So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Hercule]

^^^

Also Maine Lobster Rolls With Whoopie Pie for only $99.99

Dam, that looks good (though I'd prefer it to be crab)!

 

[LizzieMaine]

A real Mainer wouldn't eat a lobster roll. A proper Maine lunch is an "Italian."

We don't call them "subs," though -- they're just "Italians." And they're best purchased, not from a supermarket, but from a neighborhood corner store or a gas station. They're properly wrapped in a layer of wax paper and a layer of butcher paper, the better to soak up the copious amount of oil drenching the sandwich and soaking into the roll. The roll must be a soft, white-bread roll -- not crusty, not grainy. The cheese must be sliced white American -- not Mozzarella, not Provalone, not yellow or orange American, not Velveeta. The pickles must be sliced hamburger dills, not sweet. The ham must be sliced thin. There must be a great deal of salt and pepper applied to the top of the sandwich after the oil.

There is nothing "Italian" about the sandwich other than the fact that it was invented by an Italian immigrant in Portland. Any attempt to make it "authentically Italian" automatically voids its "Maine Italianness." Attempts by preening foodies to do so really tick us off.

 

[tonyb]

I'm not picky about the brand, but it has to be pump, not steam. I feel you get more coffee essence (?) out of the grounds. ...

Yeah, you gotta have quite a bit of pressure behind it. Those ones without pumps just don't do the trick, unless it's one of those old lever-action jobs, which you hardly ever see anymore. I'm told they tend to be more temperamental and prone to breakdown than the new automatic jobs.

 

[tonyb]

Have "Saigon" sandwiches made their way to coastal Maine yet?

 

[p51]

Snobs of any type, in my experience, often just want the rare and unusual, thinking that alone makes it better.
I was dragged to a BBQ place in Seattle in the middle of my cross-country train trip from NYC in September, by a dedicated food snob.
The food was 'Meh' at best but the guy who insisted on us going there thought it was the best ever. I love BBQ and I couldn't count the number of places I've had much better BBQ than that (the best BBQ I ever had was at Marlowe's on Elvis Presley Blvd in Memphis). This Seattle BBQ joint was a huge hipster kind of place. Someone later asked me where it was and I said it was, "At the corner of Hipster and Lame". The other couple who went with us (also on the train trip) agreed it wasn't that good and have used the hipster/lame joke to describe a lot of other places in the area...
The guy who took us there said that he never goes to any chain to eat that has more than 3 locations anywhere.
That's the kind of folks I cannot stand. Just because they aren't on every street corner, in itself, doesn't mean their product is any good! And this BBQ place sure proved that point.

 

[Trenchfriend]

A real Mainer wouldn't eat a lobster roll. A proper Maine lunch is an "Italian."

We don't call them "subs," though -- they're just "Italians." And they're best purchased, not from a supermarket, but from a neighborhood corner store or a gas station. They're properly wrapped in a layer of wax paper and a layer of butcher paper, the better to soak up the copious amount of oil drenching the sandwich and soaking into the roll. The roll must be a soft, white-bread roll -- not crusty, not grainy. The cheese must be sliced white American -- not Mozzarella, not Provalone, not yellow or orange American, not Velveeta. The pickles must be sliced hamburger dills, not sweet. The ham must be sliced thin. There must be a great deal of salt and pepper applied to the top of the sandwich after the oil.

There is nothing "Italian" about the sandwich other than the fact that it was invented by an Italian immigrant in Portland. Any attempt to make it "authentically Italian" automatically voids its "Maine Italianness." Attempts by preening foodies to do so really tick us off.

Is that an milk-roll or a normal roll?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Lobster-sandwich...

What will come next? Kaviar-milkshake??

 

[Harp]

Have "Saigon" sandwiches made their way to coastal Maine yet?

Don't know about Maine but several spots around Chicago offer Banh Mi-though I prefer noodles with mine.

 

[Trenchfriend]

As we see, all seems to go mainstream, worldwide. Since the 90's?

The average, mainstram diner-snack is the roll/sandwich with some mixed vegetables and little part of flesh-products. Probably, the most lucrative snack to diners/bistros.
But we got still a relatively wide choice of diner-snacks and -meals, here in Germany. You can munch, until you burst.

 

[Harp]

As we see, all seems to go mainstream, worldwide. Since the 90's?


But we got still a relatively wide choice of diner-snacks and -meals, here in Germany. You can munch, until you burst.

Lived in Munich years ago, and the city train station served the finest breakfast.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And the real beer, the classic bavarian "Helles".

 

[2jakes]

A real Mainer wouldn't eat a lobster roll. A proper Maine lunch is an "Italian."

Are you saying that only the tourists that meet the sea would eat a lobster roll ?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've never seen a Saigon sandwich here, but we do have a Vietnamese restaurant that's just opened. It's called "Pho Shizzle," so I don't know as I'd consider it wicked authentic....

The bread in a proper Maine Italian roll is plain white bread -- it's a little sweeter than a hot dog roll, but otherwise it's pretty much the same thing except longer and wider. No fancy or artisanal rolls need apply -- the uniform spongy Wonder Bread texture is absolutely essential to the sandwich because it soaks up the grease that would otherwise run all over the sandwich eater. The oil is usually plain olive oil -- no fancy infused oils or "extra virgin" boutique oil will cut it, just the cheap utility-grade oil from the grocery aisle. Likewise, no fancy deli-quality cold cuts -- the best meat always came from the Kirschner plant in Augusta, which unfortunately has gone out of business, so we have to make do with Oscar Mayer's or whatever cheap store brand is on sale at the Shop-n-Save this week.

