Kevin's Watch

Since I have been involved in food retail [for the past, what 7ish years] a new phenomena has entered my life. I develop 'cravings'. If you're continually walking past shelves stocked with all manner of provender day in and day out you never know which ones you wil actually start gagging out for as the days progress. In any given day you see a thousand different things where the small thought crosses your mind "I could eat that" or "I just fancy that" but you ignore it; it goes with the terratory. But once every few weeks or so one of those thoughts begins to crystalise into first a more solid desire [which again you ignore] and then in to a fully-blown "I've got to have that!" attack.

Most often it's for stuff you've had in the past and have stopped eating for a few years. My recent ones have been for Beef and Coleslaw rolls, Chicken and Mushroom pies and Chinese Barbecued Spare-Ribs. Once you've indulged your fill once or twice the craving dissapears as fast as it materealised and you're on again. Wonder what my next one will be? Any cravings stories floating about out there?

When I read The Pickwick Papers, lo many years ago, I'd have to stop for a porter break because the characters were drinking porter and I would want porter, then I would really want porter...

There was also a short story in the Dubliners that made me thirsty for beer.

I guess it's a good thing I don't get these cravings except when I read about them

On occasion I really crave a whole, uncleaned female Maine lobster. Roe, tomally (sp?), and all. I used to be able to get a weekly special at the Gainesville Ale House of a 1.25 lb. Maine lobster with salad and side for $14.95. No such deals out here, and even at exorbitant prices, Maine lobster appears to be difficult to find here.

Fred Meyer does have a lobster tank, and I have prepared lobster for myself before. However, I tend to totally decimate them, and it is something I best eat alone. So, for now, I do without.

The other craving I get, and actually do indulge in fairly often, is the Omakase at Oto Sushi. The scallop nigiri and uni nigiri in particular make me very happy.

Now Menolly - at the risk of being ..... contrary, I'm going to say that to me - and I could certainly be alone in this because the price charged for the two in the UK would not bear me out - lobster even at it's best is significantly inferior to a top rate crab. Crab has a sweetness to it, a flavour [and I refer to the white meat rather than the brown, which is much stronger and not to everyones taste] that is unmatched by any other food-stuff and in addition [and it is alone in this respect] cannot be improved upon by addition, cooking or seasoning of any description. A bowl of crab meat, a wedge of lemon and some triangles of brown bread - it can't be bettered.

I know a lot of people who agree with you Peter. But, I love the flavor and texture of lobster, and there is a bit of a nostalgic twinge to it for me, as only my daddy and I were the lobster lovers in my family. We would have the occasional father/daughter outings to the local seafood shanty for lobster which did not include Mommy or my sister...

I also think Menolly that there is lobster and Lobster. I sometimes suspect that I've never really had it as good as it can be, where I've certainly had crab at it's best grade [where I live they pull them out of the sea and you can buy the meat so fresh and sweet that it brings you to tears. Lobster like this [which we also have] goes straight into the top end eateries at a BIG price-tag.

I can see that. If I prepare it myself, I only buy live lobsters. I'll eat frozen tails, but they don't really do it for me.

And again, I'm talking Maine lobsters. Growing up in Florida, fresh caught live spiny lobster were easily had. But for me, there is no comparison to a live Maine lobster cooked to order.

Menolly wrote:I can see that. If I prepare it myself, I only buy live lobsters. I'll eat frozen tails, but they don't really do it for me.

And again, I'm talking Maine lobsters. Growing up in Florida, fresh caught live spiny lobster were easily had. But for me, there is no comparison to a live Maine lobster cooked to order.

I was reading up on how to prepare lobster on The Food Lab. Interesting stuff, apparently if you don't cook it right away or remove the tail and claws, enzymes from the lobster's liver will start breaking down the lobster meat and turn it to a mush!

And since these enzymes have evolved to operate in cold temperatures, you really can not get away with freezing the whole lobster.

Sounds about right.

