soybeans because they're cheaper to work 157 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,679 Speaker 1: with than fresh due to the shipping weight and refrigeration 158 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: costs and possibility of spoilage that you get with fresh soybeans. 159 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,720 Speaker 1: And then the basic process of making this into soy 160 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: milk goes as such. Um, you rehydrate to your dried 161 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: soybeans by soaking them for a few hours, then mash slash, 162 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: put them along with some water to form a slurry 163 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: that is the industry term slurry m m mmmm. You 164 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: heat that's slurry to relax some of the soy proteins 165 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 1: within it, then separate out the solid bean pulp from 166 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: the liquid soy milk. Okay. And there are so so 167 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: many ways in which to accomplish this, and a huge 168 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,319 Speaker 1: amount of industrial research goes into the best and or 169 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 1: cheapest ways. How the soybeans are treated in making soy 170 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: milk for tofu will hugely impact the flavor like beanie 171 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: or funky versus kind of neutral that the color yellowed 172 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 1: versus a kind of pure white um, and the texture 173 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: kind of grainy versus smooth and silken. So do you 174 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: hauld the beans before grinding? Do you use traditional Japanese 175 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: stone grinders or something a little bit more modern, although 176 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: probably also Japanese. Do you separate the solids from the 177 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: liquids prior to heating or afterwards? Do you concentrate the 178 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,839 Speaker 1: soy milk after it's separated and before it's coagulated. If 179 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: you ever want a rabbit hole of food production techniques, 180 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: tofu is so happy to provide so many questions, so 181 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 1: much research to do. Oh yes, But once you've got 182 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: your soy milk, however you so choose to do it, 183 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,680 Speaker 1: you let your coagulant make some soy kurds. At that point. 184 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: If you're going for very softer silk and tofu, you're 185 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: you're pretty much done. If you're going for firmer tofu, 186 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: you press the kurds to remove as much way as 187 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: you so choose, and um tofu is packaged along with 188 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: some of that way to keep it moist and fresh. Ah. 189 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: So that's why I always with it. Liquids always has 190 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: a liquid. Yeah, Okay, you can pour that off and 191 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: I don't know, like drink it or use it in 192 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: cooking or whatever you want. Yeah, add some protein. Yeah, 193 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: I have to say, I thought there'd be more ingredients 194 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: in tofu and I don't know why I thought that, 195 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: but um, apparently it's you can make it yourself, and 196 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: it's I person wouldn't say easy, but definitely within the 197 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: realm of doing sure, like like like labor intensive perhaps, yeah, 198 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: And I just don't have things like you need a 199 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: cheese cloth and some kitchen weights, and I don't have 200 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: these things. But we can get you some cheese cloth 201 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: any We can get some cheese cloth by by four o'clock. Okay, okay, okay, 202 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:26,440 Speaker 1: that's exciting. Okay, okay. Anyway, I was going to go 203 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: into like how to make it, but it's pretty much 204 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: the same as what Lauren just discussed, but on a 205 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: much smaller kitchen scale. And you can look up the recipes. 206 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 1: There's so many recipes online. You basically you make your 207 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: own soy milk and then yeah, you put in a 208 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: coagulant and just wait for it to the form up 209 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: with some weights and you know, just just yeah, press it, 210 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: you know. I mean again, it depends on what you 211 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: want to do. And you can make silky tofu, you 212 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: can make firm tofu. It's a little bit more intensive 213 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: than than yogurt, and then it's slightly more than stirring 214 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,839 Speaker 1: because there are being is involved. But but it's a 215 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 1: really the same principle pretty much, which I had literally 216 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: no idea about before we did the research for this episode. 217 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: I know, it's just one of those things that never 218 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: occurred to me to try to make my own tofu, right, 219 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: but it sounds um like it can be finicky, but 220 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: the rewards are great, Yes, if you succeed. So for 221 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: all those kitchen adventurers out there, why don't give it 222 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: a try. Yeah, if you make your own, let us know, 223 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: let us know how it's different from store brand tofu. Yeah, absolutely, 224 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: So that's kind of the what is it portion? Um, 225 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: let's talk about some history, but first a break for 226 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsor, and we're back, Thank you sponsor. 227 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: So Tofu, despite being known by its Japanese name, most 228 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: likely originated in China sometime around two six to two 229 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 1: twenty BC. That's the Han dynasty. If you're more familiar 230 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: with the dynastic version of time keeping in China, Yes, 231 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: and this is the production of it probably originated there. 