My Natto Redemption

When we were in Kyoto, we stumbled upon a local eatery serving a traditional Japanese breakfast. It's mostly composed of rice, miso soup, some kind of protein (often fish, eggs, or sausage), nori, and small side dishes like pickled vegetables and tofu. And then there's natto.

Natto is fermented soybeans — basically Japan's answer to a superfood, packed with probiotics, Vitamin K2, and something called nattokinase that apparently loves your heart. I know. It sounds made up.

But the first time I tried natto in the States, I almost threw up. Super slimy, with a texture not entirely unlike nose snot (sorry for the visual). It had little flavor on its own, yet somehow hid this hard-to-describe pungency underneath. Every bite felt like a battle between my chopsticks and my gag reflex. (Apologies, that was graphic.)

But here we were in Japan, the birthplace of natto. I should give it another go. Besides, turning 40 had turned me into a health snob, and those benefits were hard to ignore. So I ordered. Karl ordered too.

This was when the magic happened. As I followed the same procedure of mixing soy sauce and mustard into the natto brick, giving it a long, good stir until I started to see the “snob” forming, I took one cautious bite, fully prepared to suffer*,* and to my surprise, I saw butterflies. The tiny natto beans danced in my mouth, waking up every taste bud. Yes, it was still slimy, but in the best way, like okra. It had this salty, fermented depth that paired perfectly with rice. I thought to myself: What a dish. I could eat this every day.

Karl, on the other hand, had my first experience. He had a hard time getting it down. Lucky me, I happily finished his portion along with mine. Extra probiotics and K2, thank you very much.

In the end, I'm just grateful I didn't give up on natto.

Moral of the story: some foods are like people. The first impression isn't always the fairest one. A second chance can reveal all their charm. Natto isn't visually appealing, but once you get past the bias, it’s a natural gift to our health.

I am officially a natto fan!!