Who actually likes slimy food?
So, I was having a discussion last night about slimy food, after finishing an okra main dish.
Being Japanese I love slimy foods like okra, tororo (a variety of potato that you grate raw to make it slime), natto, mekabu (seaweed), tororo combu (kelp shaved thinner than paper thin), etc.
I usually get very negative reactions from my non-Japanese friends about slimy foods. Are there actually people who like slimy food besides the Japanese?
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25 Comments:
I've been thinking about where I may have had food that was purposefully slimy outside a Japanese restaurant, and no I can't think of any.
What can one conclude except that Japanese food is very special indeed.
Ortolan at 3:36PM on 08/05/09
Would you consider shellfish on the half shell to be slimy? I know some people think it is.
potroast at 3:43PM on 08/05/09
I like slimy food. Love okra! and there are some kinds of tubers that are slimy, I don't know what they called them I have heard eddoes, coco, ube whatever they are called they are slimy and I love them. Along with stewed beef tendons and stewed trotters.
Sweetie at 3:57PM on 08/05/09
I think raw oysters are fabulous, but the bf's cheif complaint is the slimy texture.
annabanannas at 4:15PM on 08/05/09
Sliminess doesn't bother me at all either. I like boiled tendons in soup, okra, etc. Natto's not my favorite, but it's the flavor more than the texture that gets me. Bring on the slime!
BangieB at 4:26PM on 08/05/09
My dad. He used to make this chicken that had a thin coating of brown sauce on it. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I named it "slimy chicken" and still call it that, though I haven't had it in about 20 years. He stopped torturing me with it sometime in elementary school.
meem21 at 4:48PM on 08/05/09
Uni is...slimy on the inside....? Is that a good description? The texture of slimy foods doesn't bother me - as long as I like the flavor.
therealchiffonade at 5:04PM on 08/05/09
I am not familiar with some of the Japanese foods mentioned, but I do like seaweed salad and don't consider it to be slimy. Okra either if prpared properly. Soft, gelatinous, silky, yes. Slimy, no.
CJ McD at 6:42PM on 08/05/09
i love okra and raw oysters, the slime doesn't bother me at all.... for me it is more what I call the "oogie" factor... like uni or sushi or smoked salmon, the little slime, not so firm, giggly thing... that i don't like. but funny, i can still eat sushi and smoked salmon, just as long as i don't let the ooginess get to me.
Alm25 at 7:08PM on 08/05/09
I'm Japanese so I probably don't count as a weirdo for loving slimy food. I LOVE tororo, araimo in my nishime, taro, okras in everything, raw egg yolk with my sukiyaki, rice, etc.
I'm not as fond of natto, not because it is slimy but because of the way it smells.
Cassaendra at 7:25PM on 08/05/09
I like okra in all its forms. I also like raw oysters and uni (but it has to be really fresh). I can't really think of any foods that I consider slimy. I'm not that crazy about trying natto but that's more to do with the smell.
This may be relevant because I'm ethnically Japanese but I wasn't raised eathing Japanese food.
Foodie Penguin at 7:30PM on 08/05/09
I love stewed okra with cornbread. Never thought of it as slimy but just how easy it slides down my throat.
Steaming or cooking oysters takes away much of the flavor. Give me two dozen on the half shell with Texas Pete, cocktail/horseradish sauce, saltine crackers and a pitcher of draft and I'm a happy guy. I once ate four dozen at the Acme Bar and Grill in NOLA.
Poultrygeist at 8:59PM on 08/05/09
oh yeah, my bf (non-Japanese) mentioned shellfish. I guess my definition of "slimy" is more like "mucus-y", or "sticky", or "stringy" (ok, sounding gross here), so oysters and sea urchins to me are more like creamy than slimy.
Have you heard of Molokheiya? It is a leafy vegetable introduced to Japan pretty recently and became popular because it's slimy!
I think the origin of the plant is Middle East, so I'm curious what kind of dishes it is used in.
The way you get the most sliminess out of okra is to chop really really fine. I mix that with bonito flakes and soy sauce and eat it as a rice topping when I have natto cravings. I know, natto is doubly disgusting- the slime and the stink. but so good (btw Japanese people from western part of Japan also don't like natto.)
good to know some of you like slimy food :-)
hmw0029 at 11:51PM on 08/05/09
I think it depends on the source of the slime ....
KarynMC at 12:34AM on 08/06/09
Most slimy/gelatinous/gooey foods like meats, connective tissue, certain vegetables, seafood are AOK with me.
