What Japanese Foods DON'T You Like?

[Bob in Iowa]

What about eating "eda mame"?

That's better than even eating tofu because tofu has no dietary fiber but edamame is the whole bean so you get all the nutrients and fiber.

I have never tried eda mame, but I love the taste and texture of fresh tofu.

Tofu notwithstanding, the supplement that I was describing contains an isoated enzyme, nattokinase, that occurs in the fermentation process of adding bacillus natto to boiled soybeans in order to produce natto, and is credited with aiding the body in maintaining healthy clotting and fibrinolytic processes.

[Apollo]

I know that the majority would vote for NATTO!! haha, I think I would vote for that tooo....although I haven't tasted it, but I have seen it, and heard people's opinions on it....not very positive!!

[Jadrien24]

I agree Miss_apollo7, I still haven't tried natto, but I probably never will because of all the bad things I've heard about it. I have tried so hard to like umeboshi because for some reason it's very healthy for you, but I just can't. Even a little bit sandwiched between lots of rice is just too salty!
Now, this could be just because I tried to make it myself, but I didn't like many of the ingredients in Oden. I really liked the flavor of the broth, but the squid or octopus or whatever was really rubbery and gross. I'l wait to try it again in Japan this summer though.

[Index]

Edamame rocks. Great instead of beer nuts!
Natou is disgusting. It looks like something out of the movie "Alien". I once had it in an omelette at an izakaya; it was just as foul. I'm not a fan of manbou sushi (I'm not sure about the name)-it's like eating a million tiny rubber ball bearings which take about 3000chews before you can swallow them.

I had horse once at a really nice restaurant in nishi azabu and it was beautiful, but not raw. Very slightly fried, extra rare. Yum.

Once of my students in Japan loved ice-cream and he would go out and try different types all over the place. Apparently he found a shop in Asakusa that sells nuttou ice-cream, but he didn't recommend it.

[Brooker]

Edamame rocks. Great instead of beer nuts!

I agree. When they're salted they compliment beer oh so nicely. And much healthier than pretzels too.

[Pararousia]

Crabs have brains??!!??!!

Learn something new everyday!

[Kyoko_desu]

My American friend from Ohio State said the only Japanese food he didn't like was hiyamugi/soumen (ice noodle?)
I myself don't like basashi, but don't really have much opportunity to eat it anyways.

[doinkies]

Nattou...eegah, the smell...bleah...

never eaten crab brains or basashi before though, actually doinkies never knew some people eat crab brains. But those don't sound too appetizing either.

doinkies likes most of the other stuff on the list though, even octopus and salmon roe. Hehe. ^^

[kooo]

Most fish!

And green tea icecream. I do like sakura icecream a lot though.

[epigene]

"Kani miso" is not crab brains. It's more like liver and pancreas put together. It is highly nutritious (just like beef or pork liver) but is not recommended for people suffering from atopic skin problems and other allergies.

Personally, I like "crab roe" better, though it's no longer widely available (due to restrictions imposed on catching female crabs).

[ricecake]

Definitely Nattou,gluey gutter-smell fermented soybeans irk my stomach.I've made several purchases of Nattou in 3-tray package in the past from a local Mitsuwa supermarket chain,never could forced my mouth take a bite of it and that stuff ended up in trash can.

[yukio_michael]

I actually answered this thread before I visited Japan--- so, having lived there a brief while, I'll add of course nattou & goya. I don't think I mind the taste of nattou, but the smell is just something that triggers some sort of gag reflex in me.... repelent...

[leonmarino]

I have the opposite. I love the smell of nattou, but have not yet acquired the taste of it. I do like nattou-yaki though, which you can get at any good yakitori shop.

I have never eaten something in Japan that was so horrific that I couldn't finish it. One exception is maybe the curry rice at Nagasaki airport.. Ow, and whale didn't taste too good either.

But other than that, Japan is heaven for me. Food-wise that is.

[ricecake]

I do like nattou-yaki though, which you can get at any good yakitori shop.

Japan is heaven for me. Food-wise that is.

What's Nattou-Yaki ?

I like the lighter taste of many Japanese dishes.

[Maciamo]

I wonder how many of those of voted for "basashi" and "kanimiso" have actually tried it. I guess many wouldn't eat horse by principle (out of respect for the animal), and many are just repulsed at the idea of eating brain, even if they haven't tried it or even seen it (in crustaceans, the brain doesn't look more disgusting than the offals). There is a difference between not liking and not wanting to eat ? Who likes cat meat ? I don't know I have never tried and never will. But I can't say I dislike it as I haven't tried.

I am surprised that twice more people dislike shoga (ginger) than sushi. All good sushi eater also eats pickled ginger to prevent intestinal worms.

There are only two things which everybody likes so far : rice and miso soup. Yet I have been asked by some Japanese whether I could eat/drink them as I was a foreigner. I admit I was only asked 3 or 4 times, not over 100 times like for sushi and natto, but still...

[Maciamo]

I have added gingko seeds (ginnan), okra (a fermented vegetable makes threads like natto) and fried grasshoppers, and funazushi (fermented carp). I dislike okura, but I don't mind the grasshoppers or ginnan. Never tried the funazushi.

Okra is actually a plant originally from Ethiopia, but I had never eaten or even heard of it before coming to Japan, where it is quite common.

[Revenant]

Natto - it's not that I dislike either it's taste of smell, it's that eating loads of soybean products isn't good for the testoterone level. One can get the possible bone protecting benefits of the phytoestrogen from just a little soy sauce. In a study done in Japan, it was found that Japanese men who ate soybean products regularly had suppressed testosterone levels. Personally I want a good immune system, my libido, more potential for building muscle, and increased concentration, all of which testosterone plays a part in.

Foods I don't like based on texture - Kazunoko, Salmon eggs, cheap cafetaria shinachiku (I do like the shinachiku put in an good Ramen dish)

Foods I don't like based on the image - unagi, anago, and sea cucumber.

Foods that positively taste wretched - uni.

[AsakuraNeo10]

i just don like any tou including nattou

[nurizeko]

I dont considor myself a fussy eater but alot of Japanese food was too much for me.

[Davey]

I like a lot of Japanese food, even Nattou!!! I had it on one of my Elementary schools a couple of weeks ago, and I was like: WAAA THEY ARE GIVING ME NATTOU... can I eat this? so I tried some, and I even smillied while I was eating it because it was nice.

The number one thing I dislike is umeboshi. I can't stand the taste of it. My wife always makes fun of me (she even tried to put some umeboshi on my omelet this morning...)

[craftsman]

I like almost any Japanese food and would eat the whole list of choices happily....however....

...I usually will eat anything until my stomach tells me otherwise. My stomach says a big NOOOOOOOOO to these:

*Octopus - See this thread to find out why.

*I was watching a sea cucumber move along the bed of a rock pool the other day - no way anything that floppy, black and unappetising could ever make it on my dinner plate. I don't care what is sprinkled on it to make it edible. My stomach has spoken.

[Flashjeff]

I like a lot of Japanese food, even Nattou!!! I had it on one of my Elementary schools a couple of weeks ago, and I was like: WAAA THEY ARE GIVING ME NATTOU... can I eat this? so I tried some, and I even smillied while I was eating it because it was nice.

You like natto? You're a stronger man than I! Just the smell turns my stomach, I couldn't even imagine actually eating the stuff! No way!!

[justin]

Aside from raw horse the only japanese food I don't like is the bean paste stuff. :P

[Qutiepie]

Nigiri sushi is what I don't like,can't eat raw fish.


I've tried Sashimi sliced squid with hot porridge.

[japantvhost]

Definately Natto. The smell will put you off any food!