The Tofu Tollbooth (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Zipern (Author), Dar Williams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink, The Tofu Tollbooth came about when a vegetarian folk singer (Dar Williams, in this case) hit the road and faced the dilemma of eating meatless in America. Teaming up with Elizabeth Zipern (author of Grateful Dead cookbook Cooking with the Dead), Williams put together a compendium of handpicked natural-food stores and eating spots across the USA. More than merely an organic food resource, The Tofu Tollbooth emanates charm and congeniality as well as details and addresses. The key to amenities (including deli, bakery, café, juice bar, salad bar, filtered water machine, wheelchair access, co-op, beer/wine, and coffee to go) is characterized by appealing hand-drawn icons, and the authors mention other useful tidbits of information as well, such as what's nearby that's worth a visit. The guide contains more than 1,000 health-food options, and for each site, the concise write-ups contain address and phone number, directions from the highways (a wonderful addition), hours of operation, and the parade of cute icons that let you know what to expect to find there (once you memorize that the face with beret stands for café, the carrot in a glass denotes juice bar, and the hot pepper means an especially hot tip). Whether you're performing on tour, traveling with the family, or road tripping on business, it's nice to link up museums, romantic lookouts, night life, and hiking trails with locations that sell soy milk, fresh produce, and organic chocolate. You might not eat another McDonald's desperation dinner ever again. --Stephanie Gold

Review
"Well this is just great! A million thanks for this!" -- Jonathan Fishman of Phish

The Tofu Tollbooth should find a place in any health-conscious traveler's suitcase -- Arthur Frommer's Daily Newsletter, August 24, 1998

Out of the hundreds of books we receive, here are 1998's most notable: Smartest Cross-Country Guide - The Tofu Tollbooth. -- Eating Well, Nov./Dec. 1998

You're driving down an endless highway in Wyoming counting the miles between "You're in Cow Country, Eat Beef" signs. Thank goodness you have the Tofu Tollbooth on your dashboard. How else could you ever have found that organic salad bar in Jackson. Or that community coop in Utah?....Tips on nearby hiking, hostels and places to just watch the sunset make it invaluable on your nest trip. -- anonymous reader

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Ceres Press; Second Edition edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188610106X
• ISBN-13: 978-1886101067
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,066,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an invaluable traveling companion, January 10, 2000

By	itchyfootedwoman (sarasota, fl) - See all my reviews

i've recently completed a seven month, 16,400 mile trip around the country with my dog in my '77 vw bus and in every city i visited i was armed with information that enabled me to eat and play like a vegetarian local. not only are the store listings wonderful (with very specific and easy-to-use directions), but for many cities the authors give advice obtained from store workers on the best veggie restaurants to eat at, the nicest places for hiking, and the nifty nightspots. the tofu tollbooth was my most beloved traveling guide and should have a place in every vegetarian's glove compartment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great book but getting very outdated, July 5, 2002

By	beuce marceed (nanuet, ny United States) - See all my reviews

first, this is a great book! a must have for all vegan, veggie, healthfood store luvin travelers. we traveled this country and used this book at least once a day.all in all it was pretty informative and gave a great description of what the store was like and what they sold,and most of the time the directions were good and simple,sometimes bad and some times wrong. but hey... they give you the phone # so its not a big deal. my only real complaint at all is we need a revised book. I mean "1998" ?
a whole bunch of natural food stores have gone up since "98"
and many of the listed stores are out of buisness.we travelled in "2000" and found it out dated, i can only imagine how outdated it is now.
one more point: even being out dated this book is well worth it
because most stores are still running and even when we ran across one that was gone the book had still put us in an area were another heathfood store had popped up. well worth the $
i'd buy it 5 years from now if there were no revised ed.s, but really hope thats not the future

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Always saves me on the road, November 25, 2000

By	IndigoKare "indigokare" (San Francisco-area) - See all my reviews

I am a traveler. Being a vegetarian on the road can be difficult. The choices are somewhat limited to greasy hamburgers. However, the Tofu Tollbooth really saves me. Elizabeth Zipern and Dar Williams have compiled quite a listing of vegetarian friendly establishments. Sure, most of these places are not interstate-side drive-ins (many listings are of co-ops and natural food stores), but finding a local co-op can be a fun and educational side trip. The places that Zipern and Williams list give the traveler a taste of the local culture as well. The only fault that I can find in this book is that I wish the directions were a bit clearer. Sometimes I find myself following the directions and getting off the highway only to drive many more miles than I had expected. I wish that information such as distence from the highway had been included. But besides that minor drawback, the Tofu Tollbooth is a must for any vegetarian on the road!