What I Learned This Week: Lobster Edition

I confess that prior to this week, I didn't even own a lobster pot.

And for more than two years, I have lived less than a mile from the "Live Lobster!" sign. So you might say it's pathetic that my friend (remember her?) had to visit from California before I got the notion or gumption to try steaming up a few live ones.

But I have plenty of good reasons why it took this long. For instance, did you know lobsters are essentially from the sea insect family? And have I ever shared how ridiculously afraid of spiders I am? And how the majority of bugs gross me out?

And seriously, doesn't this guy look like an overgrown sea spider? Except he isn't hiding behind my headboard in hopes of sneaking up to bite me in my sleep and then letting me blame the mosquitoes. No, he's staring right at me. He totally wants to hurt me, and he wants me to know who did it.
I'm sorry, but if I were an early North American settler, I would never have even made eye contact, let alone made an attempt to eat that bad boy. The Native Americans had the right idea when they used lobster only as fertilizer for their crops. Because my friends, it's all buttery and rich until someone gets their eyes clawed out. And I'm pretty sure they didn't have rubber bands back then.

But I do enjoy lobster meat from time to time, and I figured it was high time I had the full crate-to-plate experience. Luckily, Alexis and the fearless husband were around to do most of the pre-steam handling. Alexis made a point to apologize to each lobster individually, which I thought was a nice gesture, especially considering they would pinch and twist her nose off if given the opportunity.

Pictured Below: My four year old who is apparently much braver than I am...

So this week, I finally learned how to steam a lobster. I'd tell you how, but you'd be better off just googling it and learning from some other random person. And if you came here hoping to find lobster recipes and culinary tips, I just want to say how very sorry I am. And to again suggest googling.

Because my only contribution to the lobster conversation is to marvel at how they look like overgrown sea insects and yet taste so delicious.

So let's take a poll. Who likes lobster? Who hates it? Who has never had it (and never will!)? Who has never had it, but wants to try?