Day 89: Rockin' Moroccan Tofu Quinoa Veggie Bowl (So Good, It's Not Just a Dream)

Rockin' Moroccan Tofu Quinoa Veggie Bowl

Status: Restaurant (Native Foods)

Satisfaction: 8.

Associated with: Inception

Upon trying to find a list of films shot in Morocco, I came across a familiar gem--ever heard of this one? I can't actually tell you what scene was shot where...but I still think it's pretty cool. Plus, any excuse to get Joseph Gordon-Levitt on my blog is a good excuse.

Day 81: Pineapple Tofu Fried Rice (Doesn't Engage in Nautical Nonsense, Unfortunately)

Pineapple Tofu Fried Rice

Status: Restaurant (Mr. Noodle)

Satisfaction: 7

Associated with: Spongebob Squarepants' living quarters

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Probably not the crab and shrimp that died to make this dish possible.

I actually had to fight for my tofu on this one. Okay, no I didn't, but I did face the arduous task of subbing out shrimp, chicken, and crab (who the heck wants all of these dead animals in the same dish together, anyway?) for a bit of tofu. 

I hope Spongebob meets a better fate than his seafood--I mean, underwater friends.

Day 68: It's Grilling Time! Gorgonzola Naan and Okonomiyaki-Style Tofu (It's a Manly Thing)

Grilling Time--Gorgonzola Naan and Okonomiyaki-Style Tofu

Status: BBQ!

Satisfaction: 8

Associated with: Manly BBQ Aprons

Conveniently, as I type this post, my Spotify decided to spam me with yet another delightful commercial for my manly barbequing this year--they want me to listen to Rascal Flatts. Real manly, Spotify: about as manly as my grilled naan and tofu.

Anyway, the above is my favorite logo ever for grilling aprons. If anybody knows of any that are better, however, I'm always up for a challenge to my vastly judgmental taste in BBQ aprons.

Day 52 (4-27-12): Stir-Fried Veggies, Tofu, and Asian-Style Fried Chicken Over Rice (Thank Gawd Ah Don't Live in No South)

Stir-Fried Veggies, Tofu, and Asian-Style Fried Chicken Over Rice

Status: Restaurant (University of British Columbia's High-Class Food Mall--Sort of)

Satisfaction: 8. But I was so darn hungry, I'd have eaten anything.

Associated with: Princess and the Frog

I finished the whole damn thing, I was so hungry from the plane ride and a day without lunch. I haven't felt so accomplished since I went a 26.0 in my 50 fly. Okay, I didn't finish the fried chicken, which the Chinese lady at the food mall at UBC stuffed into my to-go box because apparently they were closing up shop and they thought it would be nice to have someone to give the leftovers to. Not that I didn't appreciate the gesture, but they gave it to the wrong person. Sorry, unfinished self-sacrificing chicken.

Anyway, as is probably already apparently, I couldn't stop thinking about the chicken. I haven't had fried chicken in years. Thank God I don't live in the South (hence the Princess and the Frog reference, by the way).

Day 34 (4.6.12): Chinese-Style Tofu with Ground Beef (Animal Parts in Food--It's An Asian/Chinese Thing)

Tofu w/Ground Beef

Status: Made by auntie

Satisfaction: 9.

Associated with: American Born Chinese, by Gene Yang

It always amazes me how Chinese traditions can always manage to insist on certain things that don't make sense: for example (and this is the showcased example of the day), putting some form of dead animal into dishes that would be perfectly vegetarian-friendly without it. Not that the result doesn't usually end up being delicious anyway; but just know that if you're going to step into a traditional Chinese restaurant and order the tofu or eggplant thinking it's going to be a nice environmentalist gesture, you might want to ask a waiter about it first (and probably get a supercilious eyebrow waggled at you before you get an answer). Jin, the protagonist of Gene Yang's ingenious graphic novel ABC, gets this point down pat, although the whole animal rights part doesn't quite make it in there.

Day 17 (3.20.12): Orange Chicken and Stuffed Tofu (Go Skadoosh!)

Orange Chicken and Stuffed Tofu

Status: Take-Out

Satisfaction: 3 on the chicken, 7 on the tofu.

Associated with: Kung Fu Panda

 

Imagine that you're going to a typical Chinese restaurant tonight. What are you ordering? If you came up with an answer within five seconds, chances are that you have a go-to dish when it comes to good old Americanized Chinese-in-quotation-marks food. Orange chicken is one of the few meat dishes I'll deign to order from Panda Express--hence the panda association (plus it adds a nice touch that it's on a tofu box to go with the stuffed tofu theme--medium firm, hiyah!). However, this orange chicken disappointed as badly as a panda who keeps its butt facing you the entire time you're at the zoo craning for a glimpse at it. Guess I'll stick with the plain old tofu next time.

Day 15 (3/18/12): Tofu Veggie Udon (Will Get You Burned at the Stake)

Tofu Veggie Udon

Status: Restaurant

Satisfaction: 9. Especially on a sick day.

Associated with: The Crucible, by Arthur Miller

 

Any time I get any dish that arrives in something that looks vaguely cauldron-esque, witches inevitably pop into my mind and the hee haw voodoo chants of yore begin their mantra in my head. I was tempted to go with a picture of worms or snakes or other celebrated slimy creatures in a cauldron, but considering the fact that my stomach isn't taking up food properly as it is at the moment, I restrained myself to the fantastic witch hunts of The Crucible. Somehow I imagine the wives of Salem cooking udon in their tiny cauldrons and getting denounced by their neighbors with this "evidence" of their witchcraft. I bet Miller was seriously considering making that a key scene in the play.

Day 6: Family-Style Tofu Eggplant (Speaks for Itself)

Day 6: Chinese Family-Style Tofu Eggplant

Status: Homemade (leftovers)

Satisfaction: 8. All tofu is good tofu!

Associated with: Sheer Bliss.

Tofu, eggplant, and deliciousness.

I have nothing more substantive to add.