Word on the Street

A Portland Glossary

Tofu n.

Old-fashioned political pork gone “green.” Cf. the federal Department of Energy’s plan to guarantee a $1.3 billion loan to General Electric for the construction of Shepherds Flat, a 32,000-acre wind farm in Morrow and Gilliam Counties. In a sentence: “Tell them boys and girls in DC that we’re happy to shrink our carbon footprint, if they can kick down some serious tofu.” See also: The Portland Development Commission’s unprecedented $8 million loan to help renovate a new US HQ for wind turbine maker Vestas.