Andrew + Japan = Awesome

I’ve finally done it, I’ve eaten Natto.

Ever since arriving in Japan, every student has asked me three questions. "Do you like Japan?", "Do you like Sushi?", and "Do you like Natto?". When I first got here I was somewhat confused as to what Natto was, but after having it explained to me I was pretty sure that no, I did not like Natto.

Natto is basically fermented soy beans. Soy beans that have been cooked, then left for a week or so to go rotten. They also go stringy and slimy. In fact, here’s some pictures.

Mmmm…. yummy.

Today when I got to Toyota kindergarten like I do every Tuesday, I went to my first class where they give me lunch. As soon as I walked in the room I could smell it, I’ve never smelt Natto before, but I have had it described as one of the worst smells you can imagine, and I just knew that this had to be Natto, nothing else could smell that bad. I looked around and sure enough all the kids had a small pile of Natto on their plates.

Now bear in mind, this is school food Natto. So the Natto in those pictures was probably pretty good compared to the mass produced Natto I was subjected to today.

Luckily the teacher in that classroom knows a little English, and is a nice guy, so he gave me just a little bit of Natto. Normally the teachers give us a lot of food, and it’s often a struggle to eat it all. So I put on a brave face, and took a mouth full of Natto and rice. I chewed, and chewed, and to start with it wasn’t really that bad. And then all of a sudden it was. It tasted almost chemical. It was just awful, I can’t even describe the taste. It most certainly wasn’t a "nutty, savory, somewhat salty flavor that belies its odor" like Wikipedia claims.

Regardless, I feel bad leaving food on the plate, so I somehow managed to eat it all. I stopped chewing and had to drink milk or eat the salad between each and every spoon full. It seemed like it would never end, but then it was gone. I’d eaten it all, and I could sit back and see how the kids were going.

To my amazement, they had all finished the Natto, and were even going back for second and third helpings. These are the same children who I regularly see refuse to eat something normal like salad, and they’re ploughing through the Natto. The foulest tasting thing I’ve eaten in Japan turns out to be the kids favorite food. Go figure.