Want tofu?

The "T" (as in Tao) has a "D" sound.....Tao sounds like the English word: dow.

The Wade-Giles textbook and dictionary was developed by Thomas Francis Wade, a British ambassador in China and Chinese scholar who was the first professor of Chinese at Cambridge University. Wade published the first Chinese dictionary in English in 1867. The system was refined in 1912 by Herbert Allen Giles, a British diplomat in China.

In Chinese the subtle differences in pronunciation are effected primarily by where the tongue is placed in the mouth (among other issues.....I am keeping this simple) to make a "T" sound or a "D" sound. When the Wade-Giles dictionary made its way to western shores, their eyes saw a "T" and pronounced it as such. However, this is incorrect and continues to this day to be a mistake.

Now, if you want to wow your waiter the next time you order Chinese food, and want to order a Tofu dish.....pronounce it like this: doh foo. There might even be an extra bonus when your waiter tells you that you speak Chinese very well!

By the way: Dou means bean and fu means fermented, Voila! Fermented bean curd = tofu!

Bon apetit!