• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Paleo Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Instant Pot® Recipe Roundup
    • Paleo Packed Lunch Roundup
    • Whole30® Recipe Roundup
  • My Cookbooks
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go!
    • Ready or Not!
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans
  • Spice Blends
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Paleo Meal Plans
  • About
    • What’s Paleo?
    • About Michelle Tam
    • Nom Nom Paleo in the News

Nom Nom Paleo®

Paleo recipes and more from New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Home » Blog » Uncategorized » Natto’s Not For Me

Natto’s Not For Me

The following is a homework assignment I did for my food writing class with the super-awesome Tori Ritchie of Tuesday Recipe. The task was to write a short piece about the grossest thing I’ve ever eaten. So naturally, I picked the one dining experience that reminded me of the final scene in Pink Flamingos. 

Natto’s not so good. Natto rhymes with snot-o. Natto tastes like rot-o.

I’d heard all the childish put-downs before, but I doubted the naysayers. Is it really possible for a vegetable-based product to taste that bad?

Yes. Times infinity. I’ve now sworn off fermented, slimy soybeans for life.

I had the misfortune of sampling natto while on our honeymoon in Japan, where we became exponentially more destitute as the days passed. The highlight of our stay was the two nights we spent in a fancy ryokan in Hakone, a Japanese inn where guests are served a traditional breakfast and dinner in their rooms.

Since we arrived late, our first meal was breakfast the following morning. As we rubbed the sleep from our eyes, a smiley elderly woman brought us trays filled with small covered lacquer boxes. She lifted the lids off each container to reveal a succession of tasty morsels that made my eyes sparkle.

Grilled fish!

Miso soup with mini clams!

Matcha!

Hey! Who took a doodie on my rice?

I’m not normally grossed out by unfamiliar food. When we ate our way through China, I slurped up bear-claw stew while casually studying the toes poking out of the bowl. However, nothing compares compares to the full-frontal assault of natto. The mucus-like texture, ripe barnyard smell, sour “off” taste, and the shiny brown freshly-laid appearance made me gag and scrub my tongue with a napkin. Repeatedly.

Natto’s never gonna get past these lips again, even if I’m blotto.

[Photo: Jasja Dekker]

2

Thrive Market   LunchBots   Real Plans

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Logged in as . Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Archives

About Nom Nom Paleo Nom Nom Paleo Cookbooks Nom Nom Paleo App Nom Nom Paleo Spices
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • An overhead shot of the world's best braised green cabbage, carrot coins, and sliced onions in an oval casserole pan. Two hands are holding the handles with towels. World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage
  • A slice of paleo and dairy free asparagus quiche on a plate in front of pie pan with quiche inside. Asparagus Quiche (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
  • An overhead shot of a platter topped with Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Crispy Potatoes Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Crispy Potatoes
  • No-Bake Matcha Cheesecake by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com Matcha Cheesecake (Vegan, Paleo, No-Bake)

Footer

COPYRIGHT© NOM NOM PALEO LLC. All rights reserved. The content on this website may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission.

HOME  •  PRIVACY POLICY  •  CONTACT

Copyright © 2023