I haven't seen Kenji's article on lobster. Off to search.

Well, here I personally disagree with Kenji. Unless his method of roasting lobster is vastly superior to what I've had served to me in restaurants, I much prefer a simply steamed whole lobster. But then, I'm one who likes the tomally (liver) and roe of the females.

I have yet to witness what she does to a lobster...but if the poor creature imagines her as some sort of Ally Sheedy character as it waves its eyestalks and implores "Menolly, Do Not Disassemble!", it is in for a rude awakening.

Word in the tide pool is that she absolutely decimates them..."I am the Dwead Diner Menowwy; there will be no swuvivows..."

Without intending to add fuel to the fire, I prefer European lobster over American (or Canadian) any day. It's much more delicate and subtle in taste. I also love the taste of great creab (Cancer pagurus) - but to me European lobster poached in a beurre montée and served with a lemony vinaigrette is the best sefood ever.

Vader, you specifically mentioned Canadian lobster. Have you tried Forchu lobsters from Nova Scotia? They are Canadian, but not "Canadian" lobster. They are said to be the sweetest, most delicate lobsters in the world.

I have never had one, nor a European. Would love to try each.

Grocery store snow crab legs heated on a charcoal grill are consistently better than any restaurant's I've ever tried. I don't even order them out anymore.

* I'm referring to the crab legs on ice at the seafood counter or packaged by the grocer and still in the freezer. The branded and boxed crab legs are iffy and that is probably directly related to age.

As far as answering the question, the only thing I ever crave is meat. Sure, I make decisions about what to eat ahead of time, but an actual craving? That's when I must have a ribeye!

New Orleans rib-eye was the best I ever ate [with a couple of lobster tails as a surf'n'turf at Star Joeys. "Yes Suh!" [as the man who sent us there said] "Priiime Rib!"

[nb. Got a bit of a one going today actually. Guy came into the shop yesterday talking about 'boullibase' and today [day off] I gotta' have some, so it's off to the fish-mongers! It's all gettin a bit French!]

Shoot, now I want some rib-eye...my mother use to cook them in the crock-pot with some cream of mushroom soup... so delicious!

Every time I've tried it, the rib-eye disintegrates and I'm left with a good soup, but not the rib-eye I want.

Orlion wrote:When I read The Pickwick Papers, lo many years ago, I'd have to stop for a porter break because the characters were drinking porter and I would want porter, then I would really want porter...

There was also a short story in the Dubliners that made me thirsty for beer.

I guess it's a good thing I don't get these cravings except when I read about them

Remind me to never watch Soylent Green with you...

michaelm wrote:

Orlion wrote:When I read The Pickwick Papers, lo many years ago, I'd have to stop for a porter break because the characters were drinking porter and I would want porter, then I would really want porter...

There was also a short story in the Dubliners that made me thirsty for beer.

I guess it's a good thing I don't get these cravings except when I read about them

Remind me to never watch Soylent Green with you...

You don't have to worry about movies with me. The worse craving I've gotten from a movie was for chicken while watching Night of the Living Dead.

Man, I'm weird.

Orlion remembers watching Day of the Dead with some friends where the officer is being torn apart by zombies, saying "Choke on it".

Orlion to friends: I could really go for some pizza right now.

Ok, maybe I'm really weird.

Cravings....

I stopped eating fast food about 10 years ago. But once or twice a year I get the hankerin' for some Popeye's spicy fried chicken. And with about the same frequency, Taco Bell Gorditas. So there are 4 times a year I really hate myself.

Burgers.

Got a feeling that a burger joint in my town has just been voted [or won] an award for serving the best burgers in the country and is also high up on the list of best bugers in the world! Mind, at a cost of $30 they want to be!

Ribs are a thing I crave a lot of the time - but they must be dry [ie not slathered in sauce] and chinese; I don't get on with barbecue ribs - or barbecue anything come to that. I just don't like that 'hickory smoke' thing.