TOFU TAKES TIME

A young girl helps her grandma cook dinner.

“Making tofu takes time,” NaiNai tells her curious granddaughter before the two proceed to make bean curd from scratch. Illustrations of their kitchen work—rinsing, blending, straining, heating, and pressing soybeans—alternate with images of the unnamed girl transported to fanciful landscapes comprised of giant crockery and soybean plants of Brobdingnagian proportions. Young readers will relate to the child’s eager anticipation: “Is it done? Is it done? Is it done?” The feeling of time passing too slowly may be relatable to anyone hankering for a particular viand. NaiNai’s reminder that “good things take time” extols the virtue of patience and encourages delayed gratification. While waiting, the first-person child narrator enjoys books and stories and bonding time with her grandmother. Finally, after Mama and Papa come home from work, the family shares a delicious meal featuring fresh tofu. This picture book is sentimental and quaint despite its prosaic narrative and lackluster artwork. The backmatter promotes bean curd as a sustainable, plant-based protein source; it also makes the oversimplified and questionable assertion that people outside of Asia were “introduced to tofu in the 1970s.” The author’s note summarizes various tofu dishes from different cultures, from tofu tacos to Indian butter tofu. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A culinary lesson in patience.