So before you go ugh Tofu, bear with me. If you honestly are anti-tofu, you can substitute chicken in this recipe, but give tofu a try. We do not have any products that begin with the letter O, but we do have several recipes. So this week it is all about Orange Ginger Tofu Stir Fry.
One of the things I like about tofu is that it is like a blank canvas. It absorbs whatever flavors you infuse into it. In this case, orange and ginger. Just how they say that we as infants are born as blank slates, we pick up all kinds of things throughout life by the environments we grow up in and the people we grow up with. I would argue we and tofu are not completely blank slates as tofu has its own textures (silken, soft, medium, firm, extra firm), people are also born with some innate personalities (some babies just seem to be born happy).
A friend of mine suggested I pick another O recipe, thinking that I might turn some people off with a vegan recipe. Perhaps, but where we would be in this world, if we were not exposed to new flavors, foods, preparation ideas. I am eating a vegan diet, but that does not mean, at least for me, that I cannot discuss or even prepare meat products for my friends. It is about meeting people and honoring who they are and where they are in their journeys.
One o the things this recipe talks about is how when you coat the tofu squares it gives the tofu a crunchy exterior. You get the same experience when you coat chicken in some sort of dredge and fry it. The chicken becomes crunchy. Thinking about this reminds me of an important principle in life. See when we focus on our differences and how unlike we are, we build divides, which must later be overcome. When we focus on similarities, we build bridges which allow us to see beyond that would potentially separate us. Whether you prepare this dish with tofu or chicken, everything else is the same.
May we learn to focus on building bridges and not walls. May we focus on what we have in common, not our differences. May we be open to celebrating the gifts and flavors of other cultures, even when they may push us outside of our comfort zones. If you would like to make this recipe, you can find it by clicking here.