Stinky Tofu

It occurred to me I should explain what Stinky Tofu is, seeing that it's the name of the blog and all. Some of you might already know what is. I personally was not prepared. Nils had told me about it over the phone and said that it smelled terrible, but so does cow manure. I brushed it off. I grew up in Kutztown, I could handle it.

I can't handle Stinky Tofu.

I have a tendency to assume people are exaggerating. It takes a lot to shock me. With television and the internet its almost like you've seen it all without really seeing it all.

I hadn't seen anything like stinky tofu.

Dad, I know you're reading this and rolling your eyes thinking to yourself, "Good grief. Emily is always so dramatic." That may be. But you also weren't there. I can just imagine the laughs we would have had if on a family vacation we had walked passed a vendor selling Stinky Tofu. If Mom gags from a snorkel mask, she sure as shit would have been gagging from tofu soaked in ducks blood.

That's right, you heard me.

This post is really about my first trip to a night market. Nils had been to small ones around Taipei, but we decided to try to the big one! Shilin. We had heard it was bumping and that it was. It was during the Chinese New Year and it was packed with people enjoying their vacation and soaking up tradition. I was soaking it all in too. And then I smelled it.
 
"Oh my God. What is that smell?"

"That's Stinky Tofu."

I tried to get away but the crowd was thick and I was forced to just putt along with everyone else. All the while my eyes flashed from side to side searching for a way out. I'm not a good enough writer to articulate how much my stomach churned and how badly I wanted to get the hell out of there. I'm a tough cookie when it comes to food, or so I thought. The Shilin night market really sobered me up. I'm a pansy just like most Americans. I'm just a tourist who trims the fat off white meat.. when I actually eat it.

Stinky Tofu is fermented tofu. It's brined in vegetables, meat or soy milk that has gone rancid. The tofu is sometimes brined for months. Just soak that in for minute. (pun intended) Vendors have special recipes to get their smell. It's a snack sold at night markets and roadside stands and is most commonly deep fried but can also be steamed, stewed or served raw. It is very popular in Taiwan. Lucky me.

For about three days after our trip to Shilin if I closed my eyes I could still smell it. If Nils would mention it I would cut him off. My appetite was walking a fine line.

I'm sorry I don't have many pictures. I couldn't get close enough to snap a photo. If you can believe it there was a very long line and as I mentioned earlier my stomach needed me to get the H-E-double hockey stick outta there. We're going to go back and update the post soon. At the time there was just too much going on. Intestines and duck heads were staring at me. Weird things floating in broth and blood and the smell of stinky tofu kept me on the move.

When talking about culture it's important to remember that it's not weird, it's different. I completely agree, but I think it's pretty obvious I'm struggling to understand and accept Stinky Tofu. On a related note the one thing I have come to appreciate is how much of the animal they eat. I'm not used to it, but it makes sense. If you can take an animals life you should be able to at least handle the idea of using the whole thing. Right?

We came across Stinky Tofu again at Yangminshun National Park and it still reeked, but I think I was more prepared the second time around. Maybe by the time we leave it will just be an unpleasant odor. Maybe I'll even try it.

The day after our trip to Shilin Nils and I agreed "Stinky Tofu" had a pretty nice ring to it despite smelling like the depths of hell. Anna said it sounded like a Rock Band and Nils and I decided it sounded like a blog about an adventure in Taiwan.