The first time I tried tofu was back in middle school, when I first went vegetarian for animal rights reasons. 

On a particularly scalding summer day, my friend wanted Chinese food, so I opted to get fried tofu with mixed vegetables and white rice delivered. As we sat in her apartment, I was perplexed by the airy bites, which seemed like little nuggets of fried nothingness. They had a bouncy, waxy quality to them, almost marshmallow-like, but without any sort of discernible flavor. They were hollow and airy, and while the brown sauce on the side helped provide some moisture and flavor, the meal was still pretty lackluster. 

While I ate them a few times after that experience, I certainly wasn’t clamoring for them.

Years later, though, I tried lightly-grilled tofu that was soft and supple, with a lingering flavor. The tofu was........

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