232 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: Then it was probably discovered much earlier by accident, as 233 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: a lot of these fermentty type things are. Yes, a 234 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: popular story goes that around this time, a chef living 235 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: in northern China was testing out ways to spice up 236 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: the popular dish of soybean soup by adding some unrefined 237 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:40,040 Speaker 1: sea salt that had some naturally occurring coagulating nagari. But 238 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: to his surprise, not to ours, it curdled into this 239 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: gel tofu like thing that people loved. It was delicious 240 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: and sort of a fun. Spin off of this story 241 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: goes that a man was trying to fix something for 242 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: his parents who had lost their teeth and they could 243 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: only eat soft food, So he purated some cooked sway beans, 244 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: but the parents had a spit take after trying it, 245 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: saying that there were too many solid bits of bean 246 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: in there. So the sun tried again and he passed 247 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: the soup through some mesh, but that still didn't satisfy 248 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: the parents, who thought I had no flavor. No, so 249 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: he's on his last leg and he reheated the mixture 250 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: and added some salt, and then he let it cool 251 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: and it formed the tofu like jelly that was probably 252 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: tofu ish, and finally his parents were not only satisfied, 253 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: but very satisfied. There you go. Another legend that tells 254 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: the tale of Lord Luan, a prince of the Haunt dynasty, 255 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: and according to this, he invented Tofu in and around 256 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: b c. E. Okay, yeah, this fellow was on the 257 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: hunt for an immortality elix, sir, so he ventured alone 258 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:59,239 Speaker 1: off into the mountains to create this potion. Um. But alas, 259 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: he wasn't six festful, but we know of Hey, whole 260 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: tangent could happen right now, but it won't. His experiments 261 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: deadly behind a soft white substance, which he got the 262 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: peasants to try, of course, because you could have been 263 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: poison He didn't want to die, but they declared it 264 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: delicious and non poisonous. Um. And this newly discovered non 265 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: immortality alixir was named Tofu or probably yes, but yes exactly. However, 266 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: this story didn't pop up until about a thousand years 267 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: after it was supposed to have happened, so historians think 268 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: it's probably not true. Ah. And this is sort of 269 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: a thing that sometimes in history, a popular inventioned story 270 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: goes to a popular historical figure. Sure apparently it's all 271 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I like the immortality. Oh sure yeah. Another 272 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: theory claims that the Chinese picked up milk turtling techniques 273 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: from the Mongolians or the East Indians Um. And the 274 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 1: crux of this argument is pretty much words. The Chinese 275 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: word dofu is very close to the Mongolian word rufu, 276 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:16,479 Speaker 1: which translates to spoil to rotten milk. Yes, there's actually 277 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: not that much evidence for any of those stories, not 278 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: surprisingly really, but those are like three popular origin stories 279 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: of tofu. Since it was relatively simple and cheap to 280 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:34,959 Speaker 1: produce however it originated, it became a favorite delicacy throughout China. 281 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 1: There are descriptions found in writings and poetry from the 282 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: Song and Yuan dynasty, which is UM nine sixty to 283 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: twelve seventy nine CE and twelve SEE respectively, and they 284 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: indicate that tofu production was by the most part standardized 285 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,640 Speaker 1: by these times. Sudong Po, a poet during the dynasty, 286 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: purportedly was inspired by his love of tofu to invent 287 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: the apthlete named dish dung Po to fu H sure. Sure. 288 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: It was also used in traditional medicine to do things 289 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: like clean your spleen and replenish your cheese. Huh spleen cleaning. 290 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: I could use a good spleen cleaning I'm sure very 291 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: spleeny ninth century Buddhist monks who were big fans of 292 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: tofu because they thought the vegetarian diet was better for 293 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: the spirit, introduced the soya plant to Japan and Korea, 294 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: although they could have been in either of those places 295 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: or both of those places for much longer, probably wherever 296 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,160 Speaker 1: you were making soy milk happen, yeah, or or making 297 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: ground soy soup products. I thought for at first, I 298 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: thought you were saying, like from the ground ground soy 299 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: supposed to air soy or five yourself. So I was like, 300 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,679 Speaker 1: with our powers combined. Tofu was first mentioned in UH 301 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: nine document by taou Ku Tofu the word that is, 302 