Over a decade in Japan and I still struggle with natto and never order it. I got over the smell. I don't really care for the slimy/string texture of things, but I can eat other things. If I try to eat more than one or two beans at a time, I involuntarily gag. Some flavor component of it kills me. I make my own ferments (Korean-inspired daikon with fish sauce, chili, and some other stuff is the most recent, fermented at room temp for a few days then into the fridge) and have no trouble with them.