This email is the tale of the lobster dinner which included lobster tails!  (And claws and all the rest of the lobster.)  Randal and I look forward not only to the lobster dinner, but to our annual visit with friends.  Getting to eat with your fingers and make a huge mess just adds to the fun.

New England Lobster Dinner at Eileen’s…..

I grew up eating steamed clams, halibut and on special occasions, lobster.  Randal grew up eating fried chicken, sausage biscuits, and tons of butter in everything.  His mom was a great cook.  My mom became a good cook and made the best lentil soup and pot roasts.  (We also ate chicken feet and cow tongue, but that’s another story.)  In the past several years during our trips up north, Randal learned to love lobster.  He especially loves it when it’s cooked by friends.  This year was a double treat because Carol cooked lobster in New Jersey and sisters Elaine, Jean and Pam cooked lobster for us in Dartmouth.  Har and I checked ahead and ordered the 8 lobsters to be picked up the morning of our dinner.  We also stopped at a small open air market to buy corn which in New England is traditionally served with lobster.  

Not wanting to chance making friends with the lobsters we just let the “fish guy” select them for us.  This huge old fellow was hopefully going off to be someone’s pet or possibly lobster salad. 

  And this year we were finally allowed to be the one to “buy the lobsters,” and at $5.99 per pound it really is quite reasonable.  The guys at the fish store were all really very nice.

The lobsters spent the day snoozing in Har’s refrigerator while Har and I toured down town New Bedford.  Then it was time to take the lobster, corn and some Chateau Morrisette Virginia wine and head over to Eileen’s house.  Eileen is the sister of Jean who is married to Bruce who grew up on Plymouth Street. 

Kitchen scenes and a pot of steaming mussels.

Eileen and the steaming Lobster Pot………………..Steamed mussels, fragrent broth and bread to mop it up!

Randal, lobster and a self portrait done by Eileen’s daughter. 

Pam had made a wonderful salad and the bowl was very lovely too.

Sisters….Pam dishes out lobsters first to Eileen and then to Jean.

Har and Pam                                                                 A Jean and Eileen super dessert.                       

We’d gotten 8 lobsters in case Bruce and Bill (Eileen’s husband) made it home in time from the New England Patriot’s game…but they didn’t. (Pats did win!)  Har’s husband Dick took a pass on the lobsters but came later for the conversation.

We ate mussels with bread to soak up the broth, corn, potatoes and lobster washed down with lots of wine and we still all had room for dessert!  What fun!

The End!

Next email takes us to Chestnut Hill, MA (Boston) to visit Martha and daughter Jess.