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: at the time, people in China gave tofu the nickname 303 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: vice Mayor's mutton because of this story of this guy 304 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: that was too poor to a Ford mutton, so he 305 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,199 Speaker 1: bought tofu instead. But I'm pretty sure the point of 306 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: that story was actually frugality was a virtuous thing, so 307 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: he was doing it a good thing, not not not 308 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: like a not like Welsh rabbit, which is just making 309 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: fun of a number of levels of right, Okay, I 310 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,960 Speaker 1: think it was positive, like yeah, making do I think 311 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: so the first written record of a tofu dish served 312 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: in Japan describes an offering served in three c e. 313 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: At the Kasuga Shrine and the upper class of Japan 314 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: they adopted tofu fairly quickly, and it was widely enjoyed 315 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: by the fourteen hundreds. A Japanese book published during the 316 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: Edo period which was sixteen or three to eighteen sixty seven, 317 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:10,719 Speaker 1: had over one hundred food recipes in it. Yeah, and 318 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: part of that was probably related to the rise in 319 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: acceptance of Buddhism. If we go back over to China, 320 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: during the Qing dynasty, which was six to nineteen eleven, 321 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: Emperor KHANSI reportedly gave his high officials locally and strongly 322 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,919 Speaker 1: flavored tofu in place of jade, our gold or the 323 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: like while on an inspection tour of southern China. I 324 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: can't imagine expecting jade and getting I can't say it 325 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 1: would be upset, necessarily defensil. Now get the tofu was 326 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: and how hungry I was at that current, Yes, but 327 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: I just loved that. I know I'll get them tofu perfect. 328 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:53,880 Speaker 1: At the time, tofu is mostly made in small shops 329 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: using um similar methods in both China and Japan all 330 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,880 Speaker 1: the way up until the nineteen six Yes, and then 331 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: the Japanese Food Research Institute made a set of recommendations 332 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: aimed at standardizing and modernizing tofu, including things like using 333 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: calcium soul fate as the thickener instead of nagari, and 334 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: using pressure cookers, hydraulic presses centrifuges instead of doing everything manually. 335 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: And as you guess, the recommendations succeeded in speeding up 336 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: tofu production. But what effect did it have on the 337 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: tofu exactly? Some tofu producers refused to adopt it, thinking 338 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: it negatively impacted the flavor, and they still do everything 339 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: by hand. It's beautiful. I know. I want to do 340 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: a taste test. I do too. I want to know 341 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,399 Speaker 1: if you can taste like any difference. I imagine you 342 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 1: imagine you probably can. Yeah, I would hope so, and 343 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: I would guess. So. Maybe one day, Lauren, we'll get 344 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: we'll get a taste test. We'll know the truth. We'll 345 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: have to go to Japan. Well, we'll just want to 346 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: tell we'll have to tell your boss that it's necessary. Absolutely, 347 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: he won't be able to argue. I'm sure the believed 348 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: first written English use of the word tofu, and it 349 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: was spelled with a W at this point. O W 350 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: F you by an American, was in a letter exchange 351 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 1: between Englishman James Flint and Benjamin Franklin Yeah in coughing 352 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: up in the Tofu episode. Franklin had apparently been on 353 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: the hunt for what he called Chinese cheese since reading 354 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: about it in the writings of Domingo Fernandez Navarette his work, 355 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,479 Speaker 1: by the way, um Domingos work was first published in 356 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: sixteen sixty five and it was translated into English and 357 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: seventeen o four, which is the first known instance of 358 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 1: tofu in an English language documentary written down but but 359 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: not okay right. Earlier in the sixteen hundreds, Captain John 360 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 1: Sarah's wrote of his time in Japan and is thought 361 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: to have been describing tofu with of cheese they have plenty, 362 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: butter they have none. Nor will they eat any milk 363 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: because they hold it to bes blood, nor will they 364 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: tame beast. So the cheese was probably was probably because 365 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: without taming beasts, I'd imagine that it would be difficult 366 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: to get yeah, milk cheese, Yeah, And I thought I 367 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 1: wanted to include that just because I thought it was 368 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: interesting that kind of sounds like vegetarianism. Are veganism, yeah, 369 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: because they won't have any milk butter. Yeah, Yeah, interesting 370 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: historical and also also I just love that there was 371 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: just no concept of of a curdled product other than cheese. 