Maineiac

This brings back memories. The first time I had lobster was in New England. I loved it! I've eaten four new meats in the West: turkey, duck, pork and lobster. The last one wins by a huge margin.

Oh, and that sign directed at teenagers is precious.

Comments

[Saul Wall]

Lobster rocks! Though not everyone from cultures where they don't get them thinks so. I remember someone telling me about a family of an African exchange student to Canada (must have been from an inland country) who got a letter from their son describing a generally good stay but he did mention one peculiarity.

He describe how we Canadians get these horrible giant insect-like things from the ocean, plunge them into boiling water and then pull and suck the flesh out of their casings and gobble it down - like something out of a nightmare.

Actually that is a pretty good description of of the custom.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

Hey, they have to die somehow -- might as well go out in style.

[Josh Scholar]

The first time I ate crab I was about four and my father took me to a restaurant in San Francisco. Anyway he made the mistake of telling me the truth, that they just throw them into the boiling water (and I knew they were alive because they have the tanks on display).

I said "does it hurt?" And that ruined the meal for both of us.

Even now, I will go for a year or more between eating crab or lobster, not being willing to sit there knowing that the crab is being killed for me... The problem is just as much horror of death as it is pity.

And needless to say, I don't buy live crabs to cook myself. But I find that you can't buy already dead ones either, they spoil so fast that they're likely ruined before you get them home.

[Classical Liberal]

I don't care too much for seafood, myself. I think it is interesting how tastes about such things change, though. Lobster is regarded as a bit of a luxury today, but I've read that in the 19th century in England it was thought of as a cheap, unpalatable food, something like Ramen noodles today. Servants used to negotiate with their employers to try to maximize the number of days when they would NOT be fed lobster!

[Josh Scholar]

Mmm, I can't eat butter anymore, but crab cooked Chinese style in ginger and scallions is just as good, but very messy. The dip the whole crab in sauce while still in the shell. Then you have to de-shell it.

[slickdpdx]

I was at a wedding in Madison Connecticut once. The lobster bisque in that area was out of this world.