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Tofu? Seriously?

Okay, so we eat tofu.  And we like it.  Yes, we LIKE it.  Sure, I know that tofu is a source of humor, for most Americans.  It's associated with what used to be called "tree huggers," like Ewell Gibbons. Remember him? The environmentalist who endorsed a certain breakfast cereal, because it reminded him of wild hickory nuts.  But rather than joke about tofu, we enjoy it.  Mostly, we fry it on a lightly oiled griddle, and it gets crispy on the outside and stays creamy on the inside.  It DOES, as the sources say, have a mild, nutlike flavor.  And when added to things like soups, stews and stir fries, it will pick up (and therefore) spread the flavors already in the pan/pot.  We even mash it in, with canned tuna and mayonnaise, to give the resulting tuna salad greater volume, while providing plant protein.  I could go on. . . but I won't.  This opening paragraph was to give you an idea that, unlike many Americans, we enjoy tofu.

So when we went to the supermarket, for what we considered essentials - things like dairy, meat, fish, fresh produce and bread, we were stunned to see that supermarkets are OUT OF TOFU.  All of a sudden, have American tastes (and senses of humor) changed, during the pandemic, so that they can't get enough of this soybean product?  Frankly, I'm shocked.  This is, after all, a hugely bacon & excess cheese nation.  Pizza crusts covered with half an inch of stretchy, gooey cheese.  Hamburgers topped with several slices of bacon and more gooey, oozy cheese.  Macaroni and cheese that is mostly oozy, gooey cheese. You get the idea.  And now, I'm encouraged to believe that this culture of excess fat and goo has suddenly (in the span of a month or two) come full circle, to deplete the supermarket shelves of. . . TOFU? SERIOUSLY?

Walking away from the supermarket with our meat, fish, dairy and other items - but without the tofu we use regularly - we were stunned.  Then the jokes began.  Images of Americans, filling their garages with tofu, in all the spaces not already occupied by the toilet paper they hoarded a month ago.  People opening their packages of tofu, then scratching their heads, wondering what to do with it.  Others reaching in to the rear of their fridge shelves, for tofu - in their case, the very, very last ditch effort, when the house is devoid of meat, cheese, fish, poultry or any canned protein (even SPAM),

The Tofu Disappearance Mystery deepens.  In the absence of tofu, we may have to fall back on other protein sources. . .like bacon and cheese. . .

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