372 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:41,359 Speaker 1: It's like, that's that's what it is. This is a 373 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: cheese thing. It must be, must be cheese. Yeah, m um. 374 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 1: In the US, despite having soybeans since the seventeen hundreds, um, 375 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: and they were made popular by Chinese immigrants during the 376 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,919 Speaker 1: Gold Rush of the eight hundred's. The first tofu company, 377 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,959 Speaker 1: by the way, opened in eighteen seventy eight in San Francisco. 378 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: Tofu wasn't really that popular for a long time. There 379 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 1: was a modest bump after soldiers returned from World War Two, 380 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: some of them with Asian cuisine and some with Asian spouses. UM. 381 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: At the beginning of the twentieth century, soybeans were predominantly 382 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: grown as a cash crop to regenerate soil in between 383 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: crops um between more useful crops exactly heavy scare quotes there. 384 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: They were very heavy. Um. Also as food for livestock 385 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: and to produce oil used in manufacturing are for culinary use, 386 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: especially as World War Two started blocking the trade of 387 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,840 Speaker 1: other imparted oils and fats. Yeah, by the nineteen fifties, 388 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 1: American soybean production nearly equaled Asian soybean production, and by 389 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties the US provided of the world supply. However, 390 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: it wasn't until the nineteen seventies that more mainstreams doors 391 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: started offering tofu. In response to the growing popularity of 392 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,680 Speaker 1: global cuisines and also high meat costs, plus their eyes 393 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: of vegetarianism and just general health awareness, tofu started to 394 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: gain popularity, and today the US is one of the 395 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: world's largest toy being producers. I think it's like openness, 396 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: But still the US consumes relatively low amounts of tofu 397 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 1: compared places like China, where tofu is a big part 398 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,160 Speaker 1: of their culture. Oh yeah, there's all these beautiful legends 399 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 1: about it. I mean, other than that those origin stories, right, Yeah. 400 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,880 Speaker 1: A popular one is about a poor but pretty lady 401 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: who is known as being curd beauty what tofu she Sha, 402 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: which comes from a story about a woman named she 403 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: Shah who was so beautiful fish froze and sank to 404 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 1: their deaths. The site of her, and thus her name 405 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 1: came to mean beauty. So yeah, being curd beauty. That's 406 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:02,919 Speaker 1: some like like glad reel kind of kind of stuff. 407 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: That's intense. That's intense beauty. I can just imagine walking 408 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: by the river and the fish died. Sorry, I didn't 409 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: mean it. I can't go anywhere. Um. A man who 410 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: sexually harasses a woman is said to be eating her tofu. Yeah, 411 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: I know it sounds pretty dirty. Has something to do 412 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: with a beautiful tofu shopkeeper who men would keep coming 413 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: to visit the shop, less for the tofu and more 414 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,120 Speaker 1: for the woman. Oh okay, I get it. Okay, that's 415 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: not as dirty as it sounds. Yeah, that's that's good, excellent. Um. 416 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: Tofu is close to the Chinese word for luck, so 417 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 1: that's a big part of Chinese lunar New Year's celebrations. Um. Also, 418 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 1: in certain parts of Chinese culture, it's considered bad luck 419 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: to eat meat on the lunar New Year, so so I, um, 420 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 1: substitutes would therefore be popular, I'm sure. Yeah. I also 421 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: saw something about like a death ritual in China where um, 422 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: you bring tofu to grapes because it's soft enough for 423 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,040 Speaker 1: the dead to chew that could only find that one place. 424 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: So I was like, I don't know if it really 425 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: I don't know if anyone else knows. Right in um Mapo, 426 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:19,439 Speaker 1: tofu translated means freckled woman. It's supposedly named after the 427 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: freckled woman who invented the dish and served it at 428 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:26,160 Speaker 1: a good price to loyal customers. I can say that 429 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 1: when I was in China, I definitely there are so 430 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: many tofu options, Like there was a dim sum place 431 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: of tofu. What. Yeah, it was both dim sum and 432 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 1: only tofu options. That's amazing. Yeah, And I remember the 433 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 1: dessert being at the time it was relatively new to 434 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 1: tofu because, as I said, it was not the thing 435 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: in my house growing up when they were like the 436 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: dessert is also tofu. No, I had some reservations, but 437 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: it was delicious. So that's tofu history of breached. Yes, 438 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: we're wind. So now let's take a look. It's a 439 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 1: science yeah, but first let's take a quick look at 440 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: a word from your sponsor and we're back. Thank you sponsor. 441 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 1: So the science segment of this podcast episode is going 442 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: to deal largely with the with the health of tofu. 443 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 1: The healthfulness of tofu. But first, a really huge disclaimer. 