The word "tofu" has a several secondary meanings in Chinese. It doesn't just refer to food.

"Eating a tofu meal," for example, is actually a special term for the meal a family eats after a funeral. Chinese culture is heavily influenced by Buddhist beliefs. Many Chinese believe that, at least for the day of funeral, the entire family and close friends who are invited to this special meal should eat vegetarian foods. A tofu dish is central to the meal, and is served either as a stir-fried tofu with green vegetables and mushrooms, or as a plain tofu soup with a few leaves of bok-choy. Additionally, the color white symbolizes death in Chinese tradition, so the meal's white color is another important factor.

Recently, however, more and more Chinese are adding non-vegetarian items into the menu to please their guests. Restaurants are happy to provide meats because it enhances both the quality and cost of this special meal. Further, making the meal more extravagant is seen as expressing the family's deep gratitude towards friends who gave flowers and money for the funeral.

(selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)