When soy meets girl

The headline on this post is taken from the title of an article I found on line at the Organic Valley site. You can read the entire piece -- and others like it -- by clicking on the link below. Here is an excerpt from "When Soy Meets Girl":

 Soybeans have been a staple in the diet of Southeast Asians for several centuries. It is estimated that the protein from soy foods comprises 20%-60% of their daily protein. Several studies suggest that Asian populations have lower incidences of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis than do those of us living in the West. The high concentration of soy foods present in the diet is one factor thought to explain these findings.

http://www.organicvalley.coop/resources/research-library/


Palisades Park and Fort Lee have soft-tofu restaurants where you can get your soybean fix, along with vegetables and rice. H Mart, the Korean supermarket in Ridgefield, Little Ferry, Fort Lee and Englewood, often carries stewed tofu in red-pepper sauce, another good source of soy. Lotus Cafe in Hackensack and Zen Kitchen in Teaneck, a Chinese take-out place, serve several tofu and soy dishes that can substitute for chicken or beef. Friends also recommend Veggie Heaven on Cedar Lane in Teaneck. Search this blog for addresses.

Korean restaurants in the news

Image by churl via Flickr

Korean food is vibrant and a great source of vegetables and soy, but at least two restaurants have been fined for sanitary code violations recently by health inspectors.

The Record today reports a $960 fine for Gam Mee Ok Restaurant in Fort Lee, one of my favorites for its unique kimchi service and its stone-bowl bibimbap. Two issues the inspector noted were "storing beef in stagnant water" and the "staff's failure to wear gloves when handling hazardous foods."

Madangsui Restaurant, also in Fort Lee, was fined $285 on Nov. 10 for defrosting meat on the floor and not covering it.  This was a real surprise, because it  has always boasted of serving fresh beef and is the only Korean barbecue restaurant I've been to that offers prime beef, the highest USDA grade.

I've long been concerned about the "mystery meat" served at many Korean restaurants, so much so that we started buying free-range, grass-fed Australian beef and preparing barbecue at home, with rice, kimchi and other side dishes.

Maybe the lesson of these fines is to avoid eating meat altogether. With soft-tofu stews, spring-chicken soups and other non-beef  selections, that's easy to do at Korean restaurants.