444 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,160 Speaker 1: It's a huge one. It's gigantic folks um so humans 445 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 1: scientists included really like talking about soy food products. But 446 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: whenever you see a headline about the the healthfulness or 447 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: the lack thereof of soi, please do remember that soy 448 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: food products is a ludicrously large bucket of stuff, like 449 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: like an ocean sized bucket. Really um, Because in addition 450 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: to to tofu and it's variants, you've got straight up 451 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: soybeans as in like a mam a um. You've got 452 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,840 Speaker 1: soy milks so i, soy protein that is created for 453 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: the sake of protein. Uh, soy protein that is manufactured 454 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: um for for food texture, and kind of crept into 455 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 1: all kinds of products that you don't even realize it's there, 456 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: and on and on and on and each of these 457 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: foods involve working with soybeans in different ways that change 458 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: the nature of their constituent molecules that the soy protein isolates, 459 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 1: frequently used in mouse studies to determine soys health effects 460 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: are going to interact with the body completely differently from 461 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 1: if you just eat some fried tofu. Right, Speaking of 462 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 1: fried tofu and it's gonna sound real dub when I 463 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: just say it out loud. Um, but any fats that 464 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,479 Speaker 1: you add during the cooking process of a soy product 465 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 1: like tofu are also going to interact with your body. Yeah, 466 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: it's the same thing as you know, sugars and salts 467 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: and whatever. The nutritive properties of any single human food 468 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 1: product are really hard to suss out because it's neon 469 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: impossible to control human diet enough to create a really 470 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,440 Speaker 1: good clean study. And on top of that, human bodies 471 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: all digest and process food just a little it differently. 472 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: We are. We are all unique snowflakes in a lovely 473 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: strange way. Um. But okay, let's talk about tofu and nutrition. 474 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: As Annie said at the top of the show, tofu 475 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 1: is a relatively high in protein. It's kind of mid 476 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 1: range in fats and low in carbohydrates. That means that 477 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: it's filling and also that it won't spiker crash your 478 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: blood sugar good times. They're the fats that are in 479 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: tofu are pretty good for you. They're mostly mono unsaturated 480 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,800 Speaker 1: fatty acids a k a. The stuff that's been shown 481 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: to lower bad L d L cholesterol levels in your body. 482 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: And tofu itself contains no cholesterol. It's a fairly high 483 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: quality protein, especially for not being an animal product, which 484 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: means that it contains relatively high amounts of all of 485 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: the essential amino acids, which are the ones that our 486 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,280 Speaker 1: bodies cannot produce and thus that we have to get 487 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 1: from foods. It is always best, especially when designing a 488 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: vegetarian diet, to eat a variety of different foods that 489 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: you can intake all the stuff that your body needs 490 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: over the course of a day. Mm hmm, everything the 491 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: body needs. Yes, And unfortunately we don't have that that 492 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:09,880 Speaker 1: slurry of matrix stuff so instionately or unfortunately. I think 493 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: there's a debate to be had either way. I guess 494 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: you could just drink a whole lot of soilent. Um. 495 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: I don't actually recommend that either, Sorry, soilent you're not. 496 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: It's not terrible, it's it's quite fine. Um. Yes, eat 497 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: some eats, eat some different vegetables, is what I'm saying. Yes, 498 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: tofu still the good sois and nutrients that any was 499 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 1: saying and uh speak speaking of the nutreats and tofu, 500 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 1: it's best to buy it in opaque or semi opaque containers, because, 501 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: as with dairy products, exposure to light will degrade some 502 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 1: of tofu. Tofu's nutrients um, such as omega three fatty acids. Though, uh, 503 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know if your local Asian market 504 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,480 Speaker 1: makes it in house and packages it in clear pint 505 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,959 Speaker 1: containers like mind does. Yeah, maybe tries some of that sometime. Anyway, 506 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: it's probably delicious. Probably you're not losing a whole lot. 507 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: But Lauren, you might be saying, does SOI cause cancer? 508 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: I was saying that were you. You were very quiet 509 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: about it, but well, you know, thank you for playing along. 