Tofu

So, you've been building this national reputation of putting on wacky shows combining classic art and literature with a little sketch comedy. For instance, you've produced a synchronized swimming production entitled "Cleopatra: Life on the Nile," where the swimmers were more your average body types with a lot of enthusiasm and so-so skills than any sort of elegant water ballerinas. You've combined opera with hot dogs - tofu hotdogs because they worked better - to come up with "Carmen: The Hot Dog Opera."

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.

Q. I think too many people are experimenting with a potentially dangerous food item -- soy. I myself have experienced some odd symptoms that doctors could not figure out. I finally determined that the problems appear after eating soy products. At the time of my worst symptoms, I was eating up to three pounds of tofu a week. (I loved it for breakfast, warmed with a little soy sauce, plus various recipes for dinner.) I thought I had thyroid problems causing weight gain, hair loss, depression, water retention in hands and feet and breast swelling.

With only a few days to go before opening, employees at Roots market hurried last week to fill freezers with garden burgers and veggie burritos and stock shelves with vitamins and herbal teas. "We have brokers here helping us stock shelves, we have family, we have contractors here," owner Jody Cutler said. "And in the midst of all that, we have employee interviews going on." The 11,000-square-foot natural foods market on Route 108 in Clarksville opened Friday as the county's second health food market and the largest tenant in an emerging shopping center that developers hope will play off River Hill Village Center, across the street.

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.

Baking potatoes? Try these: For a creamy dairy-free topping, blend 4 ounces soft tofu with 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice until very smooth. Stir in chopped herbs, if desired. For a savory fat-free seasoning, sprinkle vegetable broth granules onto a hot baked potato and mix in lightly. Herbs that complement potatoes include chives, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Cole's Cooking A to Z

In the most American-pie corner of Carroll County, who would expect senior citizens to be experimenting with bok choy, fennel gratin and tofu chocolate pudding?Dietitian Eleanor Pella is pleasantly surprised to find more than a dozen elders every month waiting for her to put some razzle dazzle alongside the chicken rice casserole and bran muffins that are standard fare at Taneytown Senior Center.In May, Pella introduced them to "Uncommonly Good Fruits and Vegetables" -- a guide to some of the unusual offerings in the produce department.

In the most American-pie corner of Carroll County, who would expect senior citizens to be experimenting with bok choy, fennel gratin and tofu chocolate pudding?Dietitian Eleanor Pella is pleasantly surprised to find more than a dozen elders every month waiting for her to put some razzle dazzle alongside the chicken rice casserole and bran muffins that are standard fare at Taneytown Senior Center.In May, Pella introduced them to "Uncommonly Good Fruits and Vegetables" -- a guide to some of the unusual offerings in the produce department.

Soy -- it's what's for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch these days.At least, that's what food consultants are predicting -- and nutritionists and dietitians are urging."

The funny thing about tofu is that, despite its long history as a dietary staple (records of its use date back as far as the 10th century) and the news touting it as a nutritional powerhouse (it's packed with protein and disease-fighting phytochemicals), it is still a culinary laughingstock.But the joys of tofu are no joke. All it needs is some serious seasoning. Pair it with the rich spiciness of coconut-curry broth, the salty sweetness of miso or the nutty bite of tahini and ginger and you may just find yourself eating tofu for the pure pleasure of it.Tofu, like other protein sources, is a perishable item that must be handled with care.