When was the last time you enjoyed a big old juicy lobster drenched in melted butter? I'll bet that just the thought of it is making you hungry for more. Before making a trip to the local Red Lobster for a $25.00 lobster dinner, take a minute to listen to some historical facts about your dinner-to-be.
Once upon a time, America was peopled by only Native Americans, and lobsters were plentiful. They were so plentiful, in fact, that the Native Americans used them as fertilizer for farm fields and fish bait. They never ate them! Yuck!
When European settlers started arriving on America's shores, many of them starved to death, but they still wouldn't eat lobster meat. They used it for fertilizer, too, plus they fed it to the people they considered inferior: slaves, indentured servants, the poor, and their own children (children weren't spoiled in those days like they are now!). After word got around that indentured servants were being forced to eat this terrible fare, prospective indentured servants had promises written into their contracts that they wouldn't be made to eat lobster more than three times a week. Imagine that!
Up until the early 19th century, people could get all the lobsters they needed by snagging them from tide pools. They had no need for technological advances in the harvesting of live lobsters. The first lobster traps didn't come on the scene until the 1850s. The reason harvesters needed traps is because they had become able to sell their lobsters to canneries. No one ate the lobsters fresh, and the canned version was so tasteless that few people ate them canned, either.
When our transportation system developed sufficiently to transport live lobsters, the meat finally caught on with the public. They were shipped to the finest restaurants in America's largest cities where only the well-to-do were able to afford to eat them.
If you're like I am, you may feel a little squeamish about seeing your dinner lying serene and green in a tank one minute and bright-red and cooked on your plate the next. This feeling, too, dates back to the beginning of lobster-eating. Lobster experts swear, however, that it's the only way to have fresh lobster.
During my lifetime I've known family members tracing clear back to my great grandmother who was born in 1873. Even when seafood came into vogue, she never ate it. As a Victorian lady, she would never have even wanted to think about throwing something live into a pot of boiling water. After all, women in the Victorian era were sheltered from the harsh realities of life.
It's hard to believe that our ancestors didn't like the way lobsters tasted. Just think of all the good food that was wasted as fertilizer. Their palates were just very different from ours. As our society developed more sophisticated tastes, lobsters finally became the delicacies they were always destined to be.
Once upon a time, America was peopled by only Native Americans, and lobsters were plentiful. They were so plentiful, in fact, that the Native Americans used them as fertilizer for farm fields and fish bait. They never ate them! Yuck!
When European settlers started arriving on America's shores, many of them starved to death, but they still wouldn't eat lobster meat. They used it for fertilizer, too, plus they fed it to the people they considered inferior: slaves, indentured servants, the poor, and their own children (children weren't spoiled in those days like they are now!). After word got around that indentured servants were being forced to eat this terrible fare, prospective indentured servants had promises written into their contracts that they wouldn't be made to eat lobster more than three times a week. Imagine that!
Up until the early 19th century, people could get all the lobsters they needed by snagging them from tide pools. They had no need for technological advances in the harvesting of live lobsters. The first lobster traps didn't come on the scene until the 1850s. The reason harvesters needed traps is because they had become able to sell their lobsters to canneries. No one ate the lobsters fresh, and the canned version was so tasteless that few people ate them canned, either.
When our transportation system developed sufficiently to transport live lobsters, the meat finally caught on with the public. They were shipped to the finest restaurants in America's largest cities where only the well-to-do were able to afford to eat them.
If you're like I am, you may feel a little squeamish about seeing your dinner lying serene and green in a tank one minute and bright-red and cooked on your plate the next. This feeling, too, dates back to the beginning of lobster-eating. Lobster experts swear, however, that it's the only way to have fresh lobster.
During my lifetime I've known family members tracing clear back to my great grandmother who was born in 1873. Even when seafood came into vogue, she never ate it. As a Victorian lady, she would never have even wanted to think about throwing something live into a pot of boiling water. After all, women in the Victorian era were sheltered from the harsh realities of life.
It's hard to believe that our ancestors didn't like the way lobsters tasted. Just think of all the good food that was wasted as fertilizer. Their palates were just very different from ours. As our society developed more sophisticated tastes, lobsters finally became the delicacies they were always destined to be.
About the Author:
Hopefully you enjoyed this informative write up about live lobsters. You can always visit Quality Fresh Seafood where some fun to read articles are being showcased. Right now the content is about transporting live lobster which should be an interesting topic for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment