It was years ago when I first tried natto at my wife’s urging, and I immediately swore I would never touch the stuff again. She says she doesn’t actually enjoy it either but eats it because it’s healthful, and so for all these years she’s been dutifully putting it away while I’ve been queasily grimacing across the table.
But somewhere along the line, something unexpected crept in: FOMO. You see those little three-packs everywhere. My favourite Japanese podcaster raves about the スーパーフード. Visiting friends ask about it. And yet, almost night after night, I disdained what was right in front of me.
Then last night, at dinner, there happened to be some Tabasco on the table. And suddenly a thought popped into my head… half curiosity, half recklessness: What if I just drown it in Tabasco and see if it hides the yuck? Possessed by this brief spell of madness, I started mixing the sauce into the slime while my wife watched with open curiosity, saying nothing.
Just as I was about to bring the chopsticks to my mouth, she suggested I mix it into some rice. That seemed reasonable enough, so I did exactly that.
I hate to sound like a million clickbait titles, but you won't believe what happened next.
I actually liked it.
Not in a polite, well-this-isn’t-terrible way; but genuinely, texture and all. The heat cut through the funk, the rice reined the sliminess into okra territory and grounded everything, and somehow the whole thing clicked. Years of dramatic refusal undone in a single, impulsive bite.
Neba say neba again, I guess.
(Anyone else who's discovered Tabasco salvation for natto? Or is it a common trick that finally found its way under my rock?)
by juntokyo