2月21日(月曜日)2022
「WHOLE FOODS MARKET」という自然食品と有機食品を主に売っている人気スーパーがあります。普通のスーパーより値段は高めですが健康食ブームにのったアメリカ人が多く利用しています。昨日行ってみたら相変わらず珍しい食品が並んでいてへえ〜っ?と思いながら見ていました。広い店内はコロナ前と変わらず大勢の人。チーズコーナーで試食ができなくなっていたのは残念でしたが。面白かったのは豆腐コーナー。色々な豆腐と豆腐製品がありました。アメリカのSilken Tofu(絹ごし豆腐)は日本の木綿豆腐より硬めです。Firm, Extra Firm と順に硬くなっていきます。サラダに入れるには硬い豆腐のほうがいいからです。高タンパクのHigh Protein Tofuや味付き焼き豆腐(Baked tofu)、燻製豆腐?(Smoked Tofu)。tofu Shiratakiというのは豆腐とこんにゃくを合わせて作った低カロリーのパスタのようです。またTofurky(トーファーキー)は見た目と味を七面鳥(turkey)に似せた豆腐製品のようでベジタリアン(菜食主義者)やヴィーガン(肉魚卵乳製品など動物性食品を口にしない人)が買うのでしょう。テンペ(Tempeh)という大豆の発酵食品も色々な味があってベジタリアンやヴィーガンだけでなく一般の人も買っています。豆腐は普通のスーパーにも売っています。MISO(味噌)も豆腐のそばにありました。私はこれらの豆腐や豆腐製品をほとんど食べたことがありませんが、「アメリカ人は皆肉を食べる」というステレオタイプの認識はもはや古いのかもしれません。
WHOLE FOODS MARKET is a supermarket which mainly sells natural foods and organic foods. The prices are a little higher than other common supermarkets, but it is very popular among people who are conscious about the healthy food. When I was there, I was very curious about the foods which we don't see in Japanese markets. I saw many people were shopping in the spacious shop as the same as before. It was too bad that we couldn't taste free samples any more in the cheese section, but I was interested in the variety of products in the tofu section. Silken Tofu in the US is harder than Japanese Momen Tofu (firm tofu), and Firm, Extra Firm Tofu are more hard. They prefer harder tofu for their salad. There are High Protein Tofu, Baked Tofu,Smoked Tofu. Tofu Shirataki seems to be low calorie pasta which is made of tofu and Konjac. I checked what Tofurky is on web info, and it is a tofu product which tastes and looks like turkey. Those are maybe for vegetarian and vegan. Tempeh is fermented soybean food and several kinds of Tempeh were there. We can buy Tofu in a common supermarket, as well. I saw Miso paste on the shelf near tofu. Although I haven't tried most of those tofu products in this market yet, it is time for us to remove our stereotypical image that American people like meat and eat it everyday.