Day 680 Crustaceans & clean up

 Lobster, every bit as delicious as it looks, gone in a flash while making a bigger mess than any other meal. Some things are worth a big mess, seafood is one of them! We devoured several pounds of little necks, shrimp then savored lobster meat dipped in melted butter, family dinner at its best. Of course, every time lobster is served the topic of discussion lands on what part of the lobster is the tastiest, I'm team knuckle. My mother is always the only person that prefers the body and methodically picks the tender body meat without distraction while the rest of us go for the easy tail meat, claws and knuckles. Lobster juice is sprayed as the shells break, juices spill out over the tablecloth and onto whatever clothing folks are wearing, melted butter drips over everything and everyones hands are saturated in lobster juice by the end of the meal. I'm always amazed that anyone would order steamed lobster at a restaurant, seems to be a meal best served at home, where there's access to a change of clothes, dental floss and a shower. Lobster tales carryon throughout the meal, with historic stories of how in the old days lobster was served to prisoners and indentured servants. As much as I love it, I'm sure it would lose its charm if served up every day. My Grandfather in Maine was a carpenter by trade but a lobster fisherman as well. Each day he was up by 4am, out on the water bringing in his catch for the day. My grandmother would make the most delicious lobster dishes, Newburgh, chowder, salad and always kept a draw with cold cooked lobster on the ready. Unlike the prisoners, we never grew tired of it, but then again, it wasn't our every day menu. Almost everyone at our dinner table cracked, picked and dipped their lobsters until every bit of meat was spoken for (except a few bodies my mom took home). There's always a few people that prefer a hamburger or anything else to avoid eating the crustacean, lobster lovers appreciate these folks, hoping to snag their share. Although the meal takes work, the best things in life often do and the harder we have to work for something the sweeter the reward, lobster is proof of this. As delicious as it is, I think we'll put easy meat on the menu for the next few days, steak anyone?