Anya
Extreme Fanatic   Posts: 656 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 07:34 AM |
Yesterday I went to Lucy's Tofuhouse for lunch. I usually order the
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, but this time, I decided to have Teriyaki Tofu
instead. I actually enjoyed it. It tasted like scrambled eggs with
teriyaki sauce and rice. It made me think about the tofu substitutions for
food for those who want to watch out for cholestrol or want to try out
vegetarian-friendly meals:
-A growing amount of Californian Asian resturants are willing to substitute
chicken for tofu. The texture is different from chicken, but I personally
like it (in fact, thinking about substituting three meat meals a week with
tofu).
-Substitute the eggs in fried rice with it (hopefully this is an idea for
those that're new vegans, assuming the other products are not animal
related).
-Bettie gave me a yummy recipe for vegan cheesecake a while back. The
majority of the substitutes here are replacing regular cheesecake with
tofutti cheesecake (along with having egg substitute instead of regular
eggs).
(NOTE: Tofu is actually VERY fatty, but fatty with the good fats. Like
good and bad cholestrol, there's good and bad fat. Another reason why I
suggest it for egg substitutions for those watching out for the fats and
cholestrol.)
This is all for now. I'm not a vegetarian or vegan myself, but I'm the
type that's willing to try almost any food at least once (except things
that'd instantly kill me, of course). Do not know if I am willing to
pursue the lifestyle or not, but I am willing to explore the veg-friendly
recipe's out there. In the mean time, I'd like to hear about other
tofu-related cuisines. Martha Stewart has a few, but I'm sure this site as
a whole has a lot more.
[Edited on 2/26/2004 by Anya]
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Shmooth
Member   Posts: 76 Registered: 23/1/2004 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 08:00 AM |
Food substitute for Tofu.
Ok..so Tofu is a substitute for chicken. But This thread is about a food
substitute for Tofu, right? I dont know of any substitute for Tofu.
Where can I find a substitute for Tofu and still stay away from meat..?? I
dont know.
Air? Air is a good substitute for Tofu.
Anya, thanks for mentioning that Tofu is fatty. If something is fatty, it
better taste better than Tofu, or it's not worth chewing.
What is Tofu? It's like air, but fatning.
Alright alright..correct me if Im wrong. But Ive tasted Tofu. Now, if it
was really ALL THAT, wouldnt I have remembered?
I've tasted Tofu in sallad.. And I've tasted Tofu as some sort of cheese..
Is it cheese??
Tofu, is like the vegetarian equivalent of Spam.
What is Spam? I dont really know. What is Tofu? I dont really know.
:-S ____________________
Jameel
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Shmooth
Member Posts: 76 Registered: 23/1/2004 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 08:31 AM |
Im pretty sure eating Tofu renders you less agressive than from eating
meat.
So if we all eat Tofu..the world will be a better place! We'll all be
fat..but in a "healthy,good way".. and peace loving.
My god.. Eating Tofu has the same affect as what they did to that guy in
"A Clock Orange"!
Renders you harmless.
Think about it. The guy in that movie loved to rape,rob,steal,and kill.
Im pretty sure Tofu lowers your sperm count.. So he wont want to rape.
And he would have been rendered way to harmless to rob steal and kill.
I mean damn.. Look at Bettie_x .. She wouldnt hurt a fly. ..well..maybe
she'd eat one discreetly (just for the protein). ..or maybe because Tofu
has slowed down her reflexes,so she wouldnt be fast enough to hurt a
fly.
I curious as to why anybody would want to eat Tofu .. Arent there any
better alternatives??? You poor vegans. How do you live?? How do you
live????!??!????????
SPERM COUNTS OPEN TO SAUCY SUGGESTION
Dominion 3/09/01
A Christchurch scientist thinks soy products and vegetarianism may have
lowered the world’s sperm count.
To understand where the professor is coming from we must go back a bit.
The story started in 1992 when Danish epidemiologists reported that, based
on 61 studies, sperm counts had fallen worldwide in the previous 50
years.
A flood of critics dismissed the study because the sperm were up in some
places but down in others and had been counted in different ways in
different places.
So new surveys were undertaken, with mixed results.
Young Scotsmen were discovered to have only a quarter of the sperm produced
by older Scots. Parisian men were up, but those in Toulouse were down.
New Yorkers had the highest counts in the United States but Nigerians were
the lowest in the world.
A Californian study showed that nothing had changed in the US during the
past 50 years.
To settle matters, University of Missouri-Columbia scientists undertook a
global study, analysing 101 previous surveys with great mathematical
sophistication.
Last year, the team confirmed the worldwide fall in sperm counts, reckoning
that Americans were producing 2 per cent fewer sperm annually and Europeans
and Australians 3 per cent fewer. The fall has been blamed variously on
stress, smoking, diesel fumes, eating iodised salt, taxi-driving, smoking
dope and everything else.
