As for what to buy, I suggest first-timers start with fillets of yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, or marlin. I have talked to a number of people who would like to go to the Co-op but don’t know where it is ( map here), don’t know what to buy, or don’t know how to cook fish. We’ve even had rave reviews from dinner guests who said they don’t like fish (turns out they just never tried it that fresh before!). The fish is so fresh, you need very little seasoning to make a fantastic meal. I checked out other fish markets on island, but only the Co-op offers consistent hours, a variety of options (hello poki!), and a reliable selection of fish caught by local fishermen in the waters surrounding Guam.

The Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative is a weekly (or more) stop among my run of errands. Moving to Guam, I was over the moon to discover this same seafood freshness is conveniently available seven days a week right in the middle of town. I find myself yet again quoting my mother in restaurants, asking our server where their mahi-mahi is from. Without realizing it, I became groomed to turn my nose up at anything that had that icky fish smell. There was a phenomenal fish market a few miles from our house where we could take our pick from a vast selection of fillets and shellfish that were only hours off the boat. Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, seafood was a regular feature in our weekly meals, much as it is here on Guam. Living out here I have also discovered that my parents inadvertently raised me to be quite the seafood snob. She is full of one-liners and pithy phrases that used to make me cringe but now come in handy when you don’t know what else to say. I hear myself quoting my mother on a regular basis. I find myself looking forward to doing yardwork and weeding our herb garden, which my father always dragged me outside to help with on hot summer Saturdays.

The distance has somehow brought us closer.Īnother surprise (as I round off my twenties) has been how much I have unconsciously adopted traits of my parents… even traits that used to drive me crazy.

Our visits and conversations, whether here or there, have been longer and richer. For one, I have managed to see my family more living way out here in Guam than I did when we were just two time zones apart in the States. These past two years living on Guam so far away from our extended family have surprised me in a number of ways.

Poki seven guam