“A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster, salad and champagne. The only true feminine and becoming viands.”
The sun is beautiful, a welcomed sight. The cats love it and are sleeping on the floor in the sunlight coming through the front door. Their fur is hot to the touch. They are in a sun-induced deep sleep.
I once spent a half hour watching ants travel in a long, wide line. They were many, too many even to estimate their numbers. I put a leaf in the middle to see what would happen. The ants went around it then rejoined their straight line on the other side. I had to jump the line when I was leaving.
Horses always intrigued me, but I seldom rode. The one time I did I got thrown. That was no surprise. I got right back on the horse again. We made it to the stable without further incident.
When I was nineteen or twenty, I went out to eat with my parents at Mildred’s, an iconic Hyannis restaurant now gone. An empty lot is left where Mildred’s used to be. I remember that dinner because my father ordered me a drink even though I was underage. It was a daiquiri, my father’s idea of an underage woman’s drink. It was sort of gross but I drank it anyway because my father had ordered it for me.
I sometimes wonder how many people died trying and eating new things. My brother once ate red berries and had to have his stomach pumped. I was partly responsible as I had dared him. Cranberries are red and someone had to have tasted them first. In the movies, they watch the birds and eat what the birds eat. I’d stick to fish, or if I’m not near the ocean, grubs. Disgusting I know but with lots of protein.
Eating a lobster is a messy meal. The bibs aren’t silly but necessary. Lobsters squirt. My mother always ordered the lazy man’s lobster. We sort of looked down on that. She didn’t care. The rest of us took the lobster as a challenge. We wanted every tiny piece of lobster meal, even to sucking the claws for their meat. My dad was a champion lobster eater and ate joyfully with lots of ums. He wielded the cracker with precision and artistry. When he was finished, the plate was filled with empty shells. The man missed nothing. My sister and I learned from my father. We pride ourselves on our techniques and always leave a plate filled with empty shells. We are our proud to be our father’s daughters, specially when it comes to eating lobster.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: comfortable cats, daiquiri, desert island, eating lobster, grubs, horses, lobster, Mildred's, red berries, sunny day
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April 6, 2014 at 11:36 am
There’s few things better than lobster but I do feel sorry for the way they have to go. It is a messy job eating them but oh so worth it 🙂 Of course there only should be empty shells left 🙂
I’ve never been especially fond of horses to be honest but they are beautiful behind fences 🙂 I did like the two my neighbor had though, I took care of them the rare occasions they travelled somewhere. The one he had before was a nasty piece of …. She hated all living things except for one dog and the owner. She broke the arm of his wife and bit her badly several times. We all cried of happiness when she finally had gone to the eternal paddock 🙂 🙂
Cloudy but warmer here today, we’ve had some drizzle but tyat was kind of nice actually and gave me an excuse to do nothing most parts of the day 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
April 6, 2014 at 11:40 am
Christer,
There is a spot where if you put the tip of a knife the lobster dies quickly. It is better than putting them into water. I hate cooking them though I love eating them.
I guess horses like every other animal can be nasty, and they are strong and heavy. The let thing I’d want is one angry at me.
Rained yesterday again, but I like the sun. I’m going out later.
Have a great evening!
April 6, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Just a little fact I recently read on these here internets… did you know they say (I certainly have no way of knowing this for sure and certainly can’t dispute it) that the weight of all the ants on earth is equal to the weight of all the humans on earth? That’s a lot of ants!
April 6, 2014 at 1:54 pm
im6,
That line went on and on and was bout three feet wide. Given the number of ants in that line, I’d guess the number of ants worldwide is astronomical.
April 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm
The Armstrong-Crosby fish song is funny.
Yesterday we’ve had a quick and easy traditional fish meal. No idea how to translate Heringsstip, but in case you want to try:
Cut, mix together and let rest: Soused herrings (matjes), apple, cucumber, onion, fresh chives, yoghurt, sour cream, quark, salt. I usually add garlic.
Serve with hot potatoes (boiled in its skin) and add freshly ground pepper. Goes with beer, Korn or applejuice.
April 6, 2014 at 4:32 pm
Birgit,
I think it is one of the great duets.
I have to tell you I am not a herring fan. Most people around here aren’t. Would this recipe, which sounds great minus the herring, work with any other fish? The ingredients sound delicious.
April 6, 2014 at 5:18 pm
I don’t know, perhaps any marinated salty fish? Without fish and with garlic it’s like Tzatziki.
April 6, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Birgit,
That’s why it sounded so good!
April 6, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Two of the greatest delicacies are Maine Lobsters and Dungeness crabs. One comes from the Atlantic and the other from the Pacific and both require bibs to fully get to and to enjoy their flesh. Back in the mid 1990s I was in Boston with an engineer who came from Shri Lanka. He had never had steamed whole Maine lobster so we went to a restaurant near Copley Square called ‘The Legal Seafood’. It was very interesting watching him use the nut cracker to open up the crustacean to get to the meat. He was not that impressed because everything he ate was slathered in Tabasco sauce.
