Tofu, kiwi, mackerel and beans ― it’s all in the blood

Home > Culture > Features

print dictionary print

Tofu, kiwi, mackerel and beans ― it’s all in the blood

So here’s the latest news I’ve discovered about people with blood type A: We are supposed to be the descendants of farmers.
That’s according to an “anthropological” analysis of the eating habits of people with type-A blood, which I recently found on an online fortune-telling site.
According to this site, for centuries we have had much the same diet. Number one, we like carbohydrates. Two, having too much meat is unhealthy for our bodies. (Is it healthy for anyone’s?)
Three, vegetarian protein is better for us than animal protein. Finally, consuming an adequate amount of tofu and grains is important for our health.
Mind you, one’s blood type is a serious matter in Korea. In a recent poll conducted by a local medical cable channel, up to 20 percent of Koreans said they would consider their partner’s blood type an important issue if they were thinking about marriage. In the same survey, more than 47 percent of respondents considered type O to be the best (type-O’s are thought to be outgoing and hardworking).
Some Web sites suggest specific ways to lose weight according to one’s blood type. One site advises type-As to consume a good mix of minerals, fiber and carbohydrates. They list some specific foods that could improve our metabolism, such as mackerel, noodles, yogurt, kiwi, pineapple, beans, carrots, parsley, zucchini and tofu.
The site says we should avoid meat, flour, paprika, papaya, tomatoes, oranges and bananas. It particularly recommends salads with olive oil dressing, spicy squid stew, crab stew, tofu patties, oyster rice and chicken noodle soup.
For stress relief, this site advises type-A’s to turn to yoga and stretching, rather than more rigorous sports like hiking or swimming. As far as beverages are concerned, one site recommends red wine, coffee and green tea. Oh ― a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon before bed would be good for our digestion.
Interestingly, the food that is supposedly good for my blood type often seems to be food that I like. I love tofu, and it seems to show up everywhere on these lists.
And things I dislike ― notably, tomatoes and bananas ―turn out not to be good for me. Of course, these could just be coincidences.


How to Cook

Mafa tofu

Ingredients: 1 block of tofu, 150g minced pork, 1 chili pepper, 1 green bell pepper, 2 teaspoons of toubanjian (Chinese chili paste), small amounts of crushed garlic and ginger. For sauce: 1 cup of chicken stock, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of corn starch, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, pinch of sugar, olive oil.
1. Cut the tofu into cubes and stir them on a heated pan. Add a few drops of oil. Add the garlic, ginger and minced pork.
2. Add the chili pepper and green pepper (chopped). Add the chicken stock.
3. Add the toubanjian, soy sauce, sugar and corn starch.
5. Stir them well. Add sesame oil.
6. Serve over rice.
From miz.naver.com, Delicook


by Park Soo-mee
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)