Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Welcome to the Island


I'm on beautiful PEI now, where it rains every day and every night. Having a great time anyway. OMG! I just had the first glimpse of the sun in 4 days! Well, sort of.

I'm here staying in a house with two of my girlfriends, my sister and my mom. It takes forever to get out of the house. Four of us live for seafood, shellfish in particular. One friend, Misako, does not. I feel for her because there really is nothing to eat here but seafood. There is simply nowhere to get good bread, and no international food whatsoever. Poor Misako was forced last night to try her first oyster. The photos are hilarious. And the other night, she was subjected to the infamous PEI lobster supper!


The lobster supper is a PEI tradition. Hundreds of people crammed into a huge dining hall filling up on the 60 foot salad bar, all you can eat mussels, and the grand finale, a cold, overcooked, pre-cracked lobster cooked in very very salty water. It's something you have to do every 5 years or so, just for the experience and to remember that it's always better to do your own lobster. Luckily, my sister Aurora ordered the crab legs instead of the lobster, so when Misako discovered that alas she does not like lobster, and Aurora was unimpressed by the crab, they traded and everyone was happy. Then dessert, 4 kinds of pie, undetermined numbers of assorted squares, soft serve ice cream, and strawberry shortcake.


We girls shut down the place and were guided to the only way out, on the other side of the kitchiest gift shop imaginable, with a sweet islander lady at the counter to ring through Aurora's lobster harmonica and lobster keychain with her boyfriends name on it. We three in the back seat slept most of the way home.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aw Hilda...I would have devoured all the seafood for sure!!!

Lana said...

Try Dayboat if you can: http://www.dayboat.ca/ We ate here after our wedding last year... really delicious. Also, St. Ann's Lobster suppers in New Glasgow (in my opinion) is better for the en-masse lobster supper. Unlimited bucket of mussels. It's crazy.

Also, you probably have already been to the 42nd Street bar and the Off Broadway Cafe beneath it, just off the Confed Centre.

As for international food - it's true. But Cedar's on University is a good place for Lebanese.

If you're back in Anne's land - try Carr's Oyster bar - especially if the sun is out - they've got a nice big patio and you can watch the boats come in with your dinner.