Horses and I don’t get a long very well. The last time I was on one was at an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean. We went for a ride on the beach. My horse must have been mostly mule because he wouldn’t go where I wanted and he stopped to eat the grass all along the way. I brought up the rear and vowed never to get on another horse again.
As I drive around the older neighborhoods in Dallas I am amazed how many iconic restaurants where my parents took us to eat are gone. Most are now either fast food joints or parking lots. The life of restaurants are short.
April 6, 2014 at 4:36 pm
Bob,
Maine lobsters? They weren’t serving local? I love Legal Seafoods and usually go to the one near the water. Depending upon when, the line is sometimes hugely long to eat there. Nope, no tabasco, pure melted butter is necessary for lobster!
I can never ride a horse again and not care. I know people tend to be enthusiastic about riding horses but I guess my never riding as a kid was the difference.
It’s true, Restaurants coded faster than any other business.
April 6, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Here we call them Maine Lobsters so as to not confuse them with South African Lobster tails or other varieties that restaurants try to pawn off on their unsuspecting customers. Is there a difference between the ones caught in Maine and the ones caught in Boston Harbor? I should have written Boston Copley Square Lobsters 🙂 I agree with you, pure melted butter only. He ate it the same way as I did but thought that the taste was too bland. Everything else he would eat was fire cracker curry hot. In a Chinese restaurant he would order a spicy dish and ask the waiter to make it extra spicy. Then he would pour on that red Chinese hot sauce with the rooster on the label.
When I was a kid I could ride horses at the trot. Once they started to run I held onto the saddle horn with both hands for dear life which angered all my riding instructors and ended my riding career. That horse that I rode on that Caribbean Island had only one gate, slow walk.
April 6, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Bob,
They are caught out further than the harbor.
Lobsters are lobsters I guess but local ones get to the pot and the table much faster and fresher. The ones I eat here were probably trapped within the last day or two. In Africa we ate rock lobsters which were really tasty but smaller than the ones I get around here.
Africans also think our food is bland as they heavily hot pepper theirs. There is no subtlety of flavors for them.
I just never found horse riding a great way to spend the time or money.
April 7, 2014 at 7:31 am
Hi Kat,
I once watched a line of ants for half an hour. They were moving house as they all were carrying egg cases. The line went from a corner of my driveway out across the lawn to the middle of the side lot where they disappeared underground.
Horses and I get along just fine even though my experiences with them as a child were not the best. Generally they tried to eat my hair. I did not learn to ride until I was 30 and I only did it then because my California aunt was coming to visit and wanted to go on a trail ride. I signed up for some lessons figuring 4 weeks would be enough and it would all be over. Hah! Within 3 years, I had graduated to exercising every school horse in the barn, teaching kids to ride and training my own horse.
Did you not ever go to the lot next to the China Moon when the pony ride guy was there? Our parents were not allowed to skip that if he happened to be there while we were visiting our relatives. 🙂
Lobster is food of the gods.
Enjoy the day.
April 7, 2014 at 10:18 am
Hi Caryn,
I was mesmerized by those ants. I think they were fire ants which is why we all steered clear of the column.
A couple of times I did the pony ride, but they didn’t spur me to horses. There were two which were in a field near my house, and we sued to try to get on them from the fence. They were smart enough to stay away from us. That field was huge as was the barn. All of it is gone.
I agree about lobster!
Have a great day yourself!
April 7, 2014 at 2:11 pm
There was one down the street from me. His name was Texas Mustard. I did manage to get on him bareback and he took off around the pond. I lasted three circuits before I fell off into the pond. It was one of those frog ponds with algae and pollywogs and muck. Definitely not a clean landing. 🙂
April 7, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Caryn,
I’m impressed you rode bareback. It’s tough enough on a saddle to ride a horse. A pond landing-yuck!
April 7, 2014 at 1:17 pm
A friend of ours from Chile made ceviche, marinated raw fish in vinegar, limejuice, peppers, onions, cilantro, etc. I thought it was delicious.
Last week there was a news headlne on tv about the recent earthquake in “Chili”.
Yesterday Peg tripped in the woods in back of the house and dislocated her elbow (the three arm bones come together at the joint). She now has a splint on it and a partial fracture. We are leaving shortly to see the ortho dr. in Nashua.
April 7, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Bill,
I also like ceviche. I haven’t made it in a long while. My friends weren’t enthused.
Poor Peg! From one who falls to another I really do feel her pain. I hope Peg heals quickly.
I think my luck is bad! I’m not complaining any more!
April 8, 2014 at 12:21 am
Lobsters… too few and far between. I have developed a phobia about plunging the poor beasties live into boiling water. Getting old and too sensitive, I fear. Fortunately, the local grocery store has a big steam pot and will cook them for customers. As with your other friends, butter only, with French fries and cole slaw. My Boston (Danvers) favorite is Kelly’s Roast Beef – fresh lobster roll from a fast food chain, delicious and a bargain at $13.00.
April 8, 2014 at 10:58 am
Jay Bird,
I am the same way about cooking them. I also order from the local supermarket as they steam them as well. Cole Slaw is my accompaniment of choice.
A place down by the marina in Dennis makes lobster rolls that are massive and the tastiest I’ve ever had. Summer starts with that lobster roll!