Wearing Y-fronts was another possibility but a study on New Yorkers
(reported in the Journal of Urology) showed that “tighty whites do not
elevate testicular temperatures as previous supposed”.
None of these things could satisfactorily explain lowered sperm counts.
Suspicion falls most consistently on increasing exposure the chemicals in
the environment especially the female hormone oestrogen, or a similar
chemical used to make the plastic PVC.
Enter biochemist Professor Ian Shaw of the Institute of Environmental
Science Research, Christchurch.
In the latest New Zealand Science Review, he reports that we take hardly
any plastic-making oestrogen into our blood, but tons of oestrogen from soy
products – 1430 times more!
He suggests that falling sperm counts have coincided with the increasing
popularity of soy products and vegetarianism in Western diets.
The professor gets some support from Tokyo where only 4 per cent of young
men are up to WHO sperm standards.
Sperm counts have also fallen here in Wellington since 1993. Stress?
Smoking dope? Taxi-driving? Tight pants?
Not likely. More likely our lads have fallen slave to tofu-eating chic.
____________________
Jameel
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Rogue
Member  Posts: 199 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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 posted on 26/2/2004 at 09:52 AM |
Anya: It's not just California Republic that has restaurants like that. I
used to eat lots of tofu Phad Kra Pow noodles at a Thai place in Denver,
and almost all Asian restaurants would substitute tofu in anything if you
asked...even if it was not listed in the menu. I was doing it because I
was keeping strict Kosher, and even normally Kosher meats like beef are
Trefeh if they are not prepared correctly. Since you couldn't be sure, and
the chances of a band of Thai immigrants following Kashrut is slim, I chose
tofu. I discovered it to be yummy, so even now I order my Phad Kra Pow or
Phad Khee Mao with tofu. It is interesting to me that almost all Asian
restaurants even in Ohio will make anything with tofu without it being
listed on the menu, but very few non-Asian restaurants will do this.
My main beef (get it?) with meat is the factory conditions under which it
is produced, not that I particularly care about the doe-eyed fleshbuckets
that were bred to be eaten, but the end result is the same. I'm sure
Bettie could provide much more information on these factory conditions, I
just eat what I want and happen to think that tofu is yum. Not that
plastic tofu cheese stuff though, that's just nasty. They should never try
to make anything non-vegetarian out of vegetarian ingredients, in my
opinion. If you're eating tofu bologna, just go ahead and get bologna or
eat something that is actually vegetarian. Soy milk, tofurkey, all those
things seem to violate the spirit of vegetarianism. I mean, what if
Anthony Hopkins said he was going non-cannibal but had a chef make things
out of meat that looked like human parts? Seems like you should commit to
one way or the other.
When I eat grilled Portobello mushroom strips, I am not pretending they are
chicken. When I have yummy Asian food with tofu, I am not pretending it is
meat. Maybe I think about these things too much.
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Anonymous
 Posts: 116 Registered: 14/4/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 10:34 AM |
tofu can be almost 0% fat and up as high as 50% fat. it depends on how it
is made. and the hormones in cows milk are the most often sited reason for
the fall in sperm count, since they are the most notable in heavy milk
drinkers. oh and prostate problems and bad joints.
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Anonymous
Posts: 116 Registered: 14/4/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 10:34 AM |
tofu can be almost 0% fat and up as high as 50% fat. it depends on how it
is made. and the hormones in cows milk are the most often sited reason for
the fall in sperm count, since they are the most notable in heavy milk
drinkers. oh and prostate problems and bad joints.
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Anya
Extreme Fanatic Posts: 656 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 03:55 PM |
Okay, likely a grammar error in the thread title. I was making this thread
for the sake of giving ideas that you can use tofu instead of other things
if people are worried about cholestrol or something of the like. That and
I am interested in some tofu recipes.
Rogue: I'm sure it's at other places, I just mentioned Cali for it was the
only place I knew of so far that did such a thing. I'm sorry if I came
across wrong. I ordered the tofu bowl because I wanted to try it out, not
pretend it's chicken or anything. *snickers*
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Rogue
Member Posts: 199 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 05:14 PM |
I know, I was just pointing out that tofu substitution is fairly common
even in redneck hell. I just use firm tofu anywhere meat is supposed to be
used, but I have never tried it as an egg substitute. I tried going
vegetarian for a while, but the meat-like concoctions were all terrible so
now they irritate me. I didn't say you were pretending, but it just cracks
me up that there are meat imitations for vegetarians...it seems like they
would avoid the principle of meat and not just the actual substance. Same
goes for non-alcoholic beer.
