Naato is fucking gross

Part of my experience in Japan is trying new food. Granted, I've already tried most Japanese style food, but there are some new ones to be had. One of those is called naato. How can I describe this... treat?

I learned about it from one of my students. We do warm-up games, usually Jenga or Uno, and each time it is a kid's turn they have to ask a question. So I asked one of them what their favorite food is. Nato was the answer. Soon after this, and asking many children if they like naato, I had to try it. One of the Japanese teachers at my school said she likes it too, and would take me to a place that has it.

Naato is fermented soy beans. So far, sounds like it might be funky...but isn't miso fermented soy bean paste? And miso is delicious. So I figure naato is like whole soy beans, but miso flavored. Wrong. Seriously fucking wrong. Can you tell I didn't enjoy my lunch today?

Naato is soy beans covered with what I could only descibe as snail slime. It's a texture thing. If you touch fresh snail slime, it is really hard to get off your fingers. It's also really hard to get off the inside of your mouth. It doesnt really taste like anything either.

So there you go, if you want to experience this delight, just lick a slug's ass, and you are good to go.