Taho: One of my favorite Philippine childhood snacks

I lucked out and ran into a vendor while vacationing over Christmas.

Selfie by the Author

In this pic, I am holding a cup of taho, a warm snack drink made of silken tofu, brown sugar syrup, and boba pearls. It was one of my childhood favorites I was so excited to eat while in the Philippines visiting my family over Christmas.

My favorite memory of taho were weekend mornings, when a traveling street vendor would announce his presence in our neighborhood and us kids would come out with our glasses which he would fill to the brim with this yummy stuff.

First, he skims the little bit of liquid on top of the hot tofu. He scoops spoonfuls of it into a small glass. Then he ladles a serving or two of the boba pearls, topped with warm syrup. To eat it, you stir everything together and savor it in small, satisfyingly sweet batches.

It was a lucky moment, really, the only time I saw a taho vendor on my recent trip home. We were eating breakfast at Jollibee’s in Taguig. My oldest daughter, who had also served a church mission in the Philippines and was familiar with taho, said, “Mom, look.”

And sure enough, just outside the restaurant was a man with the trademark pair of aluminum containers that held the ingredients of taho, balanced on a pole on his shoulders. I rushed outside, gave…