Musings of a Drunken Monk: Individual Entry Archive

Natto is a Japanese concoction made up of fermented soybeans. It's supposed to taste good on white rice and with mustard. As an American and somewhat sane person, I don't have the same appreciation for Natto that many Japanese do. Maybe it's the fact that it looks like rabbit poo, smells like weeks-old sweaty socks, and has the consistency of mucous. To me it tastes like funky coffee, which doesn't necessarily mean I dislike Natto. I just don't like it.

Imagine my surprise and horror to discover the work refrigerator absolutely packed with the stuff. The first time I discovered it, I was so bewildered that I had to retreat to the safety of my office to take stock of this new development. Over the period of a week or so the Natto vanished, with only a hint of grungy socks lingering as evidence that it had ever been there.

Apparently a local New England maker allows our office to order it in quantity; all of the Japanese workers here swear that it's actually better than Japanese-made Natto. Such a statement, of course, is a huge deal, as anyone worth his salt in Japan knows that anything Japanese is far superior to its equivalent from other countries.

This time around (it happens with a certain regularity) I got in on the action and ordered a couple tubs myself. I just can't wait to have that slimy stuff hanging from my chin.