510 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: Um eating eating tofu will most likely not cause cancer, 511 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,240 Speaker 1: and it may actually help prevent certain kinds of it. Okay, 512 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: so this is going to be one of my weird 513 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: medical tangents. Yea. One of the things that SIE products 514 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: in general contain is particles called isoflavans, which are chemically 515 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: similar to estrogens. They're similar enough that isoflavans can fit 516 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: into some cellular receptors that were designed for estrogen in 517 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 1: your body, like a skeleton key into a lock, Okay, 518 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 1: thus acting like estrogens in certain circumstances. For example, breast 519 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: tissue cells contain estrogen receptors, and sometimes when a little 520 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:47,240 Speaker 1: chunk of estrogen locks into one of those receptors, it 521 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: causes a chain reaction that encourages cancerous tumor growth. This 522 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:55,440 Speaker 1: is the trigger of about seventy of breast cancers um 523 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 1: though the full process is really super complex and researchers 524 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,960 Speaker 1: are still studying how and why happens, but that's the 525 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: basis of it. That's the first first little stick in 526 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 1: the in the full long chain, long chain of how 527 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:13,360 Speaker 1: it does. However, isoflavins can block it from happening because 528 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 1: if isoflavans get to those receptors first, the estrogen has 529 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: nowhere to go. It can't lock in and set off 530 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,240 Speaker 1: that tumorous reaction. Isoflavans can also spur cells to produce 531 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: a protein that binds to free roaming estrogen in your body. 532 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,960 Speaker 1: Meeting that estrogen will have a hard time locking into 533 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,600 Speaker 1: any kind of receptors at all, and isoflavans can even 534 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 1: prevent estrogen from forming in fat tissue in the first place, 535 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: which is one of those cancer causing kind of things. 536 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 1: Research into a variety of soy products, not just tofu 537 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: has shown either no correlation with cancer or correlation with 538 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: lower rates of cancer in humans and mouse studies. However, 539 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,960 Speaker 1: u two types of soy protein isolates have been linked 540 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: to cancer. These are man made extracts of soy proteins 541 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: and and this type of stuff does not wind up 542 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 1: in our food, but they are similar to the stuff 543 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 1: that you can get in like soy supplement pills. Um, 544 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,879 Speaker 1: So maybe don't take those until more research is done. 545 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: But tofu is fine on the cancer front. Also, these 546 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:19,840 Speaker 1: ice of flavans have not been shown to affect hormone 547 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 1: balances or hormone activity in dudes. So go forth and 548 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: eat tofu without being worried about cancer or low sperm counts. Yeah, it, 549 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's what I love about food. Yeah, 550 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: sometimes you worry about low sperm counts sometimes when you're 551 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 1: discussing it. Food is so vital to so many things 552 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,240 Speaker 1: you just don't even you don't even think about another 553 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,840 Speaker 1: thing that you might be thinking about. Should I be 554 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 1: worried about GMOs? Should I know? Okay, well, okay, not 555 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,480 Speaker 1: in terms of nutrition. There is and this is a 556 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: strong statement, my friends, but I'm but I'm prepared to 557 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:04,680 Speaker 1: make it zero evidence that genetically modified food as a 558 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:09,879 Speaker 1: large and incredibly multitudinous category acts any differently in your 559 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 1: body at all than conventional food. Mm hm. Take a 560 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: moment and let that sink in. Yeah, Okay, that the 561 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 1: one squidgy area that I've read about is potential allergen concerns. 562 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 1: There there was a case in of um tree nut 563 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:31,040 Speaker 1: allergic patients having reactions to GMO soy because the genetic 564 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,600 Speaker 1: bits that had been put into the soy had been 565 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:38,239 Speaker 1: taken from brazil nuts. Okay, but since then researchers and 566 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: producers have forgotten a lot more careful about allergies in 567 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,840 Speaker 1: that way. And even that one squidgy little bit of 568 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,959 Speaker 1: concern is evidence that GMO foods act in your body 569 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: exactly the way that regular foods do. That bit was 570 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 1: an allergen and it caused an allergic reaction. Not mysterious. 571 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:57,800 Speaker 1: Please do not be scared of eating GMO products merely 572 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:01,680 Speaker 1: because they're genetically modified. Seriously, we will peopill do a 573 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 1: whole episode about this sometime, But that's that's the takeaway. 574 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: There is an environmental asside here, though, oh is there 575 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 1: because some genetic modifications are designed to make crops less 576 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:17,960 Speaker 1: bothered by by herbicides, which basically lets growers spray herbicides 577 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: with wild abandon, which is generally bad for the humans 578 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:24,720 Speaker 1: and other living things in the area. If you're concerned 579 00:36:24,719 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: about those practices, do and you know, go out there 580 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:31,880 Speaker 1: and inform yourself, you know, do research about the specific 581 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,879 Speaker 1: growers of various GMO products and uh and make your 582 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:37,800 Speaker 1: make your consumer choices accordingly. But I'll say it again, 583 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:42,160 Speaker 1: please don't be scared of eating GMO foods just because 584 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 1: they're genetically modified. Right, even though people weren't poking the 585 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 1: inside of cells with the inside of other cells for 586 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,680 Speaker 1: the past few millennia, that's that's the new thing. Um. 587 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 1: We have been genetically modifying our food by more traditional 588 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:04,280 Speaker 1: methods since we've been farming. Yeah, I mean, just be informed. 