[TalnSG]

As one who considers natto and one of my all time favorite vegetables, I can still understand anyone's revulsion on their first encounter. There are plenty of foods that I have had an extremely hard time taking the first taste of. As a kid I could not handle anything that had even been in the vicinty of sour cream. My father trained foreign pilots and every country seems to have at least a few foods that outsiders find thoroughly objectionable.

But I suggest that an effort be made to get over it and try a taste. Just one bite. I disagee with the wikipedia's description of it smell. It is nothing akin to ammonia! It smells exactly like what its most plentiful nutrient is - niacin (B vitamin). If you have ever noticed the funky smell of a multivitamin that has lots vitamin B or cod liver oil, that is the scent. And some people don't like that.

First timers need to be sure its good natto. I have had some that was dried out and probably old. Perhaps have it in a sushi roll with a little ume (salted plum) or perilla leaf. Some people like it combined with tuna, and that may be a good idea because the reason I don't like that combination is that the tuna overshadows the natto taste. Yes its stringy and sticky (aka sticky beans) but the stringier it is the better the flavor should be.

If you have an local Asian market, you should find it in the freezer case in packs of 3 small containers. I put one serving in the micro for about 1-2 min and then eat it with hot rice and shredded nori, with a little mustard (usually in the packet).