this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
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[–] Lirton@lemmy.today 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

I read the whole article and haven't figured out what is the deal with tofu. Does it taste bad or what, so that some people are against it(especially men as highlited in this article)?

[–] Slatlun@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I also haven't read the article but have life experience. Tofu is the stereotypical vegetarian/vegan food in the USA. People with closed minds and a patriarchal view of masculinity tend to be strongly against eating tofu because meat eating is an indicator of masculinity to them. Willingness to consider tofu as an acceptable food then correlates to willingness to not blindly embrace the patriarchal views. (Edit for wording)

[–] Lirton@lemmy.today 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

You mean that some people in the USA don't eat tofu not because it tastes/smells awful to them, but because of some kind of bigotry? Interesting TIL moment.

[–] OctoLumia@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago

not only in the usa unfortunately ;-;

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago

Yes, it's a social signifier, in multiple ways. But none of them good.

Some people don't eat tofu because "that's foreign food"

Some men don't eat tofu because "soybeans make you produce estrogen" and they're afraid of... having estrogen, IG?

Some people don't eat tofu because "humans are meant to eat animals, it says so in the Bible"

Not eating tofu is one thing. Refusing to eat it ever is sus as hells.

[–] Rugnjr@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It's more that it is part of the culture war, so if someone is very against even the idea of tofu, they may also not be so great in other areas of the culture war, like thinking of women as fellow intelligent beings with rich inner lives that deserve respect.

Unlike what I thought from the headline, it's not literally about feeding men tofu. But rather some kind of first date question?

Not sure exactly how great a test it is, I suppose some people might not be able to help but lecture about the subject which is an obvious red flag.

I would humbly submit what they think of horoscopes or tarot cards could be another filter question. When I was a younger guy I would probably have been fine on tofu etc but an arrogant little shit about horoscopes or ouija boards or whatever.

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I'm about as left as it gets and very much enjoy tofu, but I'd find a deeply held belief in horoscopes, oujia boards, or tarot cards to be a sign of incompatibility for a relationship, personally. I was close friends someone who was very much into that stuff, and found that their belief in the supernatural to that degree lead them to magical thinking which for me would pose a significant issue.

As an example, they believed their dreams revealed a hidden truth which was taken at face value as a hard fact, and told me that their boyfriend was keeping some dark secret from them, since in a dream there was some dark foreboding entity in the basement of his childhood home. The boyfriend (who I also knew quite well) was pretty bewildered by this and said he had no dark secret from his childhood, which she claimed to me was a lie.

I asked them once if they had a dream their boyfriend was cheating on them, if they would take that as a fact without any evidence or behavioral changes, and they confirmed they would.

So... I know belief in the supernatural for some people can be a harmless thing to to do for fun, but since I've seen the other end of that belief where it takes priority over the scientific method or evidence of any kind, it would be something that would give me serious pause in the context of entering a relationship. Due to that, I'm not sure it would be the best way of weeding out men with misogynistic views (it would probably do that, but it would also weed out normal people who are wary of what those beliefs can lead to).

[–] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago

Ideally none of these tests are a binary approve/disapprove. Your explanation for disliking tarot is kind, empathetic, and grounded in emotional maturity. But someone else might ridicule or mansplain, betraying their lack of consideration for the inner life of their prospective partner.

Personally, as a capricorn, I don't believe in horoscopes.

[–] Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

"Men's views on tofu directly reflect their views on women," a woman says in a video posted to TikTok that has gained nearly 3 million views, adding when men respond to it with "intense disgust," it's tied to fragile masculinity and fear of their place in society.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I love both tofu and women, but that sounds like some hot weapons grade pseudoscience garbage. People need to stop treating social correlates like they're fundamental biological determinates.

[–] Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think this advise is mostly for people on the dating scene not mental health professionals. You can't exactly ask someone "are you a bigoted sociopath" when you match on Tinder, but you can look for red flags.

This just happens to be a potentially innocent sounding screening question that answers quickly if the person you're talking with is likely an asshole.

Also this is not about whether or not someone likes tofu, but about how aggressively they react to the question

"The texture is a little weird to me so I prefer chicken" is very different from "BLEH I HATE IT"

Also, if they mention estrogen, that's a pretty easy "this guy listens to too much Joe Rogan" flag.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago

OK true, it does work fine as a screener question.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 0 points 1 month ago

"tofu and soy hate is so forced and it's because everybody is so uneducated," pointing to debunked claims that eating soy products will raise men's estrogen levels."

Its in the opening paragraphs mate.