I like interesting textures in my food.
The only thing that I can't stand is if it's slimy AND has some other incompatible texture like...stringiness or grittiness.
fuuchan at 1:00AM on 08/06/09
I'm a Japanese-American living in Japan now and I've grown to LOVE viscous foods, especially when served chilled (as is often done in Japan).
Great stock flavors and refreshing seasoning adds to this great stamina giving food. But now I've been introduced to the Egyptian green leafy vegetable called moroheiya or malukhiyah. Often it is the main ingredient in soup. When chopped it's very viscous (like okra) and used in a spicy delicious soup! An Egyptian staple and very delicious!
Not Yukio at 6:25AM on 08/06/09
How intriguing! I must try it! If it can be shipped in any form from Japan to CLE and is a fad :D, my stepmother will send it to me. Hehe.
Used in Japanese cooking, what kind of flavor or scent does it impart? Where does it lie in the spectrum (balance)? With it being really popular, what kind of health benefits is it boasting? Stamina, youthful, regenerative or intenstinal cleansing qualities? :P
Cassaendra at 7:35AM on 08/06/09
@Not Yukio, yes, viscous would be a better description!
It's hard to describe texture/mouthfeel in English because there are so many words that can't be translated exactly the same way :-P
@Cassaendra, I found a recipe via Wiki..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/food/recipe7.shtml
in Japanese cooking, we use it in Ohitashi, soups, tempura, rice/somen/soba/tofu topping. It's high in Ca, carotenoid, vitamin B, C, and Quercetin, not to mention water-soluble fibers (as in most slimy plant materials).
During summer many people suffer from "natsu-bate"; it's just too hot and humid that you lose appetite, and feel tired all the time. Viscous foods like okra, nagaimo and molokheiya are believed to help boosting energy (eels is probably the most popular anti-natsubate remedy though).
I haven't had it for a long time because it's seasonal, but if I remember correctly it's kind of like a slimy version of spinach.
hmw0029 at 9:54AM on 08/06/09
@hmw0029: Thanks for the description. This'll be interesting to see how my husband reacts to it. He'll try anything once, but practically all his life (until he met me), he hated spinach because all he ever had was the stuff at school -- the sour, dark green, slimy slop. He loves laulau though...while it's not super slimy, I don't blame ppl for their apprehension.
Cassaendra at 11:57AM on 08/06/09
I see that there are some of 'my people' on this thread. I LOVE okra (bought some today at the farmer's market) and oysters. Going to NO soon to eat some of the best.
I am not sure why people have such an aversion, but I ate what was put on the table as a kid because I didn't know when I would eat again. Therefore, all food was good. It was life sustaining. I think that is why I consume almost any type of cuisine (no bugs yet).
I kid my husband when he talks about hating parsnips and brussel sprouts that he ate too well as a child.
janaatwg at 7:55PM on 08/06/09
I don't generally find food textures offensive. Rather, I find I like particular foods because of their unique textures. The first time I had okra in gumbo, I fell in love with the slipperiness of the mucilaginous vegetable. Imagine my surprise when people told me they hated okra!
wookie at 8:07PM on 08/06/09
not keen on the slimy texture, except for soup and the way i make bok choy is kinda slimy.
blizcheetah at 9:18PM on 08/06/09
I picked my first two okra pods today and have to figure out something to do with them until the rest of the crop comes in. I'll probably coat them in cornmeal and fry them.
Filipinos have a noodle called sotanghon; some people call them cellophane noodles or glass noodles. I don't think they're slimy, but a couple of others in my family do. The grandkids sure have fun with them, though--they're slurpier than spaghetti.
betteirene at 2:00AM on 08/07/09
I'm not Japanese, but I can't live without natto. :) Slimy/mucilaginous/viscous (pick your favorite adjective!) textures are totally okay in my book.
peyotetheatre at 6:57AM on 08/07/09
ok I came up with more slimy ingredients.
-nameko (mushroom)
-junsai (plant)
-mozuku (seaweed)
this is from junsai's wiki page: "Economically, Brasenia is cultivated as a vegetable in China and Japan and the mucilage it produces has been found to have anti-algal and anti-bacterial properties that may be useful as a homeopathic weed control."
lol we eat it too!
@peyotetheatre- you may be the second non-Japanese person I know who likes natto!
I should feed it to my bf to see how he reacts... he says he'd try anything once :-)
hmw0029 at 1:58PM on 08/07/09