The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

                                  JPY 500

I didn’t know the monkfish was one of Fukuokan local delicacies. According to my fishmonger, monkfish, or anko, is a sprciality of Oronoshima island, which is 45 km away from Fukuoka.

The fishmonger said:  “why don’t you try anko nabe tonight? You must have it at least once during winter.”  Following his suggestion, or order, I got it and cycled home with my heart throbbing with excitement, because I didn’t think that I would have this luxury fish in my life.

When I was working (long ago…), one of my colleagues came up to me to say proudly: “I had anko nabe last night with my boyfriend at XXX (a name of an expensive restaurant”.  What bubble-age brag! But since then, I have assumed anko was very special food that only special people could eat. Now I think she wanted to brag she had a boyfriend while I was not at all popular with any boys, though.

ANYWAY, I started preparing anko nobe (basically just boiling it with some vegetables) for my first anko-nabe dinner,  happily humming a tune.  

Then my husband, as his usual, intruded into the kitchen and throw cold water on my excitement, saying “I am not familiar with anko, and I don’t think I would like it”…My anko nabe turned into a “yosenabe”, with some slices of pork and other ingreadients…

Not a downgrade as I still have it, you might say, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. My anko looked like an ordinary fish in the yosenabe, not a special fish for special people.