Top 5 Japanese Foods I can’t Stand and Why

I love trying new food and it is not that I am not expanding my pallet to other ethnic foods but rather learning what foods I like to eat and foods that I should learn to avoid. I even find some dislikes in Mexican heritage food I have grow up with. For example in Mexican dishes there are some foods that are made with cactus and I  hate cactus and my mom loves cooking it in almost any dish she can think of (knowing full well I hate cactus).  An American food I cannot bring myself to eat is a hot dog drenched in relish. Its the sweetness that make me want to feed it to the seagulls or play basketball with the trashcan. In my journey of eating Japanese food I have encountered 5 things I dislike eating and in my journey I realized I learned food is unique for everyone.

1. Natto beans

When I first tried Natto beans, it was the first morning I had stayed with my host family in Japan. At first I was intrigued by this fascinating food because they looked like beans which was something I was use to seeing. My host father instructed me to mix the beans together with my chop sticks. I noticed as I mixed the beans around, a sticky substance emerged. I admit I was playing with my food like a kid playing with putty. As I had my first bite I could feel my taste buds rejecting the very food I had found intriguing a minute ago. It was then that I added natto in my list of food I did not like. It is said that Natto is an acquired taste but I have heard even some Japanese don't like natto which gave me no hope of taking the time to acquire this taste. 

2. Wasabi

Wasabi I heard goes great with sushi. As I began eating sushi I thought it would be great to try it with wasabi. Boy was I ever wrong. For the record it’s not that I am a wuss for spicy food; on the contrary I grew up eating spicy food (even though I didn’t really have a choice since I grew up in a Mexican household).  Wasabi had this taste that I did not find appealing. I later found out wasabi is actually horse radish and I hate horseradish. Even if wasabi touches my sushi I will not eat it. This would have been a good culture thing to know that wasabi is horseradish, then I would have been wise to avoid it in the first place. 

3. Shellfish Sashimi

I have had sashimi before in America but was really excited about trying sashimi in Japan. The first time I tried shellfish sashimi I noticed its white transparent and rubber texture. Biting into I realized it was not going to easily break apart. I had spent a good five minutes chewing on the piece of shellfish and it still remained it rubbery form,  it was impossible to eat. It wasn’t until my jaw was aching that I finally decided to discard it. The fear of swallowing it and getting it lodge in my throat and choking in front of my host family would have been embarrassing. I would have been dying with embarrassment instead of the shellfish lodge in my throat. So I did what any seven year old kid would do, I carefully spat it out in my napkin and continued with my meal. 

4. Tsukemono

Tsukemono is a side dish usually served with a meal which is used as a pallet cleanser. Every time I go and in a Japanese restaurant the meal is served with tsukemono and green tea. I wasn’t sure what it was at first. I was use to being served green tea but when this foreign salad entered my plate I was taken by surprised. To me it looked like a Cole slaw but without the creamy dressing. As I ate it all I could taste was vinegar in my mouth. I know it is was distilled with vinegar but  it tasted like vinegar in a solid form.

5. Yakiika 

Yakiika is grilled squid and I like any normal girl will squirm at the sight of any tentacles of a sea creature (my friend Stephanie seems to make an exception to the rule). At a picnic with the host families they were serving Yakiika and when my plate was served with the floppy lifeless sea creature before me I can feel my eyes open wide with a look of horror.  Before I could say anything my host father took the plate away and gave me a rice ball in its place. I think he still felt bad about tricking me with the Natto my first day which is why he insisted I tried the rice ball.  But what really freaks me out the most about Yakiika is the texture and the tentacles and its overall creepy look.

I am not discouraging you from trying or enjoying these dishes but giving you the courage to try new things. I have tasted the best Japanese food with trying random things and even though you may find foods that may forever scar you, don't let it keep you from expanding your taste. You never know Yakiika might be your favorite Japanese dish, I know its not mine.