For too long, bean curd has flown under the radar for too many people in the West.

Derided as a bland, squishy mass, it has earned the reputation in some circles as something to be avoided. It’s not meat. It can show up in a tub of water. And few wine sellers, if any at all, have assistants stand next to Italian or California vintages to recommend a nice bottle to go with, well, a soybean concoction.

Welcome to TofuWatch.com. I’d like to change this perception – at least to a degree. This blog marks a new beginning of sorts because I recently was a newspaper reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which stopped printing in March. I hope my former colleagues are well.

This blog will be an amalgamation of various takes on this vegetarian food, as well as current events and other pressing subjects. I’m launching from the Seattle area. But I welcome notes, especially about tofu dishes, from people worldwide.

So, why tofu? Why pay attention to it?

When prepared just right – say cubed in a piping hot fish broth on a frigid day, or chilled with preserved duck egg and green onions resting on top, or marinated in soy sauce and barbecued – you’ll likely have two reactions: Wow. Nice.

If you don’t, that’s fine. But please invite me to your meal.

Or say you’re hiking in China’s Sichuan province. You’ve ascended some of the most sweeping mountains in your life. You’re on the roof top of the world. Your body is aching. The wind is whipping. Gray clouds are hovering. And you only have a boiled egg and crackers in your backpack.

At a mountainside restaurant, the owner places a huge bowl of mapo tofu in front of you. At first, the amount of red chili oil, which helps give the spicy dish its kick, is daunting. So, too, is the side dish: Uncooked garlic cloves.

But as you eat up, and heat up, you think: “Hmm. Maybe I don’t need my $300 waterproof and windproof jacket for the moment.” You quickly realize the restaurant serves beer because the person next to you has a bottle or two.

The spirit of tofu has commenced. Later, your belly is full. And you sleep well. So, you betcha: Soybean cake, in many ways, can be your friend.