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Kira
Member  Posts: 149 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 06:58 PM |
Try the Chik'N (lol) patties - they're like breaded chicken patties but
soy. I actually like them way better than the real thing (no yucky gristle
bits). As far as meat imitations go they're pretty damn good. I don't see
why that poses a moral problem. I grew up eating meat, and so I like meat
still. But for both health and ethical reasons I find it hard to eat the
real thing. So, if something is good and gets close enough to what I
remember...then I'm game.
Tofu is like anything else. It can be done poorly or it can be done well.
When prepared correctly tofu is like a delicious slightly crispy sponge
that soaks up the flavor of whatever it is sitting in...mmmmm... ____________________
Wind me up and make me crawl to you, tie me up until I call to you.
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Anya
Extreme Fanatic Posts: 656 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 07:43 PM |
I would find it difficult to avoid meat. Though I personally do not
condone how some factories treat their animals, it's still difficult. My
reasons are fairly due to health ones, as well (and financial). Some
vegetarians end up collapsing and sent in the hospital due to health issues
surrounding the diet, mainly for it can be difficult to get the proper
nutrients that're plentiful in meat (though not impossible). Otherwise, I
have great respect for those who spend the extra few dollars and time to
prepare their selves meat substitutions.
I thought about eating tofu at least three times a week for the sake of
keeping the bad cholestrol out of my system, which most meats carry (though
now resturants are doing better with cutting most fat out of certain meat
dishes). Also, for some reason, I have some good feeling in me when I eat
tofu now and then, do not know why. Maybe it's the feeling that the bad
fats are being cleansed out of my system...that or there's some chemical
property associated with the product...or even the sheer fact that I am
willing to eat certain things that many people are not.
Kira: I'll try the patties, sounds really yummy. I also agree with the
tofu preparation. Nothing tastes better than a teriyaki dish of any kind.
[Edited on 2/27/2004 by Anya]
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bettie_x
Extreme Fanatic  Posts: 1570 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 08:00 PM |
Kira those gardenburger "chicken" patties are about my favorite thing on
THE FACE OF THE EARTH. And you don't have to just eat them like a chicken
sandwich, you can use them in stirfry, put "country" gravy over them, make
all sorts of things out of it, I love it.
When my brain isn't splitting, I'll pop back in and bombard you with a
zillion super good recipes and meat substitutes, as you've hit on my
favorite topic: FOOOOOOODDD!
I swear to god, with my metabolism, I think if I wasn't a vegan I wouldn't
be able to maintain a size 7, which is up from a size 1 before I learned
how to cook *HA* ____________________
Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.
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Starlight
Extreme Fanatic  Posts: 618 Registered: 27/9/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 26/2/2004 at 11:03 PM |
Rogue: I don't think you were thinking about these things too much when you
brought up the pretending it's meat factor.
The reasons behind considering something a meat substitute are as varied as
the people who eat meat substitutes. I know people who simply want to cut
out some of the meat from their diet for health reasons, and those people
are usually looking for something that reminds them of meat.
Some other people consider meat substitutes as a stepping stone to getting
away from the idea of eating animals, but who aren't ready to look at food
in a whole new light yet.
Personally when I finally decided to completely eliminate meat from my
diet, I deliberately did not eat any meat substitutes at all for about two
or three months. I did that for the purpose of making sure that I was able
to live without the taste of animal or something that tasted like animal.
When I was sure I was ready, then I started allowing meat substitutes in. I
feel like I really am eating things called "fry chick" and "chickn", etc.
as protein, since that's exactly what I am doing it for. Plus tofu/bean
curd absorbs all the flavors of the vegetables and seasonings in the food
and provides a neat texture to the meal.
I don't think tofu tastes like chicken or beef, but it does remind a lot of
people of that because of seasonings that the tofu picks up. It works great
in recipes that are intended to have a bit more substance to them when meat
is eliminated.
Now as for tofu and other substitutes...
Like Rogue mentioned with the Portabella mushrooms, they taste great in
strips. I like them as fajitas because their texture is great with onions
and bell peppers.
Jasmine rice can work really good in dishes because it clumps together
nicely, and adds a lot of texture to a dish.
Guacamole works really good in tacos, as do refried beans (but have to make
sure the beans do not have lard in them).
Chunky pieces of tomato in a dish are also a very good filling.
I'm finding a lot more vegetarian dishes at restaurants than I used to, and
that makes things a lot easier when going out to eat. Something that my
husband does a lot, is to ask them to simply leave out the meat in dishes.
