First of all... let me introduce Natto. Natto is a popular, traditional Japanese dish of fermented soybeans. It has recently been discovered that this stringy subsance is very healthy. It helps in the prevention of heat-attacks, obesity, stokes, cancer and other such diseases. It is interesting that japanese people tend to live a long time and since most japanese people drink and smoke to much and don't get enough sleep... their diet is the healthest I have ever seen. 
Real Japanese people eat Natto. Ever since I have arrived, people ask me if I like Japanese food. I always say "yes".
"Do you like Natto?"
At this moment I have to look them in the eye and tell them that
"I don't know. I've never tried it."
They are always astonished at this.
SO... Today was my first experience with Natto. School lunch looked promising as I stared at the tray. Rice, miso soup, fish with sauce, pickles and some thing else. I was getting excited. Yesterday we had a small cup of blueberry cheesecake and I thought we might luck out and have two sweet treats in a row (totally unheard of). I asked one of the office ladies what it was... "It's natto... Natto ski deska?" (do you like natto?). They got really excited when I tell them it's my first time.
I take my tray up to the fith grade class (from hell) I happen to be eating with today. They, of course, ask me the standard question and I give the standard answer. So here is what you do. You mix your beans with soysauce and mustard and put it on top of your rice. Bon apetite!
So here it is... what I promised in the title... the word of the day is...
Mazui: adj. unappetizing, unplesant (smell, taste, appearance, situation)
Jody translation: YUCK!!! What the hell is this $h!t? No wonder people in Japan are so thin. If I had to eat this stuff everyday I would starve too!
Thus ends the tale of my first natto experience. I still smell like it, even after several hours. I think my students will make fun of me for a while... you should have seen the faces I made while I ingested the entire cupfull (I was trying to set a good example) and finally... I have a definate answer to the age old question "Natto ski deska?".
Answer: IIE. Natto wa oishi ku ni. (No! Natto is not delicious!)
3 comments:
hahaha. I hate natto too. and by the way, you can think of "mazui" as "sucks". I've heard people use it in reference to the weather too, and the time limit of things etc. Or you can just think of it as yet another way to say something is no good.
hehehe, if you want to say something stinks (literally smells bad), say, "kusai!" the kids will break up laughing.
As always... Thanks for the quick japanese lesson. Lots of love
"IIE. Natto wa oishi ku ni," seconded. Too bad you couldn't have completed your time in Japan having never been subjected to the repugnance therein.
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