A Bacon lover tries tofu and lives…. Athens, GA

Yes I can admit it, before my trip to the Grit, in Athens,GA, I had never had tofu before. I like meat, and honestly the whole idea of soybeans being made into a this strange white blocky substance scared me. Yes, I had a completely biased view of tofu and never really had given it a fair chance.

On February 18,2010, I put my fears and reservations aside and ordered the Golden Bowl. Ok here is what I was getting myself into. Straight from the Grit Menu, The Golden Bowl is “browned tofu cubes sautéed with soy sauce and nutritional yeast served over brown rice”. I added extra vegetables. I figured if I was eating vegetarian then why not add vegetables. My waitress delivered to me this bowl that was overflowing with vegetables and squares that resembled chicken. I was incredibly nervous before the first bite. What if it was disgusting? What if I absolutely love it and decide to give up eating meat? These questions and hundreds more raced through my head. I took my first bite.

I was still alive! To my surprise,I  liked what I was eating. This is going to sound incredibly cliche, but it tasted like chicken. This was slightly rubbery chicken, but full of flavor. It was not the bland squishy substance that I had feared. The dish tasted like a really good chicken stir fry. This being my first tofu experience, I have no basis to compare it to. I can now see why the Grit was suggested as a place for me to stop at. The vegetables and rice that accompanied the tofu were delicious. I never thought I would say this, but I will eat tofu at a restaurant again. I am not sure if I will buy it in a store and cook with it at home yet. But  you never know, one day you might see a post of me cooking with Tofu.