|
| |
Waldo County, Maine - Part 1
Written by: Dominick A. Miserandino
Photography by: Margherita Miserandino
To my wife, the hurricane wasn’t an omen, but more of a challenge. We had arrived at La Guardia Airport and found out that the aforementioned hurricane had cancelled our flight. Margherita felt a sense of challenge and decided that the eight hour drive up to Maine wouldn’t be so bad. In some parts of the country that’s not an extraordinary drive. In Texas, for instance, eight hours is a drive to the store. In New York, on the other hand, an eight hour ride has the same metaphysical weight as a pilgrimage.
To illustrate where Waldo County is in Maine, just when you start screaming with excitement, "There’s the ‘Welcome to Maine’ sign," you’ve still got another two hours to go. That is the appeal of Waldo County-- being in the least populated state, in one of the least populated regions, you are truly getting away from it all.
All that said, there are three main reasons people visit this area-- lobsters, B&Bs, and well, it’s weird.
Lobstahs
Lobsters, or as the locals call them lobstahs, are one of those foods that seem to scream both elegance and extravagance. In Maine, however, lobsters are not simply a food but an integral part of life. It’s hard to have a conversation with anybody without them mentioning lobsters.
"How’s the weather?"
"Oh good, though a bit too cold for lobstering."
"How’s the economy?"
"Well, lobstering is going well."
"What are your theories on quantum physics and its relationship to the universe?"
"I like lobsters."
Surely, I exaggerate, but only slightly. Yes, the locals have more on their mind than lobsters, but lobsters are embedded throughout the local culture.
For example, in the town of Searsport, the Penobscot Marine Museum has an exhibit called Lobstahs. Essentially, they answer not just the questions that you were afraid to ask, but the questions that you were frightened to learn about.
And if you think it’s just a small museum with only a few references to lobsters, you’re gravely mistaken. They have multiple buildings reflecting the village of Searsport in the nineteenth century: the beautiful church built by the lobstermen; the building which houses the lobster boats, you get the idea. They even have a library where you can research maritime history. I tried looking up my Great-great-grandfather and even got a bit of direction for the genealogy project.
Anyway, the first question that most people asked on our return was, "Did you eat some of those good and tasty Maine lobsters [while you were having a lovely time in Maine]?"
The answer is prefaced by an explanation. The town of Belfast is a picturesque seacoast town, and one of those rare towns with a beautiful Main Street lined by cute little shops on either side. Margherita was heartbroken that we didn’t have a chance to shop at the first shoe store in North America, located right there-- but this part of the story is focusing on lobsters.
At the end of the main street is the shore, and conveniently located there are boats, which is an appropriate place for them. One of these boats is the Belfast Bay Cruises, which has a lobstering excursion that takes people out and shows them lobster traps and, with luck, a lobster. The good and the bad go hand and hand. Yes, we learned about lobsters, but honestly, do you want to eat a creature that you’ve now seen move and dance like a bug? Do you want to eat a creature that comes up covered with all sorts of goo? And did I mention that the creature really looks like a bug? This is how we started the weekend, by learning that lobsters are yucky.
The fascination with lobsters continued throughout the Waldo County area. We ate lobster fritters at the Chocolate grille. (Yes, they had chocolate, but I’m ranting about lobsters right now.) We had lobster chowder at the Maine Chowder and Steak House. As the name indicates, they like chowder. We had whole lobsters at Angler’s, which is where the locals seem to head. In addition, we went to a lobster bake at the Three Tides, where the lobster was baked under fresh seaweed that gave it a really salty flavor.
In fact, while it’s expected for one to eat lobster in Maine, we only touched the surface of the lobster possibilities. The only limiting factor was my constant need for Margherita to help me with my food. She seemed to be fearless in her abilities to rip the innards out of a lobster, which increased her maternal satisfaction in feeding me. For me, however, as Margherita rather powerfully tore apart the lobster, my brain was filled with images of the Lorena Bobbitt incident.
Waldo County loves their lobsters.
Part 1- Intro and Lobsters
Part 2- B&Bs and Belfast
Part 3- Weird Waldo County
|
|
|
|
|
|
