Tofu and Pigs: An Unlikely Marriage

My uncle, who lives in Vietnam, is staying with my family while he visits the States. Last night after dinner, we sat around and talked about his tofu factory and pig farm.

If a pig farm and a tofu factory seem like odd companions, think again! Apparently the pigs are fed the waste from the tofu production and the waste from the pigs is turned into bio-gas (think methane) which fuels the fires to make the tofu. It's a completely closed loop. Incidentally, the pigs are not slaughtered as one might suspect. They are only used as the engine between factory waste and factory fuel.

And the factory is so productive and cost effective that they are opening another one in the heart of Saigon.

I asked my uncle if he had any photos of the operation. He does not. He did remark, however, that I ought to take a trip to Vietnam to see the tofu and pigs myself. I might just take him up on that offer, so don't be surprised if you see a Dispatches from Vietnam blog (similar to my Dispatches from Brasil blog) in the near future.

Oink oink.