Growing to love Japanese Food

Hi All,

For many of us, there is many types of Japanese food that we tend to enjoy from the beginning. However - there are some foods which we many not enjoy from the first time eating but grow to enjoy.

The two Japanese foods which I grew to enjoy are quite contrasting.

(1) Ramen - don't ask why. I thought it was meh but have finally eaten in some nice places when there was no other options for food in rural locations.

(2) Red Bean - I used to see beans as savoury, but not so much anymore. Then I realized my taste had change in 2013 when I ordered a waffle with red bean and green tea ice cream when there were other options.

Are there any Japanese foods which you did not like but grew to enjoy?

Natto: I originally didn't like the smell. A couple of years later, I ordered it by mistake, and ... somehow liked the taste. Now, I have it twice a week for breakfast.

Edimame - it is just a green bean at the start. Now I cannot resist with a little salt.

Seaweed was for sure an acquired taste. The first time I had sushi rolls (in my late teens), the nori was a hurdle.

Congee for breakfast. I wasnt fussed at first and now I love it.

Also the turban shells. It isnt that I dont like the taste or texture, but the meat looks like a dog poo when you take it out and kind of makes me gag. Cut up though - perfect.

I dont mind the taste of natto, but the texture is very off-putting.

While it is not a Japanese food per se, for me, it was ginger. Couldn't stand the stuff. Nowadays, I can't say I am gaga over it, but I have finally come to terms with it and enjoy it in moderation. Its stomach-settling capabilities is definitely a plus.

The first time I had chawanmushi it was not at all a pleasant experience.
Savoury custard. With, in that instance, fish hidden in the bottom.
Seemed like a particularly nasty trick to play on anyone.
Now, I really like it.

The first time I had umeboshi years ago I thought, "ooh, a plum!" and put the whole thing in at once. Hahahaha. I love them now though of course.

Must admit I�fve never grown to love umeboshi (or red bean, or natto).
I�fll keep trying, though...

Fish for breakfast. When we first went over having fish for breakfast was very alien, and I wasnt keen. Now it is something we really look forward to when we are travelling.

Salad for breakfast also puzzled me. It�fs refreshing, but was initially quite alien to a toast-or-cereal person like me.

Us too. Our Japan trips have really changed that, I often cook up pork and vegetable (purple sweet potato/shitake/cabbage/carrot) miso soup for breakfast on weekends, and one of our favorites (from the Korean trip) is kimchee and pork stew at breakfast.

But for our first trips to Japan I would cart around cereal and plastic bowls and spoons for us and the kids, I must have bought yoghurt by mistake instead of milk a half a dozen times, lol.

How I acquired the taste for natto:

I did not like natto at all for the longest time. I tried and tried many times. Because all my siblings like it, then how come not me?

Then one day at an izakaya I tried ika natto (squid natto), and that changed everything. It�fs just strips of raw squid mixed with natto, but the combined texture and taste did the trick. If you have not acquired a taste for raw squid, you can also try it with maguro (tuna), maguro natto. Or perhaps conquer both with one dish - ika natto!

@lazy pious. We cook a Japanese breakfast when we have time to do so. Grilled salmon, rice, pickled vege (including umeboshi!), miso soup and green tea. It's my favourite breakfast to be honest and our kids love it.

Cheers, it is also really easy to pickle cucumbers (salt and rice vinegar) as a breakfast side, or to make nimono (sweet boiled veggies) though that is better done the night before and left to soak. We always feel fantastic after a Japanese breakfast, though a lot of the time we will use brown rice instead of sushi rice for a bit of extra health.

A bit off topic, but if you like that, try korean seaweed soup with beef (chuck steak is ideal). Tastes brilliant for breakfast and it is super easy to make and really good for you. Koreans give it to mums after giving birth, so it is tradition to have it on your birthday.

Sounds delicious, and it's my birthday next week!

I grew up in the US in a very Japanese household, so I definitely had some foods I didn't like when I was a kid, but totally eat now. Some examples are tsukemono, wasabi, kazunoko, ikura, and hijiki. Not sure if I should include rice. I wasn't into it, unless it was with furikake, curry, donburi, or some sort of other added flavor. For some strange reason, I had no problems with natto. In fact, I loved natto. Still do. I still can't stand umeboshi and rakkyo.

I don�ft know if I�fll ever get the appeal of konyaku (and am probably not even spelling it correctly- apologies)

Thanks for all of the replies. The only thing I've struggled to enjoy is Natto - along with Uni (sea urchin) which is really due to taste. Konjac is ok but I've not tried it fresh apart from in Okonomiyaki

I love konjaku (or Konjac, I didnt know until now you could spell it that way). It is great in slices and as noodles, it doesnt have a lot of flavour but the texture is soooo good. But if you buy it in a packet and bring it home, it smells rank when you open the packet, like a bucket of week old dead fish, or a rotten potato. Takes plenty of rinsing to get the smell off your hands.