Sunday, July 23, 2006

Naato is fucking gross

Part of my experience in Japan is trying new food. Granted, I've already tried most Japanese style food, but there are some new ones to be had. One of those is called naato. How can I describe this... treat?

I learned about it from one of my students. We do warm-up games, usually Jenga or Uno, and each time it is a kid's turn they have to ask a question. So I asked one of them what their favorite food is. Nato was the answer. Soon after this, and asking many children if they like naato, I had to try it. One of the Japanese teachers at my school said she likes it too, and would take me to a place that has it.

Naato is fermented soy beans. So far, sounds like it might be funky...but isn't miso fermented soy bean paste? And miso is delicious. So I figure naato is like whole soy beans, but miso flavored. Wrong. Seriously fucking wrong. Can you tell I didn't enjoy my lunch today?

Naato is soy beans covered with what I could only descibe as snail slime. It's a texture thing. If you touch fresh snail slime, it is really hard to get off your fingers. It's also really hard to get off the inside of your mouth. It doesnt really taste like anything either.

So there you go, if you want to experience this delight, just lick a slug's ass, and you are good to go.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Naato is good for you and if want to try something really gross and is also bad for you, try American fast food.

Ramen Adventures said...

Thanks for your comment. I originally had a bad experience with natto (more than 5 years ago). I now accept it, but it is still kind of nasty.

Don said...

I like to eat it out of an old sneaker. That really brings out the flavor.

Rycoon said...

Naato is possibly the worst thing I've ever eaten. This comes from a guy who loves just about every food he's ever tried anywhere. Naato is like eating snail slime out of an old sneaker. It may be "good" for you, but so is an apple, and I'd rather eat the apple. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure if you acquire the taste it's a special treat, but for most the author hit it head on. Especially as far as first impressions go.

Frostbite said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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