Dirty sock water with added soy?? Are you kidding? I can't even consider eating it, because as my husband will attest, whenever I smell it I remark on the distinct similarity of its aroma and my 16 year old son's PE locker.

Vote no on miso!

Exactly true.

For those who dislike miso, you probably haven't tried the right one to your taste yet. Some are more salty, some sweeter, while some redder than the other. If all you ever tried is from the complimentary soup from the restaurants, I can definitely tell you that you haven't tried the good quality miso soup yet.

I like miso but I don't like ALL varieties of miso. Even Korea and Taiwan have their own varieties. On top of that miso is not just for soup. There's a lot of ways to make miso-"marinated" fish and meat. If you are into Asian cooking, you can google up some good recipes.

Oh cripes, yet another thread where a food with a long history and with huge degrees of variation in taste depending on the skill and techniques of the manufacturer, and then the cook, gets turned into a homogeneous product.

There is plenty of miso soup which is awful.

Some is divine.

Miso made in the old age way with wooden vats and fermented naturally has a very different taste to that manufactured in metal containers where modern methods speed up the whole fermentation process into a salty sludge.

I use this stuff: http://www.japancentre.com/?cmd=itm&cid=287&id=2136
Info in English: http://www.yamato-soysauce-miso.com/about_miso.html

Like with most things in life, you get what you pay for (or at least, what you're prepared to spend some time hunting out).

I can take or leave miso soup, but not long ago was treated to homemade miso dip -- which with dried tako was just incredibly good.

To those of you who don't like miso soup: Have you ever had miso soup prepared in Japan? I suspect many of you are having it at restaurants in America, where it is often poorly prepared and does indeed resemble "dirty sock water."

Miso soup that is properly prepared is very, very good!

Yeah, that works, or just some crushed red peppers.

I fear that the miso you have been consuming has been poorly prepared. You see, no one alive can resist the temptation of MSG-laced hon dashi.


BTW, after reading this thread, I promptly made myself a big bowl (of miso! ) with scallions and tofu (no wakame - I hate it).

I think it might be mentei. If I'm in Boston with a Japanese client, I can follow my nose there from Copley Sq, but I don't recall the name and address.

I tried to look at the address with Google Streetview - but Streetview stops short of the location. I can see a blue awning roughly where the store should be - and that's the way I remember it.

Also, IIRC there's some kind of black and white tile thing gonig on inside the place - and a counter that reminds me more of a Greek giros outfit than a Japanese noodle shop.... Black steel pipe chairs, formica table tops.... Does that sound right?

If we're talking about the same place, it's probably the best ramen I found in Boston, but that's not saying much.

(For the record, I really love Boston, but the love affair doesn't extend to its Asian food).

Yep, I believe we're thinking of the same place. Small and lots of Japanese green tea drinks in the fridge?

I'm not sure I'm buying this whole "you probably just don't like the way it is prepared in Boston" hooey. I've had miso soup all over the US, Europe and Asia (I love sushi).

Isn't it possible, just maybe, that I don't, gasp, like the taste?

Yep.

Sure it's possible that you simply don't like the tastes of any miso soups. But if you only know one taste, then I think it's likely that you've had multiple servings of the same kind of below-par "old-sock" miso soup.

All over the US and Europe and much of Asia you're quite likely to get served instant miso soup - either powdered or in a paste form. In good restaurants in North Asia you'll find more artisanally produced miso soups.

Of course, it's entirely possible that you don't like any kind of miso soup. That's why I recommend that you stop drinking miso soup until you visit some place that really makes an excellent miso soup. (And Boston most definitely ain't it -- neither are most places I can think of in Europe).

As with miso soup, there's a huge variety of tastes in sake (nihon shu)....

If you visit Tokyo, I'll treat you to some nihon shu at a good drinking hole and I guarantee that we'll find some varieties that you're not so enamoured with. (And many that you'll love).

I might take you up on that!

When we were in Tokyo we didn't really have a guide which made things tough. I think it would be great to have someone show us what we should be eating and drinking. We were pointing blindly at menus.

I remember the first time I tried miso soup and green tea I thought they were awful.



But now I like both.


--Russ

I can see where someone would not like miso. Like one poster mentioned not liking the way that it looks. Hey I don't like notto.

Most places in the US go out of the way to ruin miso soup. Instant dashi, boiling at a high temp, too much water, low quality miso, too much seaweed on and on. I have had low quality miso soup in Japan but it is not as common.

Good miso soup takes some time but not to much work. For the dashi I use katsuobushi and a small piece of kombu. After I have my dashi I then add my other ingredients like daikon, mushrooms ect when the soup is finished turn off heat and add miso.

I love miso soup!!