New England Lobster Dinner

Last weekend I went home to celebrate my mom's birthday and she decided that she wanted a lobster dinner. Since we were going to have our dinner celebration on Sunday, we went to buy the lobsters from the lobster truck that operates out of the Auburn Traffic Circle. They have the cheapest lobsters in town!

Here's a photo of the lobster flag that they put out in the parking lot they are based out of. I want one.

The lobster truck! One of these in NYC would make a killing! Who cares about wasabi ice cream from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck when you could be eating lobsters?

The owner of the truck displaying his seven pound lobster. It costs $42! My dad told me that my grandmother would buy one of these lobsters for herself and eat the whole thing for dinner. I think I inherited her appetite for lobster.

We brought our lobsters home and Mom thought it would be a good idea to bring the lobsters out for some fresh air before they got put in the pot and I agreed. We taught them to play some few sports as well. I was continually reminded of the poem the Walrus and the Carpenter. Do you think it was cruel of us to put these poor animals through this torture? I still don't know, but the resulting pictures were pretty cute. : )

Keep that ball rolling!

This lobster looks a little threatening with that bat. I wouldn't want to mess with him.

We bought 5 3 pound lobsters and they provided us with 8 lobster sandwiches and a fantastic lobster dinner. We cooked them on Saturday and reheated them for dinner on Sunday in order to cook them fresh. The lobsterman said that the lobsters would last in the refrigerator until the next day if we wanted to cook them then. It seemed cruel to keep them alive out of water for that long and would probably taste better cooked fresh anyways. They did get to enjoy their lawn sports though. : )

Spiny Lobster Dinner

I couldn't believe that I only got to try spiny lobster the day before I left the DR after I had been there for 3 months studying lobster fishing! Everyone agreed that the lobsters were very tasty and that they should support the lobster fishermen more often by buying more lobsters. This dinner is partially due to the request of Ina, who wanted to try spiny lobster because she had never had it as well. She is a fantastic cook and whipped up some delicious garlic butter that was to die for.

Do not read this part of the blog if you are squeamish about your food because it depicts the methods in which we committed lobster murder. I know a lot of people do not like to think of their food as once being a living thing. I practically grew up on a sheep and goat farm in which my uncle was slaughtering animals every day, so I've thought about it a lot and it doesn't make me squeamish. I also think it's better to know where your food comes from and that you appreciate it more if you are part of the process. I only eat meat when I know that it has been raised in humane conditions (has plenty of space to grow and exercise, doesn't receive any unnecessary antibiotics, and is produced by small farmers) and is local. I guess you could call me a meat locavore or a picky meat eater or a flexitarian with standards.

The Gruesome Details of the Murder: We wanted to reduce the suffering of the lobsters and read online that if you stabbed them in the body, they would die quicker than boiling them in water. We tried that but they remained squirming for at least five minutes. The boiling method was a lot faster. After the initial shock of being submerged in water, they stopped moving much faster so we switched methods. Also, piercing their shells allows all of their juices to leak out and may result in a less tasty lobster.

A photo of us ready to enjoy our meal. Ina is taking it and from the left to right is Eliseo, Henry, me, and Darien.

Spiny lobsters are so much more beautiful than Maine lobsters.

A lobster pig pile!

This was a fantastic day of lobsters and rainbows. : )