Tofu vendor delivers much more than healthy food to an east Tokyo neighborhood

Akiko Sugaya wheels a cart through the alley-like streets of eastern Tokyo selling tofu, the protein-rich staple favored in much of Asia.But delivering soybean curd in all shapes and textures is only a small slice of her mission.And it’s just that. A mission.More than simply a vendor of healthy food, she’s also a social conduit who checks on elderly customers as she guides her pink cart, wearing a straw hat and tooting a small brass bugle to signal her arrival.She knows the habits of many of her customers like family, and they know hers. She’s lost some elderly customers over the years w…READ FULL ARTICLE