It's all in the packaging

Ever bought something just because the packaging was cute? I do it all the time. Especially with Japanese goods. I see something with Hello Kitty on it and bam~! I just gotta have it. Though it's not so much the kitten as it is design and color. Like that lychee Calpico at Famima was just begging to be bought. Good thing I have will-power.

Cool product design was what also attracted me to Otokomae tofu last week at Nijiya market. The first shipment had sold out, so when I went back for their second shipment I stood in front of the refrigerated section for a good 15 minutes just admiring the packaging. There's about 5 different types of tofu all described as being creamy-smooth. So I randomly picked out two packages and made them my next two meals. Mind you, these guys aren't cheap. They range from $4 to $6 a pack.

The salesman recommended not using the tofu in miso soup. Pour some honey on it and eat it as-is, he suggested. Hmm, that's just plain weird. Never have I had tofu with something sweet. Sounds like a strange American concoction. But I did as he said, and you know what? It was pretty good.

It's certainly creamy. Like eating Japanese cheesecake without the sugar. The above one is called "Kaze ni fukarete tofu-ya Johnny," which translates as "Johnny, the Tofu Maker Blown by the Wind." Say what?! Exqueeze me? Baking powder?

The next day, I tasted one made from black soy beans grown in Hokkaido, Japan. It was called "Otokomae Black" but was emblazoned with the Chinese character for man. It had a more rustic flavor to it. I never imagined eating tofu right out of the tub, but there I was scooping into it bit-by-bit. It had me going but I did get a little bored after a while and added some ponzu sauce. And then I dumped it in some miso soup. Later I realized it really is best eaten in the raw.

I told a coworker about Otokomae and he started scratching his head wondering what all the hoopla was about. Meiji Tofu shop in Torrance has been hand-making its own tofu for years, so how is this product any better, he questioned.

Simple answer: Product design.

Handsome Tofu @ Nijiya market

I stopped by Nijiya over the weekend and found signs all over the store advertising Otokomae Tofu, which has been immensely popular in Japan for its smooth, rich flavor. It was already sold out and the next shipment won't arrive until this Friday, July 20.

I'm very curious about it since it's supposed to have a consistency similar to cheesecake, which makes me think it's like a dessert. But then again I'm sure they're just saying that to appeal to the average American, who'd rather have dessert than a block of mashed soy beans. More than anything, these guys have a very unique ad campaign, tying it with retro '70s mascot characters and funky Japanese rock music. You can find the characters dancing on their homepage and there's a very long-winded story which supposedly explains their product, though I think it's just a randomly written story about nothing.

"Otokomae" is a funny name for a product since it means "handsome." So~ if you eat it you'll grow bigger balls? A hairy chest? Yikes...

Tofu Festival

Someone needs to make me a shirt that says, "I went to Tofu Festival and all I got was this lousy strawberry tofu." Hahah, no just kidding. I actually thought it wasn't bad. Sure, absolutely no imagination went into it. They could've just used a package of flan. But on this hot day in August, it proved quite refreshing. And it made me appreciate kinugoshi (soft) tofu even more. Soft tofu contains more water than the firm tofu and so its texture is so much nicer than when you bite into a momen (firm) tofu.

At the tofu eating contest they used medium firm which is just plain harsh to the palette, but makes eating contests all the more enjoyable. You'll find kinugoshi delicately placed in salads and momen in miso soup where it spends time simmering. Try using kinugoshi in miso soup and it'll eventually crumble in a big mess.

Here, Iron Chef Morimoto does his thing...



He made a daikon pasta--long shreds of white radish--with a tomato, tofu and lobster sauce. Only a lucky few had a chance to sample it.