Story by Sally M. Snell
Photos by Michael Snell

A visit to Maine or Nova Scotia is hardly complete without a lobster dinner, but if you are from cattle country, the prospect of a dining on a lobster may be daunting.
First, put away your pride and grab a bib. In fact, you should hand bibs out to everyone at the table, no matter what they are eating. (And as my dining companions will agree, safety goggles are an excellent idea.)
Lobsters are a hands-on food. Forget the knife and spoon, and use a fork only as an afterthought. In fact, think of yourself as a caveman. Grunt a bit to get in the right frame of mind. Napkins should be plentiful and readily at hand.

1. It is easiest to start with the claws. Twist them off the body.
2. The first part of the claw to be ripped away is the hinged thumb-like section. You’ll need a tool to crack open the main part of the claw. Some people suggest using a walnut cracker, but if you’re really hungry, a hammer will also do the trick.
3. Pause to wipe lobster juice from cheek before using your fingers to push the meat out of the claw.
4. If the lobster is large enough, the small legs will contain meat. Don’t mess with a fork or fingers. This job is best achieved by nibbling and sucking. It might inspire you to sneak a few seductive glances to your spouse or lover.
5. Now tear off the tail. (This is where the safety goggles come in handy.) Hold the body in one hand and the tail in the other, and give it a firm twist. If you’re a patient person, the flippers have a bit of meat. Push the tail meat out with your fingers. It goes without saying that the digestive tract should be removed before eating.
6. Lastly, crack open the main body.
7. Confused about what parts are edible? If it’s hard, black, green or red, send it to the compost heap.
8. Clean up may require a fire hose.

Lobster being prepared for an outdoor event in Maine.

©2005 Sally M. Snell & Michael Snell, all rights reserved

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Now that your belly is full and your chin a bit shiny, here are a few more tidbits to chew on:

• The meat of female lobsters is thought to be sweeter than that of a male. But how do you know if you are eating a male or a female? Examine the swimmerets located nearest the walking legs. This is where the female stores her eggs, protecting them for approximately nine months or more. The swimmerets of females are softer than males’. Harvesting egg-bearing females is strictly banned.
• It takes seven years for a lobster to grow to one pound.
• Lobsters may be left handed or right. The larger claw is called a crusher, while the small claw is called the pincer. A right-handed lobster has its pincer on the right side, while a left-handed lobster has its pincer on the left. A lobster may lose a claw through fighting, but given time, it will grow back.
• Scratching a lobster’s back will encourage it to fall asleep.
• Only one in two million lobsters found in the wild are blue. Though they stand out in the lobster crowd, their differences are only shell-deep. Crack one open and dip it warm butter sauce, the taste is identical to its common-colored cousins.
• Every resident of Maine is allowed five lobster traps for personal use, as long as they purchase a noncommercial license. But in Nova Scotia, only licensed fishermen are allowed to trap lobsters, and the season is limited to winter when the lobster shells are hard.
• Traps are designed with escape vents to allow young lobsters to escape. They must meet minimum size requirements to be harvested.

   

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