A Retired Person Goes on Vacation
The Lake in Maine
How does a retired person, or at least a semi retired person go on vacation. Isn’t everyday a vacation day. Well, yes and no. Even in retirement life has everyday requirements. Doctors appointments become more numerous as we get older.
Staying in shape now becomes a required activity. And any activity which is part of retirement, now becomes part of a schedule. Time just fills up with all sorts of things to do.
My Normal ToDo List.
Get up fix breakfast, play bridge, exercise, and some days spend time on this blog. It has been a while between days having a reliable internet, so I have definitely taken a vacation from this blog. But now is time to discuss vacation.
Travel is a part.
Driving from Florida to Maine and then back requires multiple days. I drove to Maine this year by myself in 3 days. And on the 4th day, I colapsed at the lake cottage. The view froom my bed on the porch was the same and as such enjoyable. The drive too vacation was exhausting. 14 hour days behind the wheel is lost in a youth long siince gone.
The Lobster Feast.
I started a yearly lobster feast for friends and family last year. Last year being the first feast was a learning experience. This year it was taking the leasons learned and doing it better. The purpose of this post is to document those leasons. So others can use our experience.
The menu is simple.
- Lobster 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lbs lobsters. (This year I asked for a donation to help defray the expense)
- Clams (Maine Steamers / not those southern quohogs as we called them in Rhode Island and are served in the south)
- Sweet Corn.
And everyone brought additional treats to share (salads and desserts)
What I’ve learned is the ratio of product. Last year I bought a lb of steamers for each lobster. This year I cut the clams in 1/2. While we ended up having clams leftover I believe the ratio is correct. I know at least 3 people who wanted additional clams and were unable to find them.
What happened? In my opinion was a service error. When we started serving the lobster, some trays were created with both lobster and clams. Several people took clams, didn’t eat them and when others went back looking for clams there were none to be found.
As people finished eating the clams cam back uneaten. The solution is to serve the lobster and clams separately, so only those who want clams take them.
This year we had 5 dozen ears of corn. It was delicious, there was also a lot of corn left over. I would suggest 1 and 1/2 ears of corn per attendee, would be about right. Maybe add a little extra, so everyone gets enough.
In Maine the August corn is much better than the September corn, or at least that was our experience that last couple of years.
Ordering and Transporting Lobster.
Lobster is best fresh. I like my current supplier, because her husband harvests the product. But I have to do my part, with logistics being a issue. She also provides seaweed for a price.
Best case, pick up the lobster on the day of the feast. Arrive with a cold cooler with plenty of reusable ice packs. You shouldn’t use ice because fresh water kills the lobster.
The Beast.
The first year I bought a large stainless steel steamer. A big part of the worry the first year, was would it arrive, which it did but without the burner. The burner arrived shortly after last years event. Together the burner and the steamer have earned the nickname the “Beast”
The first issue is safety. Lifting a hundred lbs of food over my head is not something I want to do, nor was I willing to ask someone else. So we needed to devise a lift system. For this I enlisted a cousin. Family feasts are after all about family. He and his brother came up with a solution involving an engine hoist.
After a couple of test runs it was determined that lifting the food basket from the ends was not viable the baskets actually started to buckle. So a couple of 2/4 down the middle and a center hook provided a solution which enables lifting the basket without the buckle. A plywood platform makes it easy to position the engine hoist to do the job. The system works well and safely and no one ends up visiting a back surgeon after all is over.
So the trial run on the burner was this year…
It started up and appeared to be working OK. I did think it took a little long to start the water boiling. Because the beast is on wheels, it is higher then just on the ground. I suggested it might be a good idea to raise the burner.
Several of the men went looking for pieces of wood to perform the task. Another man went over to check the controls, and noticed it could go higher. Hum, he kept on turning and it went higher still, and kept on turning until one of the men in search of raising the burner noticed the burner was louder in the distance then up close. Another person described the sound of a jet engine.
Moral of the story is turn the burner all the way up. The food was served hot and cooked through. A suggestion was made that we might be able to fill the beast with less water to decrease the time boil. This year will filled the beast with water up to the bars even with the basket.
Materials we use.
We ordered 1/2 size alumium trays to serve the seafood. Since they can be used to store food later, about 2 trays per person seems about right.
A steamer bag for each lb of clams.
Cups for butter and clam juice. We need to work on getting the broth to the table for dipping the clams. The first year we had stainless steel cups, but I believe that is overkill and reqiures heavy duty washing. Some form of small paper cup or bowl with is disposable would work better and reduce cleanup.
Of course nutcrackers and tools for opening the lobster is a must but can be shared. Still not sure of the optimal quantity, but this years set seemed okay. Afterall, who is going to complain when eating lobster.
And yes, there are people who don’t eat lobster, so alternative menu’s are necessary. Along with a grill chef to cook alternatives.
In the End…
The goal is a good time for all involved.
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