It's amazing how many dishes are still very delicious and filling if
nothing is substituted for the meat. For some reason I didn't really get in
this habit as fast as my husband did, but he does it because he has to eat
out on the road so much. When you do that at a restaurant, you've suddenly
got most of the dishes at your disposal. ____________________
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never
tried before." ~Mae West
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Rogue
Member Posts: 199 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 07:00 AM |
I thought about it plenty, thanks, how much did you think about dismissing
my statement? It seems as if meat-like substitutes are for those who still
desire meat but either want to eat healthier or want to try and prove
themselves better than others. This is not true in all cases, of course,
for instance I don't doubt Bettie's convictions at all. Maybe it's
overanalysing things (you can't spell that word without spelling 'anal'),
but it seems like the desire for flesh is the thing to be eliminated from a
spiritual standpoint. Besides, there are plenty of actual vegetarian
dishes out there that don't pretend to be anything. I would say at this
point that I would eat the chicken substitute for the sole reason that I
have a chicken allergy but still like the taste of it. Kira: Does it also
have none of that white gelatinous chicken spackle that is between the skin
and meat?
I guess I view meat substitutes in the same light as buying a "small" SUV
and acting all self-righteous because you are saving the environment during
your solo commute while talking on the cellphone.
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Kira
Member Posts: 149 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 07:23 AM |
Rogue, if it were about feeling better than others or posturing then I
would have a t-shirt made that said "I <3 Chik'N and you suck" or
something. lol. Preferable a ringer. Then I can hang out with all the emo
kids.
I can't imagine how that sliding scale works...so if you're a vegetarian
who doesn't eat fake meat somehow you're better than a vegetarian who likes
not dogs? Nonsense. I think there are a million different reasons people
choose to stop eating flesh. If those kind of products make it easier, then
I'm all for it. Plus some of them are good as stand alones even if you
don't like the real thing.
And no, no spackle in the Chik'N patties. Like Bettie said, you can cook
with 'em too...but I like to cut them up and dip them in honey, cause I'm a
weirdo like that.
This thread is making me hungry. Especially that part about guacamole. ____________________
Wind me up and make me crawl to you, tie me up until I call to you.
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Rogue
Member Posts: 199 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 07:34 AM |
It's not just about posturing all the time, I just have known people who
seemed like their only reason for any lifestyle choice was to try and prove
they were better than others. Like I said, it is a kind of ideological
issue for me and I'm probably complicating it unnecessarily. My reasons
for avoiding meat, when I do, are the preparation methods and heaviness.
Besides, tofu Phad Khee Mao tastes better than shrimp or pork. The
substitutes I have tried were nasty, like the bologna or the cheese, and I
found I would rather have something that is made for its own merit and not
to mimic something else.
I'll shut up now.
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callei
Extreme Fanatic  Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 09:18 AM |
I think most of us will agree that soya cheeze and chik burgers (or the
chick nuggets even) are very different things. Balogna is a bad thing no
matter what it pretends to be made of, so that fact that it tastes bad made
from soy doesnt obviate the fact that it tastes bad when its made of cow
lips.
chick'n with honey mustard, avocado slices, and wedges of tomatoe is soooo
goood ____________________
Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and vampires
away.
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Merry_Widow
Fanatic   Posts: 598 Registered: 24/8/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 09:23 AM |
Crud...what's the name of that brand that comes in the green box...I think
it has morning somewhere in the name. I remember I tried that once and was
pretty impressed with the taste and texture.
I'm an unapologetic carnivore, but my sister is a vegetarian. When I visit
her and she cooks, there is no meat. I remember one of the first times I
visited, she made a pasta sauce, and instead of putting meat in it, she
used lentils. I was wary until I tried it. It makes for a very satisfying
and filling sauce, and it tastes awesome. ____________________
Okay, dazzle me.
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Starlight
Extreme Fanatic Posts: 618 Registered: 27/9/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 04:10 PM |
Well hell fuck me for wording it wrong then.
Rogue: I was trying to say that you were not overthinking it.....AND that
you had a valid point. Apparently I worded it wrong and it sounded like I
was saying you hadn't thought it out very well. I didn't dismiss you.....I
was TRYING to agree with you.
I was also TRYING to give the several different reasons that I know people
use substitutes and I also do not ever try to posture about how this sort
of vegetarian is better than another sort of vegetarian.
Next time I'll make sure to double check how I word stuff a little
better.
My whole point in writing what I did was to agree with a few people on what
they wrote and when I saw the responses, I realized that I must have worded
everything wrong somehow.
____________________
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've
never
tried before." ~Mae West
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Starlight
Extreme Fanatic Posts: 618 Registered: 27/9/2002 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 04:14 PM |
| I probably even worded the last post wrong somehow. I'm just having that
sort of day. I think I must need a hug or something. I don't know. ____________________
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've
never
tried before." ~Mae West
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callei
Extreme Fanatic Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
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posted on 27/2/2004 at 05:02 PM |
GROUP HUG for starlight!!!!!!!
As the queen of typos, i can only say I totally understand. words can be
slippery things, like eels dipped in lube.
*hugs* ____________________
Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and vampires
away.
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