Lobster Fascination*

[awayfarer]

I live in New England (maybe 30 miles from the coast) and thereby I tend to be a bit of a snob when it comes to seafood. I enjoy salmon, swordfish and that old standard of fish and chips. Clams are good fried or stuffed, as are shrimp and I do enjoy crab cakes.

But I don't like lobster. I've tried it, and frankly I don't understand what the big damn deal is with this trumped-up sea insect. Years and years ago lobster was considered a food for the "lower classes." I even recall hearing somewhere that it was illegal to feed your servents lobster more than twice a week. Where did this rise in popularity come from, and why?

By the by, while crabs look just as creepy and bug-like, but they also don't have anywhere near the hype surrounding them. I let them off the hook (ha! fishing joke!) for this reason.

*(I also think that "Lobster Fascination" would be a good name for a band.)

 

[Ferret]

Wiki says the fact that fresh lobster could be transported, thereby making it expensive made it popular.

The reputation of lobster changed with the development of the modern transportation industry that allowed live lobsters to be shipped from the outports to large urban centres. Fresh lobster quickly became a luxury food and a tourist attraction for the Maritime provinces and Maine and an export to Europe and Japan where it is especially expensive.

Also, are you sure you're eating lobster?

The expense of eating lobster has led to supermarkets selling "faux lobster"; (which is clearly labeled as such), and it is made from fish (often pollock or other whitefish) that has been altered to look and taste similar to lobster. A few restaurants have gone so far as to sell "langostino lobster". Langostino translates into prawn, however the actual animal is, (more likely than not), a crab. Maine fishermen are upset that restaurants are passing off the fake as though is an actual lobster, (the spiny lobster is also called langouste). It is doubtful that the customers would be very happy to find out they are paying more for what is probably nothing more than a fancy-named crab. Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill sold a "Lobster Burrito" which was made from squat lobster, another shellfish which is also very similar to the crab [7].

 

[Aeolius]

"We're going to need more butter..."

You forgot to add sushi, calamari, and conch fritters to the list, there. Me, I don't care or salmon or freshwater fish, and I loathe poultry, but regard lobster as the ultimate food.

 

[frankthedm]

I've had lobster once. It was alright, though definitely not a taste sensation befitting the price. Now wild caught Crawdads, them's goooooood eatin!

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I like lobster, even though there is not much meat in it. I do not like Salmon at all, as it has no taste.

 

[EricNoah]

We were at the beach; everybody had matching towels. Somebody went under a dock, and there they saw a rock.
It wasn't a rock. It was a rock ... lobster!

True story!

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I think that lobster is called crayfish in Australia (or maybe crayfish is saltwater and lobster is freshwater?). Either way, I don't think they are worth the price you pay for them. My Mum and Dad really like them (it is definitely a rare treat though) but I find that there isn't a lot of taste to them. I wonder if they are so popular "because" of their price, rather than the other way around.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Merkuri]

I do not like Salmon at all, as it has no taste.

*gasp* Blasphemer! Salmon is the nectar of the gods!

I love salmon, especially raw (sushi) but you have to get the good, fresh stuff. Maybe the less fresh it is the less flavor it has.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

I'm from Maine (the lobster capital of the universe) and I can't stand it either.

 

[horacethegrey]

Anyone ever try lobster sashimi? I have, and it's wonderful eatin.

Like any food, I think lobster needs to be cooked a certain way to be enjoyed. The Chinese have many different ways of cooking lobster that bring out the best in it.