Chou Dofu

I can't believe I actually tried it!

When I first arrived in Taiwan, every now and then as I was walking down the street, particularly in the night market, I'd find myself assailed by a particularly noxious smell. (This was usually accompanied by my noticing that Hope was somehow suddenly 5 feet in front of me walking quickly muttering "God help us all").

Upon inquiry, I was told it was stinky tofu, which my Taiwanese friends assured me is "hen hao chi" (really good!). Similar to the durian, I find it hard to believe something that smells so awful can actually taste good, and decided to simply avoid trying this... maybe forever... haha. Recently people have been suggesting I give it a try, to which I always reply "next time!" See stinky tofu is tofu that is soaked in a brine made of fermented vegetables and other wonderful things (which have to ferment for 6 months or more). I'm glad I looked up further information AFTER I'd tried it actually... you can read more here: http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faqs/stinkytofu.html

I ran into one of the other girls who lives here in the church this afternoon and asked if she wanted to have dinner together. She said sure, we could go to the night market. I was thinking about getting some noodles when she revealed that she really wanted to eat stinky tofu today. I told her "Wo bu gang chi" (I don't dare eat it), but finally mustered up the resolve to try a little, since she was eating a plate of it anyways. The smell was terrible as we ordered, but that of the individual plate wasn't so bad. It was served with kind of a sweet chili sauce and something like kim chi (korean spicy cabbage). I should also note that all my of Taiwanese friends surveyed thus far LIKE the smell of stinky tofu...

What to say about it... in my opinion, it wasn't as bad as it smelled, nor was it as bad as the durian. Did I like it? Not particularly. Will I eat it again? If I have to. Will I still cringe and hold my breath as I walk by the stinky tofu stand? Undoubtedly.