Maine memories

I've never been to Maine, but I have very fond memories of it, along with Coney Island, the New Jersey shore and California. Beach movies like Stealing Home, A Summer Place, Annie Hall ("My analyst says I exaggerate my childhood memories, but I swear I was brought up underneath the roller-coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. Maybe that accounts for my personality, which is a little nervous, I think," recounts Woody Allen as Alvy Singer) and even Jaws are likely most responsible for the image I have of quintessential American beaches.

Hot dogs, amusement parks and family resorts are definitely part of the image and since I've had the very good fortune of living "the beach life" the past few weeks in Aylmer, I decided to up the ante and make the ultimate Maine treat: lobster rolls. 

To make the crustacean delights, I used freshly cooked (and painstakingly de-shelled by my wonderful beau) lobster meat, some mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I also used a few small pickles, finely cubed for crunch and flavour. The pièce de résistance is of course the grilled hot dog rolls which provide the perfect culinary combination of high-class cuisine and down-home food truck grub. My favourite.

By the way, just in case you were curious, the beach life involves sleeping in, packing a cooler full of good food (and drinks), stuffing a bathing suit and towel in my beach bag and heading to the beach for a nice read in the sun (so far, I’ve gotten through A Clash of Kings, the second in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, This Will Be Difficult to Explain by Johanna Skibsrud and Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar).

The lake life, which I’m also living, means doing pretty much the same but going to the lake—Meech Lake, to be specific but totally non-political—and cooling off with a swim. Maine memories. Now that’s the life. 

Next time it’s going to be a delicious, chilled gazpacho soup that’s the perfect antidote to a hot, summer day but before that I can’t wait to tell you about my crazy weekend, Daughters of Anarchy styles...