Do you know where to get the best tofu in Wageningen? Not in Toko or Albert Heijn, but the household Eastern Express. I’ve been there three times. Every time encountered I different cashier. The very first time was an afternoon when no one was behind the pay desk. After I said ‘hello’ three times to nobody, a man came out of the kitchen and asked: ‘what do you want?’ By his accent, I guessed he may be Cantonese. ‘Ngoacuteh yiu dauh fuh,’ I said in Cantonese, which means ‘I want tofu’. He was taken aback until I repeated again. ‘I didn’t expect any Cantonese in Wageningen,’ he explained. After an amicable chat, I took home a fresh tofu block. It cost only one euro. One month later in my return visit, I was greeted by the female boss, who is not Cantonese. She charged me 1.5 euro. ‘Isn’t it 1 euro per stuk?’ I asked. ‘Don’t you know the price has risen?’ said she impatiently. However I grumbled, I accepted the deal reluctanly. Last Monday I met a third guy when I went there again. ‘You only want tofu?’ From his fussy expression I understood how queer he felt I was. In a second he went back from kitchen with a tofu in a cheesy plastic bag. When I was about to give him 1.5 euro, he said: 1 euro please.’ I didn’t ask him anything about the price; I just paid and directly went home with a downsized tofu with some sour smell. I told this story to the Dutch family. As unsure if they had fully got the story, I was about to summarize the oriental culture behind it. But they said it unnecessary. I thought they were right, after all they are from a country shrewd in money. So do you get it too? Vid of the Week: To think out of the meat, what you need is just a block of tofu
Tofu in Wageningen
As a cook for a Dutch family, I love making typical Chinese dishes to this adorable eating club. Tofu is one of my favorites. But I'm not gonna talk about food, but a story of tofu buying.