Jimami Tofu: Bringing Reel to Real Life through Food

TL;DR My first taste of Jimami Tofu was unfamiliar, slightly strange, but reminded me of comfort and childhood. Amazing idea by the directors to sell actual Jimami Tofu after the film, bringing a part of the film out of the theatre for the viewers. 

I talked about Jimami Tofu in my last post, a film which I loved.

There were many things about the experience which I loved too, not just the film. There were no ads, the directors were present and gave a short introduction making the experience so much more personal, and most importantly for me, they also sold some Jimami Tofu after the film screening that the audience could try.

What is Jimami Tofu?

The film doesn't really go in depth into it, though it is one of Ryan's first experiences of Okinawan cuisine. In the film, his Okinawan friend, Nami, calls it "life medicine". And it's the start of Ryan's love story with Okinawan cuisine.

What Jimami Tofu is, is a "tofu" made from peanuts.

It's hard to describe what exactly the consistency is like. Like a pudding, but softer. Like a porridge, but smoother. Like beancurd, but more gelatinous. And tastewise, it's strange at first. Strange not because it's bad. But strange because it's unfamiliar. Unfamiliar to us.

But by the end of this small tub of Jimami Tofu. I get it. I get why it's called "life medicine".

It is the kind of thing that heals you only if you've eaten it your entire life. Like macaroni in chicken soup. Like warm soybean milk. Like a bowl of steaming hot ABC soup. It's the taste of comfort.

The flavour is subtle enough so that only those who are familiar with it recognise it. And not too strong so that it doesn't offend when we can't take it. And it's texture and consistency, soft, easy, wrapping around everywhere and everything. It's like wrapping in your childhood blanket.

This was a beautiful film with an amazing movie experience. It's rare to be able to walk out of the theatre and to be transported into the setting of the film through something tangible and tactile as food can do. And it also perfectly encapsulates the idea of food in the film, food as a form of communication, something that can contain memories and feelings for the eater to understand.

It's an amazing idea from the directors to sell the jimami tofu featured in their movie, after their movie. It beautifully transitions the viewer from the film to real life, and allows the film to exist outside of the theatre.

Edit: The directors left this comment on my Instagram post and I thought it should be shared.

I had completely no idea how much effort they had to put in to make this experience possible for their viewers! They are truly dedicated filmmakers, and as a viewer, I am really appreciative that we have such dedicated filmmakers and am definitely looking forward to their upcoming works!