David Liao, owner of Golden Leaf restaurant in Los Angeles, is petitioning for the return of his signature dish,'stinky tofu', after complaints from locals about its odor led to a ban and over $1,000 in fines. The popular Taiwanese street food, known as chou doufu in Chinese, is known for its stench and can smell anything from fermenting tofu for weeks or months in brine with vegetables. Liao had been selling stinky tofu for three years before receiving the first of several complaints in fall of 2017. The restaurant received a notice that they were violating one of the city's municipal codes in September 2017 and removed stink tofu from the menu until 2025. Despite this, Liao decided to stop selling the dish in November 2025.