589 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 1: We're always a proponent of being informed, which makes sense 590 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 1: what we're doing. Um. I have a friend who's like 591 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:16,040 Speaker 1: tangentially in this field, and she has very strong opinions 592 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:21,239 Speaker 1: on this. You would imagine, I'm sure, yeah, oh man, 593 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,239 Speaker 1: maybe maybe we could get her to come talk to 594 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 1: us or something. She'd talk talk all right. She sounds 595 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: usually when people say this, it's sarcastically, But I bet 596 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 1: she's really fun at parties. Yeah, anyone who will talk 597 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 1: GMOs with me at a like cocktail parties, automatically we 598 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 1: should be friends. Oh but going back to the environmental thing, 599 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:53,440 Speaker 1: hey is tofu environmentally unfriendly? Man? You're giving me all 600 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 1: these frightening questions. Um, the answer is like, m okay. 601 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:03,440 Speaker 1: What one of arguments for vegetarian or largely vegetarian eating 602 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:08,760 Speaker 1: is the impact of raising meat animals, right, because because 603 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,720 Speaker 1: you know the calories that you get from a steak, 604 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 1: a lot more um, water and thyme and food product 605 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: has gone into growing that steak than would go into 606 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:24,000 Speaker 1: growing any ear of corn or a tofu or whatever 607 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:25,840 Speaker 1: it is that you're growing a soyving not a tofu. 608 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:30,440 Speaker 1: You don't just grow tofu like that image. So so yeah, 609 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 1: the meats carbon footprint is really significant. Precisely how significant 610 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,399 Speaker 1: depends on a whole bunch of different factors and whether 611 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,280 Speaker 1: or not you're including them all at once. That's also 612 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: a topic for a whole episode unto itself. So you 613 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,360 Speaker 1: know that that's an argument for like maybe replace some 614 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 1: of some meat in some meals with some tofu. Monday 615 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: less mondays exactly that kind of concept. However, in some 616 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 1: countries like say, the United Kingdom, where most of your 617 00:38:57,080 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 1: soy is being imported. The transport and manufacture of soy 618 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:09,800 Speaker 1: and tofu is also not really great carbon footprint wise. Sorry, Okay, 619 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: all your faiths are problematic. Okay, well be informed. We 620 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 1: have to live by our own our own motto. Yeah, yeah, 621 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,120 Speaker 1: does does that? Does that clear everything up? Does that 622 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:23,960 Speaker 1: make everything just just perfectly muddy? The world is very complex. 623 00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: I think that's the takeaway that we can that we 624 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:30,080 Speaker 1: can garner here. I believe that is all we have 625 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,480 Speaker 1: for you today on tofu. I hope that uh, the 626 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:38,839 Speaker 1: vegetarians that this kind of makes up for say, did 627 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 1: you just just a little bit um? And of course 628 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:42,880 Speaker 1: there are lots of other soy products. We touched on 629 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:44,439 Speaker 1: a few of them here and there, but I would 630 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,520 Speaker 1: love to do whole episodes about Tempa or um, all 631 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:54,160 Speaker 1: of the NATO man. Yeah, we probably will excellent, Yes, 632 00:39:55,120 --> 00:40:00,120 Speaker 1: but now it's time for a listener many yes. So. 633 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:03,800 Speaker 1: Lindsay wrote in in response to our Gin and Tonic episode, 634 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,040 Speaker 1: and she said, I just listened to the Gin and 635 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 1: Tonic podcast. You spoke about the British government enacting laws 636 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:12,279 Speaker 1: to protect people from gin by making it more expensive, 637 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,839 Speaker 1: which in turn led to illegal and improperly distilled gin 638 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:19,720 Speaker 1: resulting in death. Reminiscent of our own war on drugs, 639 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:23,960 Speaker 1: This reminds me of Costa Rica and their Cassa Guarro. 640 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: Costa Rica took a different approach when they were having 641 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:30,279 Speaker 1: a rise in deaths from improperly distilled moonshine liquor that 642 00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:34,480 Speaker 1: was disproportionately affecting its poorest citizens. Their approach was to 643 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:39,600 Speaker 1: nationalize the production of garrow, a sugarcane derived liquor, and 644 00:40:39,719 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 1: keep it very inexpensive to undercut illegal operations. Obviously, you 645 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:45,839 Speaker 1: have to be a little bit skeptical when the state 646 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 1: takes control of an industry, but this approach didn't incarcerate 647 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: a vulnerable community like the War on drugs and stymied 648 00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:54,400 Speaker 1: a public health crisis. Yeah. I never heard of that, 649 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:57,279 Speaker 1: and I thought it was really interesting. Um, and I 650 00:40:57,320 --> 00:40:59,359 Speaker 1: went to the website and it looks just like any 651 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 1: old it's like any stuff, any liquor website. That's that's 652 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:06,839 Speaker 1: fascinating though. That's a I mean, good good on them. 653 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:09,080 Speaker 1: I feel like most stories that you hear about that 654 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:14,040 Speaker 1: kind of thing don't don't don't happily yeah, yeah, yes, 655 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,600 Speaker 1: thank you Lindsay for writing in. Definitely very interesting to 656 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:21,560 Speaker 1: hear about that. Emily wrote in about our pineapple episode. 