"Twenty-five, grind tofu", from the innocent nursery rhymes, to find the taste of the year.
Today is the twenty-fifth day of the Waxing Moon, and the nursery rhyme says "Twenty-five, grind tofu". In fact, it is not necessary to grind tofu today, it may be written for rhyme. But when I was a child, my family "ran the New Year", no matter how rich or poor, more or less, it was necessary to grind tofu once.
In the winter, before dawn, I was called up by my mother to push and grind and grind the bean foam paste. The child held the grinding stick, put it behind the adult's grinding stick, and his eyes were still confused in the grinding path, sometimes pushing and pushing and falling asleep. Although I am very reluctant to do it, I think it is the New Year, and I can eat a meal of fresh tofu today, so I don't feel how tired.
Yishui people use brine to make tofu, and when they came to Linyi, they heard that they can also use gypsum points to make tofu. Brine point tofu old, good taste, there is a bite. Some people say that tender tofu is delicious, I don't like to eat tender tofu, thin and pully, no chewing head.
Making tofu for the New Year in my hometown is a very mysterious big project. From grinding bean foam paste in the morning, burning fire to kill foam in the morning, brine pointing the pot, and waiting for the tofu to be pressed out, it is over noon. It may also be from this busy making of tofu that I feel the taste of the New Year. New Year to make tofu, neighbors are not allowed to visit the door, adults say, when making tofu encounter raw people visiting the door, will "step on the pot", pressed out of the tofu on the top of a footprint.
After making tofu, no matter how much it is, the whole family must first eat a meal of fresh tofu. A bowl per person, with a knife in the bowl into small squares, Yishui people called tofu zhaizi, pour a layer of soy sauce leeks on the tofu village, the taste is really good, now how can not find that taste. After eating this fresh tofu, I have the feeling that I have to celebrate the New Year.
Yishui people make tofu also has a big use, Chinese New Year's Eve night, to put a piece of tofu into the grate in the pot, cover the pot lid, until the new day of the New Year, this is called "the pot". What the purpose of "shoji" is, until now I don't know.
