As a caucasian who married into a Japanese family, I was a little overwhelmed at the first Japanese New Year's feast when I was given this soup that had the moochi in it and it took me a little over an hour to get it down. I got two peices because I was a BIG man! Lucky me! Seven years have past since that orginal New Years and I can tell you that it is an aquired taste as I have come to really like this dish and I now eat it many more times a year than on January 1st. The sweet moochi with the red bean centers took a little while longer to get a taste for, but even they are now enjoyable. For beginners I would recommend taking the moochi, rolling it in sesame seed and deep frying it as it makes it much more paletable. Enjoy!
