From Little Tokyo with love

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu.” I don't really know what that means. But what I do know is that tofu is perhaps one of the greatest foods ever made. And that I would sit through LA traffic for only about three things, and one of those things is the LA Tofu Festival.

This was our first year at the Tofu Fest (and sadly, possibly our last, if what LAist says is true) and it did not disappoint. First of all, it had to be the most well-organized city gathering I've attended. They provided free parking and Subaru shuttles to take us from the parking lot to the festival area. Everyone was really friendly. Everything was reasonably priced (although I'd be willing to pay more if it meant bringing the festival back for another year). And as a double bonus, all the proceeds went to charity.

But back to the food. I will attempt to list the top five things I consumed (in no particular order).

• Tofu Okonomiyaki. Some call it a Japanese pancake. Others call it a Japanese pizza. I call it a fiesta in my boca.

• Tofu Tostada. So tasty, yet so simple to make. They were giving away the recipe with one purchase of a tostada, which made me happy.

• Fried Tofu with Peanut Sauce. I know what some of you are thinking. Tofu + Peanut Butter Flavor Drizzled on Top = ??? Let me solve that for you: Mmm.

• Young Coconut. Ok, technically not tofu—at all—but a nice refreshing beverage that I got to drink out of an actual coconut. With a straw, even.
  

• Tofu Teriyaki. Really flavorful. Goes well with Rooster chili garlic sauce.

We missed out on the Tofu Cheesecake, but fortunately I got hold of a recipe that I intend to try out sometime soon.

Also picked up a couple of t-shirts, a Soy What?! poster, the official festival cookbook, and a hardy plant that requires no water and thrives solely on solar power.

Overall, it was time and money well-spent.