I now find myself thinking about miso soup and I am uneasy about it. It is a foodstuff that leaves me in great ambivalence. On one hand it is rather moreish and extremely healthy invention that is a great accompaniment to sushi. On the other hand, it tastes of fishes’ wee.
I do almost always order it when having sushi but I am grateful that it comes in those tiny bowls because there is something slightly unsettling about that not quite rancid fish sauce flavour that I prefer not to think about. Now, I grant you that the subtle hints of rotting fish in miso soup is nowhere near as overpowering as in Thai cuisine but for some reason I uncritically love tom yum. I suspect this is due to all the hot and spicy distractions they add to stop you thinking of what it takes to get that wiffy fishy fragrance. Whilst the stark simplicity of miso soup only serves to draw your attention to it.