Tofu

I recently resumed my hunt for a good Chinese carryout. This time, I schlepped through a drenching rain to Reisterstown to China Moon. Located in a strip shopping area near Reisterstown Road, China Moon sent off a good vibe, thanks mainly to the counter man. Wearing glasses, a conservative tie and vest, he smoothly juggled a flurry of incoming calls and walk-in customers, occasionally pounding on a well-used adding machine with determined efficiency....

For those folks in northern Baltimore County who enjoy Japanese food but are averse, because of geography or inclination, to head into Baltimore City, the good news is that several Japanese restaurants have opened up in their area in recent years. And San Sushi in Cockeysville may well have started the trend. They do things differently at San Sushi -- and the difference seems to be working for them. A few months ago, San Sushi took over the adjacent store in its small strip center and more than doubled in size.

Beef Bowl, She Made 1022 Light St., Baltimore -- 410-244-8867 Hours --10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 10 a.m.- 10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays BEST BITE Our favorite dish was the Pork Bowl, $6.29. Small chunks of marinated pork and chopped onions lay on a sizable mound of soft white rice. The pork was dotted with hot pepper paste, which gave it a delicious kick. In our book, a little spice is always nice. ALSO TASTED The meat in the Beef Bowl, $6.29, was seasoned with sesame oil and sugar instead of hot pepper, which made it sweeter, less spicy and a little greasier than the pork.

The hunt for high-quality Chinese carryout continues. At Mr. Chan Szechuan Restaurant in the heart of Pikesville, we discovered nothing spectacular but found several solid dishes and an admirable sampling of vegetarian fare. Mr. Chan occupies a corner space on Reisterstown Road, its facade illuminated with yards of neon, including one sign depicting a jumping fish. Inside is a cozy space with green carpet, bamboo plants and mirrors on both ends to give the room more depth. Posters explaining the various types of sushi hang on two walls.

Help out by eating outPlease eat out tonight. For that matter, eat out at lunch, too. But first pick up the phone, call (410) 366-LIFE and find out what restaurants are participating in Dining Out for Life today. They'll be contributing 20 percent of the day's receipts to the Moveable Feast, the nonprofit AIDS service organization.Among new restaurants signing up this year are the Polo Grill, Hampton's, Brighton's, the Brass Elephant, Tio Pepe, Benny's, Morgan Millard, Leilani's, Cafe Troia and the Manor Inn. Altogether 73 eating places are taking part.

Harry "No Tofu" Sirinakis plans to renovate and enlarge his West Main Street eatery to make the most of the casual-dining restaurant boom in Westminster.He might even add a sprig of parsley once in a while, he said.Sirinakis, 37, is the third-generation owner of Harry's Main Street, which celebrated its 50th anniversary downtown in 1996. Harry's is known for its chili dogs, which some Baltimore Colts ate by the dozens during summer training camps at Western Maryland College."It's a big step for us in our business," he said.

It won't be long. In a few weeks, children across America will have put away pounds of peanut butter and gobbled gallons of grape jelly. And they'll be terribly tired of turkey sandwiches. Parents who start this school year vowing to pack nutritious and delicious lunches will soon be facing the realities of a brown bag or lunch box that needs filling day after day. Successful packed lunches have to be portable, nutritious and tasty enough to please finicky young eaters. Food that doesn't appeal will be traded or trashed.

TOKYO -- Stroll through a depachika, one of the sprawling basement food halls found in Japanese department stores, and you'll encounter a breathtaking display of ready-to-eat items: jewellike salads, tantalizing croquettes, tofu salads, grilled chicken on skewers and other offerings known collectively as sozai. For young working women with little inclination to cook elaborate meals, store-bought sozai is a time-saving grace. Traditionalists, though, say the commercial sozai boom is to blame for the vanishing art of home cooking in Japan.

Health food advocates have long claimed that soy, the little legume found in everything from tofu burgers to smoothies, can protect against heart disease, ward off cancer and combat hot flashes. But those claims are coming under scrutiny, now that a soy food manufacturer, the Solae Co. of St. Louis, is seeking government approval to promote soy's supposed cancer-fighting abilities on its product labels. The company's petition to the Food and Drug Administration for a new health claim has the support of some soy researchers, but has angered others who say the science simply doesn't support it. Some disputed research in mice suggests soy could promote breast cancer.