657 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 1: She had a lot of facts, but a lot of 658 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:28,000 Speaker 1: pineapple related facts, but this is one of them. My 659 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 1: final pineapple thought came to me when you were talking 660 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:34,400 Speaker 1: about how expensive they were. I thought of the musical Cabaret. 661 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,440 Speaker 1: In the stage version of Cabaret, not the movie, the 662 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:40,920 Speaker 1: adorable grocer Hair Schultz gives his crush a pineapple in 663 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,799 Speaker 1: the song it Couldn't Please Me More. In the song, 664 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:47,240 Speaker 1: she sings things like, oh, this gift is too extravagant, 665 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,040 Speaker 1: and he keeps telling her that she's worth it. It 666 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:52,719 Speaker 1: culminates with him saying if I could, I would fill 667 00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:57,000 Speaker 1: your entire room with pineapples. It's an adorable love song 668 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: about how expensive pineapples were in nineteen thirties. Germ Any, 669 00:42:00,719 --> 00:42:02,680 Speaker 1: that song is probably one of my favorites from the show. 670 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,160 Speaker 1: It really cements the love they have from one another. Anyway, 671 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,839 Speaker 1: enough of me rambling on about pineapples. Never enough. But um, 672 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:14,520 Speaker 1: I I think I've seen Cabaret before, and I think 673 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:17,200 Speaker 1: I just wrote that off as like some kind of 674 00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:19,879 Speaker 1: weird reference. I wasn't getting Yeah, sure, I was just like, oh, 675 00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:23,359 Speaker 1: you know, well whatever, Yeah, I'm sure pineapples were hard 676 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:28,840 Speaker 1: to get and like Nazi Germany. But but right. But 677 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,759 Speaker 1: knowing the history of pineapples, it makes it so much 678 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: more poignant. I know, I appreciate it so much more now. 679 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:37,040 Speaker 1: So thank you for that, Emily. I had totally forgotten 680 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:41,080 Speaker 1: about that. And thank you to everyone else who's written 681 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 1: us in or sent does things. Um, you guys just 682 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 1: have so many cool stories. Please keep them coming. Yes, yes, 683 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:54,200 Speaker 1: give a mental high five to our sound engineer Tristan McNeil, 684 00:42:54,719 --> 00:42:56,960 Speaker 1: and we hope that lots more good things are coming 685 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:09,880 Speaker 1: your way. And that brings us to the end of 686 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:14,000 Speaker 1: this classic episode on Tofu. I hope you learned a lot, 687 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: even if you've already heard it, maybe you were reminded inspired. 688 00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, there was stuff that I did not remember 689 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:24,840 Speaker 1: writing about in that episode. It's really unfortunate how quickly 690 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,600 Speaker 1: some of that ye joupe, I remember it was interesting. 691 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: One of the reasons we are doing this these classics 692 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,839 Speaker 1: in the past couple of weeks is because Lauren and 693 00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: I and U super producers are slash were in Hawaii. 694 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 1: Yes we are there on assignment for saver talking to 695 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:52,680 Speaker 1: people from many segments of the food industry out there 696 00:43:52,719 --> 00:43:54,960 Speaker 1: to talk, yeah, to get an idea of what the 697 00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:59,560 Speaker 1: science and history and culture of food ana who specifically, um, 698 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:04,359 Speaker 1: it's like, yes, So keep an ear out for that, yeah, 699 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:07,040 Speaker 1: or or check our social media feeds. Maybe this time 700 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:10,719 Speaker 1: I'll remember to post some things to social I'm determined. 701 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,800 Speaker 1: I got kind of a stern. I won't say talking 702 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:18,799 Speaker 1: to but a firm suggestion. Help me say so. I'm 703 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:21,239 Speaker 1: trying to be better as well. Okay, yeah, so keep 704 00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:24,040 Speaker 1: an eye out for that on social media and speaking 705 00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:26,880 Speaker 1: of well before we get to that though, you can 706 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,920 Speaker 1: also email us, which is kind of like, I guess 707 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:35,160 Speaker 1: social media. It's social. It's a social a medium. There 708 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,720 Speaker 1: we go, There we go, and that exists at hello 709 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:42,960 Speaker 1: at savor pod dot com. We're also on social media, yes, 710 00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 1: that that Twitter and Facebook and Instagram thing. Oh. You 711 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:48,719 Speaker 1: can find us at saver Pod. We do hope to 712 00:44:48,719 --> 00:44:51,600 Speaker 1: hear from you. Savor is a production of iHeart Radio 713 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:53,799 Speaker 1: and stuff Media from More podcast from my Heart Radio. 714 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,239 Speaker 1: You can visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 715 00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:58,839 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you as 716 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,640 Speaker 1: always to We're Super producer, Dylan Fagin and Andrew Howard. 717 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:03,439 Speaker 1: Thanks to you for listening, and we hope that lots 718 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:11,840 Speaker 1: more good things are coming your way. H