Stinky tofu is such a special dish in China, and it seems quite surprising that I can't recall my first encounter with it. But what I do remember is my father's reaction to it in his first encounter.
My father and my brother came to see me in Nanjing last year, and I showed them around the city. We were walking down the street when my father suddenly stopped, looked around with a slightly worried expression on his face, as if he was searching for the source of something unpleasant.
"What's that smell?" he asked in a puzzled tone.
I pointed to a food stall (摊位)and said, "That's what they call stinky tofu. It's really delicious! Do you want to have a try? "Without saying a word, my father left at an unusually quick pace, and didn't slow down until he was safely out of range of the smell。
His reaction is understandable. Indeed, the smell of stinky tofu can be a bit too much for someone who has never tried such dishes before. It is often said that stinky tofu is to China what Stilton cheese(斯提尔顿奶酪) is to England. Actually, stinky tofu wins great popularity in China and you can find it in many cities, but very often on the street stalls.
One man's meat is another man's poison. I stayed in Nanjing for many years and eventually developed a taste for stinky tofu. It is now one of my favourite street snacks. It takes years for my father to make a return trip. I wonder if memories of stinky tofu have something to do with that.
