Tofu Fest: The Joy of Soy
September 3, 2007
LOS ANGELES — Every year, Tofu Festival happens to fall on the hottest weekend of the year in Los Angeles, yet the event turns the usual quaint bustle of Little Tokyo into fair grounds jam-packed with people.
Why brave the hot L.A. sun? Good food, of course. It’s no surprise that this festival is often ranked as one of the top food festivals of the nation.
Some people may liken the Tofu Festival to a food court, but for anyone who has frequented Asia’s side streets, it’s a lot more like a night market where you can get a little plate of this and a little bowl of that.
With that said, I think they need to hand out bigger trays at next year’s festival. On my tray, the fragrant Japanese keema curry (ground beef and vegetables) from the much loved Curry House competed with the tasty Korean soondubu from BCD Tofu House; the tofu tostada and Malaysian tofu kabob could barely fit.
Friends couldn’t get enough of the fried balls of lobster from one of the Thai restaurants. All of us were downing Jamaican ginger beer and Nestle Milo.
Though full with food and tired from the hot sun, we couldn’t get to desserts fast enough. My pick was a generous serving of Thai mango and sweet sticky rice, and I’d have gone back for a bag of fried bananas if I wasn’t already bursting at the seams and fainting from the heat.
Taking refuge in some of the tents selling local goods, I bought a carved statue of a green dragon and a pair of handmade journals. I walked away from the festival with two regrets. First, I should have bought some of those soy-based candles. Second, I wish I had had more room for every dish the Tofu Festival had to offer.
Comments
Got something to say?