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Restaurant Mon May 05 2008
Atomix: Tofu Turkey
I bit into the crusty, toasted bread of an Atomix sandwich. The cheese flowed through tomato and steamy spinach. I'd ordered vegan cheese Tofutti the counter told me. The tofu turkey was sliced in the way I imagine only a deli slicer can do.
From a booth in the back, I heard one man talking to the man working the counter. It was about the turkey alternative they call tofu turkey. I didn't make out the start of it. The counter responded something like, "it's tofu-based." The patron humbly and sincerely asked, why then, is it called turkey? And the counter, in a tone that seemed as objective as could be, answered: because it's supposed to be similar. There was no stress on "supposed to." To someone who hasn't eaten meat in years, the tofu alternative seems to serve its purpose: to provide salty substance with a little chew, and perhaps protein, to a sandwich based on thick, hearty, toasted bread, with plenty of vegetables and a good savory spread like pesto or hummus.
Atomix is the type of low-key, simple coffee shop I come when I want to be free to read a little, nibble on a crumbly vegan coffee cake muffin, or combat the type of strong, primal hunger that demands a dense sandwich and knows how to be patient while they slowly make it.