Lobster ~ It's an East Coast thing

December 27, 2009

My parents are recent transplants to the Canadian Maritimes. My brother & I were born and grew up in the same town where my mother was born, grew up and married in. My dad was also born there, grew up various places but returned as a newlywed to start a family with my mom.

Growing up, Christmas dinners were lutefisk, (you don't want to know but you can google it and find out that I grew up eating cod fish soaked in lye for Christmas), Swedish meatballs, Scottish shortbread, lefse, flatbread and the usual turkey and all the trimmings.

Nowadays we still eat a bird sometime around the holidays. This year's bird feast was today. Locally grown, lived-a happy-life (ie: organic, free range) chicken. But Christmas Day the main meal was lobster. A decidedly Atlantic tradition and a new one to our family.

Personally, I don't like lobster. It reminds me too much of eating insects. I'm content with, or rather will choke down, a claw or tail piece drenched in butter. But this prairie raised girl much prefers the old fashioned bird with mashed potatoes and gravy. Lots of gravy.

We're still celebrating here with my parents and my brother's family but will be leaving soon for a short tour through Quebec, taking the very round about way home to Maine. I think my body is ready to be done feasting but I'm looking forward to the coming days of adventure and discovery.

renee on Dec. 27, 2009, 11:20 p.m.

This is supremely pathetic but I miss friends commenting here so I'm leaving my own comment.

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- exhale. return to center. on Dec. 30, 2009, 10:18 p.m.
  
  i was feeling the same thing today but then thought...wait...i haven't been out commenting much this week either.
  
  it's a funny week...i think we're all just sort of suspended between holidays.
  
  anyway...i loved this post!!!
  
  i live in the ocean state but i've still never been much of a seafood lover. your photos are making me think i should give a good ol' clambacke another try though! ;-)
  
  exhale. return to center.'s last blog post... a simple christmas
  
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shelli on Dec. 28, 2009, 1:35 a.m.

What wonderful photos & food. As a vegetarian I always eat a little different from my family on the holidays, but I still love watching everyone else feast on whatever the chosen main course is. It sounds like you had a nice Christmas - I'm glad. We had a good one too. Very busy. But in a good way.

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kyndale on Dec. 28, 2009, 1:48 a.m.

Hi Renee, it's been slow in blog-land for me too. I am a big fan of lobster. I met my husband when I was working at a fish/lobster place on Cape Cod. They are big bugs but I just love the flavor. Especially with lots of butter! When I was pregnant with Amelia, my mother-in-law sent Jonathan and I live lobsters and clams because I was craving them. Wasn't that nice??

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nicola@which name? on Dec. 28, 2009, 3:45 a.m.

i love lobster. here it is crab season. in fact. it sounds like an appealing new holiday meal tradition, as i eat seafood, but no other animal meats, so thanksgiving and christmas, while joyous family gatherings, is all about dessert for me! ;) happy traveling, renee and family! nicola http://whichname.blogspot.com

nicola@which name?'s last blog post... very merry

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Shannon on Dec. 31, 2009, 3:24 a.m.

Yum. I heart turkey + lots of gravy too. Did you grow up in MN? That's where I grew up and lefse and lutefisk were always around.

I just had some dungeness (sp?) crab when I went to OR last week. Unbelievably delicious and I felt so good after eating it, too!

Shannon's last blog post... Unexpected Break

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- renee on Dec. 31, 2009, 12:50 p.m.
  
  I grew up in Alberta, Canada. A prairie land with many european immigrant groups. I am a mix of german/dutch, swedish & scottish. We also ate Ukranian foods though we didn't have that ancestory (as far as I know).
  
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