The man was selling with a large container on his head and a trumpet in his hand

When I was a child, a tofu vendor used to pass through my neighborhood every day.

Riding a bicycle with a large wooden tub strapped to the back, he would blow his distinctive horn, announcing his arrival. Unlike vegetables from the greengrocer or meat from the butcher, tofu was something we never had to go out and buy.

Why was that?

Today, tofu is easily found in supermarkets, neatly packaged in plastic containers filled with water. But before such modern packaging techniques, transporting tofu must have required a great deal of care. Being delicate and water-rich, it likely couldn’t be individually wrapped without risk of breaking. Having vendors deliver it directly to customers may have been the most practical solution.

That memory resurfaced when I passed a street vendor in Mumbai.

Balancing a large container on his head, he carried a horn in one hand, its high-pitched call echoing through the streets to announce his presence.

I had no idea what he was selling—but something about his tradition, his routine, his presence in the streets reminded me of the old tofu vendors of Japan.

A glimpse of the past, halfway across the world.

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