Ok, this is not the type of fish man that I’m talking about (photo left).

This is a pretty obscure and little known lifestyle item that is known mostly in the Asian communities. My only exposure to the “Fish Man” was when I stayed at my grandmothers/aunts place in the Long Beach, California area. In my neighborhood in Los Angeles, we didn’t have a fish man.

The Fish Man would drive his large van around the neighborhood and he would stop in front of my grandmother’s place. Now, I don’t know if he had a predetermined route and knew when and where to stop or if he was like the Good Humor Man (that’s another post) and my grandmother would run out (walk out) when she heard him coming.

My recollection of his van was it was kinda run down looking and faded green or gray in color. I don’t really recall what the inside of the truck looked like.

If you’re not into eating fish or if the smell of fish repulses you, the Fish Man’s truck is not for you. Once you step into his truck, there is no question what he sells. It smells like a fish store on wheels. I do remember buying dried cuttle fish from him, they came in small personal size packets and they were small narrow cut strips. Knowing what my food likes and dislikes are today, I’m really surprised that I even ate these. : P

Sorry, I couldn’t find any photos anywhere for the Fish Man and not surprisingly, there was no wikipedia.com entries either.