Lobster rolls are pretty much entirely a tourist thing here -- I've never seen a local eat one unless it was given to them for free. When we eat lobster, we eat it the proper way -- we tear it apart with our bare hands and eat it right out of the shell, on a paper plate, with butter to dunk the meat in, and we are careful to suck all the juice out of the legs. We do *not* eat the "tomalley," the green stuff in the body which is the lobster's liver. We know what a liver does, and we know what's in the water where the lobster lives, and we'd just as soon pass on ingesting it.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Lobster/Hummer = Classic "tourist-trap", I would say.

 

[GHT]

Snobs of any type, in my experience, often just want the rare and unusual, thinking that alone makes it better.
I was dragged to a BBQ place in Seattle in the middle of my cross-country train trip from NYC in September, by a dedicated food snob.

There was a time when I would take umbrage at being called a food snob, but let me tell you, I will not eat a sandwich called a sub. A sub is an abbreviation for submarine, it is not a sandwich. The title of sandwich came about when The Earl of Sandwich, a compulsive gambler, ordered a hank of beef between two slices of bread, whilst at the gaming tables. The food that he ordered was so designed that the bread prevented his fingers from becoming greasy, and therefore spoiling the deck of cards.
Other gamblers, seeing this, would say to the waiters: "I'll have a Sandwich," referring to Lord Sandwich. And so the name of the ubiquitous meal between two slices of bread was born. It was not, nor has it ever been, on the menu card of a submarine.

 

[2jakes]

I've never seen a Saigon sandwich here, but we do have a Vietnamese restaurant that's just opened. It's called "Pho Shizzle," so I don't know as I'd consider it wicked authentic....

The bread in a proper Maine Italian roll is plain white bread -- it's a little sweeter than a hot dog roll, but otherwise it's pretty much the same thing except longer and wider. No fancy or artisanal rolls need apply -- the uniform spongy Wonder Bread texture is absolutely essential to the sandwich because it soaks up the grease that would otherwise run all over the sandwich eater. The oil is usually plain olive oil -- no fancy infused oils or "extra virgin" boutique oil will cut it, just the cheap utility-grade oil from the grocery aisle. Likewise, no fancy deli-quality cold cuts -- the best meat always came from the Kirschner plant in Augusta, which unfortunately has gone out of business, so we have to make do with Oscar Mayer's or whatever cheap store brand is on sale at the Shop-n-Save this week.

Lobster rolls are pretty much entirely a tourist thing here -- I've never seen a local eat one unless it was given to them for free. When we eat lobster, we eat it the proper way -- we tear it apart with our bare hands and eat it right out of the shell, on a paper plate, with butter to dunk the meat in, and we are careful to suck all the juice out of the legs. We do *not* eat the "tomalley," the green stuff in the body which is the lobster's liver. We know what a liver does, and we know what's in the water where the lobster lives, and we'd just as soon pass on ingesting it.

I’ve eaten lobster as you’ve mentioned once. It was very rich tasting & although I enjoyed it,
I must confess I’m not as strong as you & had to rely on pliers.

I vaguely recall a scene in a movie where a guy uses a hammer or fists
& beats the lobster before commencing to eat it.

I’m assuming it was to crack the shell & not that the thing was still alive !

My preference is fried shrimp, baked potato, salad & ice tea or white wine.

 

[Harp]

but let me tell you, I will not eat a sandwich called a sub. A sub is an abbreviation for submarine, it is not a sandwich. The title of sandwich came about when The Earl of Sandwich, a compulsive gambler, ordered a hank of beef between two slices of bread, whilst at the gaming tables. The food that he ordered was so designed that the bread prevented his fingers from becoming greasy, and therefore spoiling the deck of cards.
And so the name of the ubiquitous meal between two slices of bread was born. It was not, nor has it ever been, on the menu card of a submarine.

Shirtfront draw or stud poker, or Texas Hold 'em?

 

[LizzieMaine]

If you buy lobster in the summer, you're getting "shedders," which have recently molted and their shell is still relatively soft. You can easily rip it apart with your bare hands. The drawback to a shedder is that it's full of water, and the meat isn't as big as the shell, so the water spills all over you when you tear into it. Hence, bibs.

Lobster in the winter is "hard-shell," which means you'll need a tool to crack the claws -- a hammer or a set of nutcrackers will do the job nicely. Otherwise, you can pry the shell apart with your fingers if you know where the joints are. The tail you just twist off, break off the flippers, and then push the meat out with your finger.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I'm relaxed. Lobster/Hummer wouldn't make me hungry, because to me, it's the same kind, like usual crayfish. And further, much animal-protein isn't that good, I think (cancer and so on....).

I prefer Döner-Kebab, oh yeah! And in direct comparition, the vegetarian Döner (with sheep's (milk) cheese) tasts better, to me.

I don't belong to these typical thuringian "Bratwurst-people". I mean, the Bratwurst is just a glutamated, fatty, charcoal-grilled sausage in a dump white roll. Ok, Goethe loved it, but we got 2015.

 

[2jakes]

If you buy lobster in the summer, you're getting "shedders," which have recently molted and their shell is still relatively soft. You can easily rip it apart with your bare hands. The drawback to a shedder is that it's full of water, and the meat isn't as big as the shell, so the water spills all over you when you tear into it. Hence, bibs.

Lobster in the winter is "hard-shell," which means you'll need a tool to crack the claws -- a hammer or a set of nutcrackers will do the job nicely. Otherwise, you can pry the shell apart with your fingers if you know where the joints are. The tail you just twist off, break off the flippers, and then push the meat out with your finger.

Sounds like you are describing the manner in which one of my not too favorite uncle eats (and it’s not lobster)