Shimeno’s Tofu 示野の豆腐

“Hit your head on a corner of Tofu and die” is a Japanese saying that used to be commonly heard some time ago. All Japanese know that Tofu is quite soft and therefore this expression is extremely sarcastic. In Austria however the Tofu types usually sold at supermarkets are quite hard. Of course not as hard as stone but for Japanese it is very unusual and seems like a different kind of product. Obviously it is not conceivable to hit your head on it and die. Maybe if it were frozen…

Bad jokes aside. My great grandfather Shimeno produced Tofu as a job. I call him “Shimeno great grandfather” because his family had no children and adopted my grandfather (mother’s side) when he was a child. Therefore “Shimeno Great grandfather” is not a direct blood relative of us three. According to my mother, she and her parents lived together with Shimeno family until about the age of attending early primary school. After that my grandfather’s family moved to Tokyo where his real biological father lived.

As a young child, my mother experienced my great grandfather’s Tofu shop. That was a small Tofu shop which not only sold but also produced Tofu themselves. Early in the morning before sunrise my Shimeno’s Great Grandfather got up, lit the furnace and started cooking Tofu. When my mother got up to go the bathroom she always used to observe that and she always greeted him “Grandfather, do you make Tofu?”

When I remember this story of my mother, I can literally picture that scene. In the dark, the furnace brightly lit and a grandfather standing in front of it working. Close to him my grandmother as a child with a bob haircut walking by him half asleep and greeting him… I find that so heartwarming and it puts a smile on my face. My mother heard from my grandfather that cats often used to lie on the residually warm ashes of the previous day and when he lit the fire, those cats quickly came out and ran away.

By the way, Tofu is one of my favourite foods. I heard that “Shimeno Tofu” was pretty popular. I really wanted one time to try Shimeno Tofu. What kind of taste was it?…

　「豆腐の角に頭打って死ね」は、ひと昔前よく耳にした表現ですね。豆腐は柔らかいですから、非常に辛辣な表現だと思います。しかし、オーストリアのスーパーで一般に売られている豆腐は固いのです。日本人には信じられない代物ではないかと思います。それでも、角に頭を打って人が亡くなるような硬さには程遠いですが。いや、凍らせばもしかして…

　悪い冗談はさておいて。私の「示野の曽祖父」は豆腐屋でした。「示野の曽祖父」と書いたのは、私の母の父親（私の祖父）が小さかった頃、子供のなかった示野家に養子としてもらわれ、「示野」と私達三人は血の繋がりがないからです。母から聞いた話によると、母が小学校低学年の頃まで、祖父の家族（祖父、祖母、母）は示野家と同居していました。その後、祖父は本当の父親を頼って、家族と共に東京に移ったようです。

　幼少の頃、母は「示野」の豆腐屋を体験したようです。それは小さなお店で、豆腐を売るだけでなく、作ることもしていたそうです。まだ日が登らない暗いうちから示野の曽祖父は起きて、かまどに火を焚き、豆腐作りをしていました。お手洗いのために目が覚めた母は、その前を通りかかる時、必ず「おじいやん、お豆腐、作りゆうかね（おじいさん、お豆腐を作っている最中なんですか）？」と声をかけたんだそうです。

　この話を思い出す度に、私は目の前にその光景を想像します。暗闇にあかあかと燃えるかまどの前に立ち、豆腐を作っている老人。その前を、おかっぱ頭の幼い母が、寝ぼけ眼でてくてくと歩いて通りかかる… なんとも微笑ましい光景のように思えて、心が暖かくなります。また、よく、かまどの中の前日の温かい灰の上で飼い猫が寝ていて、火を焚べたとたんに、大慌てで飛び出してきた、という話を、母は曽祖父から聞いた、と言っていました。

　ところで豆腐は私の好物のひとつです。「示野の豆腐」は大変評判が良かったそうです。一体どんな味がしたんでしょう。食べてみたいものです…

Picture by Yuka Simeno