No, thank you

B mentioned (in comments, on my other blog) the horrible food that many restaurants in Japan serve. These were mainly bastardised Western dishes, which have been modified to be especially horrible, and of which there are far too many.

Most traditional Japanese food is much better. Delicious, in fact. But still, there are some I don't enjoy at all. Here are five things I have eaten in Japan and will not eat again except by accident or if I'm dying of starvation, and maybe not even then:

1) Sea slugs
'Nuff said.

2) Raw horse meat
Not bad, actually, until I found out what it was. I shouldn't have asked.

3) Natto (fermented soy beans)
I know it's good for me, but it smells off. And it's slimy.

4) Inago (grasshoppers)
Actually they weren't bad, but mostly it was the sauce that was good. The legs tickled the roof of my mouth. Once was all right but I'll pass on seconds.

5) Funazushi (rotten river fish)
I cannot believe that The Man's relatives send this to him by special delivery as a treat. Is he mad? You have to triple-wrap it just to keep it in the fridge without making everything in there smell as if it's gone dramatically bad, and even that sometimes isn't enough. When he unwraps it I have to leave the room. 'Fermented', says The Man. 'Rotten', says my nose.