This city prompting its visitors to eat 'until they go bankrupt' is every foodie's paradise

If there is one thing in the world that no one can resent, it would be eating delicious food. Traditionally, people relied on their local resources and were delighted with home cooking. But times have changed and in today's world, bustling streets with diverse culinary relishes have become attractive elements of major cities. One such city vows to make its visitors "eat until they go bankrupt." Osaka, one of the major cities in Japan, is known to have the best food in the country, as per CNN Travel. In fact, the locals strongly believe that one should always heed their food obsessions.

Though Osaka is not as populous and happening as the nation's capital city, Tokyo, it surely offers enough pleasure through its culinary thrills and funky vibe. From busy street markets to myriads of local breweries, there is a lot to explore in this city, food-wise. The most notable attraction for a foodie in Osaka would be the streets on either side of the Dotonbori Canal in Namba district, according to a Tokyo-based CNN producer, Junko Ogura. The restaurants here boast of scrumptious seafood, particularly crabs and octopuses and one can simply munch on these delicacies like snacks as they explore the streets.

Junko pointed out that the Osakans contributed many flavorsome dishes to Japanese cuisine. They even have an age-old saying, "Kuidaore," which means, "Eat in Osaka like you're going to go bankrupt." Such is their obsession with food and they also make sure that the visitors to Osaka leave with a happy tummy. One of the famous creations of the Osakans was takoyaki, which is fried dough balls filled with chopped octopus. Junko also highlighted the one expensive food item that is absolutely unmissable for Osaka visitors. It is the world-renowned meat dish called Kobe beef that costs a fortune yet is worth every penny.

It turns out that Kobe beef is so special because of how cows are treated. Speaking about a farmer who raises cattle that exclusively caters to Kobe beef, Juno said, "He [touches] them as much as possible, talks to them and says, 'You look cute, you look healthy, I love you.'" Just a kilo of the Kobe-grade sirloin would sell for $300 or more. So, for Osakans, having scrumptious food is always a significant purpose in one's life. Speaking of Kobe beef, a family-run butcher shop, Asahiya, in Takasago City of western Japan's Hyogo Prefecture made a shocking revelation. It looks like one has to wait 43 years to receive Kobe beef croquettes ordered at this place. 

While the wait time for this delicious savory was 30 years in 2022, earlier this year, it spiked to 43 years, as per CNN. "We made affordable and tasty croquettes that demonstrate the concept of our shop as a strategy to have customers enjoy the croquettes and then hope that they would buy our Kobe beef after the first try," Shigeru Nitta, the owner of Asahiya told the outlet. Even after they tried to stop production or increase the prices due to surging demands for their Kobe beef croquettes the requests kept pouring in. Japanese people willing to wait for over four decades for a delicacy might explain their belief in "Kuidaore."