On one of my family visits to Osaka, I met a nutritionist from Kobe, and during a meal she had prepared I told her I had made miso. She didn't understand why that should be anything special. I told her I made it from soybeans and aspergillus rice and kept it in a large crock in my garage for three years. It turned a deep red color and I brought jars of it the following year as gifts for her.
She told me that in her entire life she had never met anybody who ever made miso from scratch, that it was a product now made and easily available. When one has the interest and leisure time, it's easy and self-satisfying to make miso, and now my project is making many different kinds of kimchi.
It's sad to hear that so many traditional foods are going away and that new, modern, manufactured foods and beverages are taking their place.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.