Lobster, Anyone? (P*S*C* #38)

One can't possibly go to Maine and not notice all the lobster hoopla. The red creatures pop up on restaurant rooftops, in signs by the seacoast and even "dressed" as greeters in public places!

Just to give you some background on this hardy crustacean, I thought I'd take some facts from the Oh Ranger! Your Complete Guide to the Parks: Acadia pamphlet we picked up at a Visitor Center: 1. Two hundred years ago, the lobster was used to feed prison inmates who complained about its taste. The lobsters were so plentiful, they were easily gathered at low tide. Settlers also used lobster as fertilizer. You can see here that the lobster was considered lowly - certainly no longer the case! 2. Today lobster fishing requires hard work. Lobstermen (women?) catch their prey using box-shaped wire traps, which they drop overboard and mark with brightly painted buoys (their distinctive color combinations are registered with the state). It takes 7 years for a lobster to reach its legal catch size. The average weight of a lobster is 1.5 pounds, but some as large as 40 pounds have been reported. 3. When living, lobsters are deep green or gray - and rarely a dark shade of blue. When cooked, they turn bright red. To eat a cooked lobster, you need a nutcracker. Twist off the front claws, crack them open and remove the meat. Break off the tail from the body and use a fork to push the meat out. To get at the eight remaining spindly legs, suck the meat out. Some people enjoy the liver (tomalley), but most don't. This being said, we knew we'd have to try eating the popular lobster roll being offered at most roadside venues.

It was recommended we try Red's Eats in Wiscassett, Maine. (And also another place we never found - sorry, Ken and Adrienne.) Reportedly, this place has long, long lines in the summer season which we fortunately avoided.

Whenever you can't find the price of lobster listed, prepare for paying plenty. We learned this.

Ka-ching, ka-ching. This meal of one lobster roll and one order of friend mushrooms set us back over $20.00. The lobster was $16.50 for one roll! Good thing we like to share. Later, though, we overheard some people talk about this place and their generous 1.5 servings, so perhaps it was a deal after all?

The verdict? I like lobster best in its natural habitat under the water - alive. It was too rubbery in texture for me, with a taste that wasn't appealing enough to ask for more. Wes polished off the rest of the sandwich. We're glad we tried the experience, though. Lobster, anyone?