A Wonderful Pairing - Pesticide-Free Bananas + Non-GMO Rich, Fragrant Soy Milk
In April of this year I attended Taipei Earth Day and got to know the Hoping Community Tofu Workshop. I learned that the fresher the tofu, the fuller its soybean aroma and the more nutritious it is. The idea behind the community tofu workshop is to produce locally, cut down on logistics and transport time, and let residents get the freshest and most nutritious soy products.
I like this idea of letting everyone eat good tofu, and it also reminded me of the Teng Hsiang Tofu Shop near my home that sells soy milk, tofu and douhua. A few mornings later, on my walk past Teng Hsiang Tofu Shop, I saw a red paper notice pasted at the door reading "Hiring: Tofu-making assistant."
Full of anticipation, curiosity and a strong wish to walk to work, I stepped into the shop…
By the end of August, I had become an employee of Teng Hsiang Tofu Shop while also observing this tofu shop.
This is a tofu shop that uses non-genetically-modified soybeans as its raw material. Unlike GM beans, which are shipped in bulk, non-GM soybeans are already packaged when exported: the inner layer is a plastic bag that keeps out foreign matter and prevents moisture damage, and the outer layer is a thick paper bag.
The owner said: "Genetically modified soybeans contain environmental hormones, herbicides that kill off all the weeds, and their protein composition has been changed too. Eating them causes infertility and makes you prone to tumors!"
After hearing a pile of horrifying drawbacks, I thought to myself: "Is genetic modification really that scary?"
Back home I googled it and found that consumers in Europe and Japan have generally united against the import of genetically modified foods, while I had long been unknowingly eating a heap of cheap GM soybeans with safety risks…
Summing up scientists' research on the various abnormalities that arise when animals eat various genetically modified crops, including abnormal growth, tumor formation, high mortality, stunted development, increased aggression and anxiety symptoms, and severe liver and kidney damage, "in 2010 the Russian state broadcasting company published research results jointly conducted by the national genetic safety association and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Problems, showing that after the third generation of transgenic hamsters was born, they did not even produce a next generation."
The owner also said that non-GM soybeans cost one to two times more than GM beans, but soy milk boiled from non-GM soybeans is more fragrant and mellow. Tofu, soy milk, douhua and tofu skin on the market that don't list their ingredients… mostly use cheap GM beans.
Not producing a next generation equals infertility, and if a tumor is malignant, that means cancer…
Yet consumers who are used to two pieces of fried tofu costing just 15 yuan at the night market, used to soy milk shops selling a cup for 15 yuan and sometimes on special for 10 yuan, and used to a bottled soy milk that can sit for ten days, are they willing to avoid the safety risks and change their choices?
All right, no need to worry so much,
Right now, I just want to eat up the pesticide-free bananas the owner brought back from Tainan, grown by a neighbor, and the rich, fragrant soy milk with no GM risk.
1. Peel the banana and put it in a bowl.
4. Come and try it yourself DIY, and taste the wonderful pairing of banana and soy milk. It can serve as a nutritious breakfast, meal replacement or snack.
References:
- "Lecture Nine: Consumers Oppose GM Foods" http://gmo.agron.ntu.edu.tw/noGM/ref.htm
- "Australian Agricultural Crisis! It's All Caused by Genetic Modification!" http://cht.naturalnews.com/?p=3051
- "Half of Hong Kong, China's Soy Milk Contains Transgenes; Russia Proves It Can Cause Infertility" http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/11/9/16/n3374679.htm%E6%B8%AF%E5%8D%8A%E6%95%B8%E8%B1%86%E6%BC%BF%E5%90%AB%E8%BD%89%E5%9F%BA%E5%9B%A0-%E4%BF%84%E8%AD%89%E6%98%8E%E5%8F%AF%E8%87%B4%E4%B8%8D%E5%AD%95
- "French Study: Eating GM Food, Rats Grow Tumors" http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2012/new/sep/20/today-int9.htm
- "Banana with Soy Milk: Lose 4 jin in 10 Days" http://www.btimesusa.com/health-20100612/14129