Mapo Tofu is my favorite dish at Szechuan restaurant. Szechuan is a province in Southern China which has its special food style. Food in szechuan is characterized by its spiciness. Mapo in Chinese means “grandma spicy.” From the name, I think this dish was probably originally created by an elder lady who is known for making delicious spicy dishes.

Personally, I like spicy food very much because I am from Southern China, a place close to Szechuan. Mapo Tofu is the dish I order every time when I go to Szechuan restaurant. We have a saying in China, Tofu has hundreds of tastes. The reason is that Tofu absorbs any taste of sauce that’s used to cook with it. I love the taste of Tofu because it’s so favored, warm, soft and has smooth texture. Szechuan restaurant’s Mapo Tofu is cooked with peas, bamboo, ground pork and decorated by green onion. The sauce they use for this dish tastes well too. When I order it, I prefer “very spicy.” Eating Mapo Tofu by itself is impossible for me because it’s strongly favored and doing this may upset my stomach, so I enjoy eating Mapo Tofu with rice.

Every time I go to Szechuan restaurant, I tell the waiter that I want “authentic Chinese” because many Chinese foods here are Americanized. Some of my American friends are not found of Tofu, and I guess it’s too Chinese for them. However, eating is an easier adventure of experiencing culture than plugging into the culture totally at once. If someone in Abilene wants to experience real Chinese, why not muster the courage and order Mapo Tofu? Believe me, Grandma Spicy invented one of the best dishes in Chinese diet culture.