Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Your Toes Smell Like Natto


Today I initiated myself into a fully Japanese breakfast: Natto (fermented soy beans) on rice, miso soup, a piece of nashi pear and a pot of genmaicha (brown rice green tea). I wish I would eat like this everyday. It feels so much better than grabbing cereal and soy or oily bacon and eggs.

My reaction to natto was mainly positive. But as I ate and read online(at the same time) how people are repulsed by natto, how it taste like cream cheese under your toes, how it smells like a dumpster on a hot humid day, I started to feel slightly queasy. Heck there was even this couple that launched the natto project (http://thenattoproject.com/) where they had to eat natto for 365 days until they liked it. Apparently people in New York City force themselves to eat natto to look hip. I don't see anyone in NY eating vegemite to look hip.

So as I started feeling quite sick from the taste of natto and the attention its been having, I mused upon a funny fact. I quite enjoy natto, I loooooooove vegemite, I adore blue cheese, I'm a big fan of kimchi but I hate durian. The last time my parents gave me durian, I licked it and barfed. Don't mind durian cream puffs and tarts though. But sorry Mr King of Fruits, you really smell like toes.

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