Be Like Tofu

Tofu gets a bad rap. Most people turn up their nose at the sound of the word, but I’d wager most people don’t even know what it is! Everyone has heard of it, every grocery store sells it, and whether you know it or not, you’ve probably eaten it (especially if you frequent Chinese restaurants). What is this strange, yet ever-present substance?

As cheese is to milk, so tofu is to the soybean. As a cow gives milk, so does a soybean give soymilk. As animal milk is separated into curds and whey in the production of cheese, so soymilk is separated into curds and whey to form tofu. The remarkable thing about tofu is that it takes on the flavor of whatever it’s mixed with. Soft tofu can be blended to create sweet treats. Firm tofu can be marinated, sautéed and baked for a savory dish. In fact, unlike most foods, the more you do to tofu, the better it tastes.

So as Thanksgiving approaches, and we officially kick off the holiday season, let's be like tofu. We can take on the flavor of whatever we’re mixed with. We can choose to blend into the consumer frenzy of the season and wear ourselves out trying to find the perfect gift for everyone in our lives. We can opt to baste in the Martha Stewart mandate to create perfectly decorated homes, multitudes of baked goods and flawless fowl dinners. We can simmer in the Santa Claus saturated media version of the holidays.

Or, we can choose to marinate in the spirit of the season. We can bake in the abundance of Thanksgiving and in the Good News of the birth of Christ. We can simmer in good deeds toward all God’s creatures. We can be seasoned with prayer and promise. We can bubble over with joy.

This holiday season, we are like tofu. We can be whatever we want to be. Choose your flavor.