Old guy corrected and slightly scolded me for incorrectly eating lobster

2 Cycle

Well-Known Member
i was at the seafood restaurant enjoying my lobster meal. It included rolls and a hot potato. Being a newb with lobster, I pre cracked all my shells and cut where I needed to including the head and antennas. As I am doing this I see some old guy staring at me and laughing a bit to his wife. Ignoring this, I kept going with my cracking and began to submerge the lobster in clarified butter. To my surprise, the old guy kept staring and shaking his head. He looked irritated this time and he finally came over. He began by telling me that I look like a city slicker and he would show me how to crack the lobster the right way. He was especially irritated that I ignored those little legs, to which he told me to grab a handful and sucker the meat out. He finally left me and I had a funnel cake and left. Is it normal to be corrected by people on how to eat foods at restaurants? I felt humiliated but was I in the wrong here?
 

Summer

Long Island, NY
This guy has taken eating a lobster to an art level. So funny looking in, but highly uncomfortable for you to be put in this situation. Totally inappropriate for him to mock you from a distance & approach you. A dinner table is like your car. It's your own private, portable, home-away-from-home space & it's rude to be a vouyer into this personal space. Of course, cute kids being the exception. ;)

Mind if I ask where this happened?
 

BestBuds

The Dude
I live in New England and lobster is one of my favorite things. Let me just say, there is no wrong way to eat a lobster. As long as you stink like a dead aquarium and your face and shirt are smeared with butter you are all good. I would have smacked him in the face with a lobster stinkin', butter drippin', tomalley covered hand and sent him on his way.
 

P.A.M.

Vapo Rising
Was it right? no
Do they do it? yes
Was it funny to watch you struggle? probably :rolleyes:

Yeah uncool but try not to be a snowflake about it , next time ask if they 'd pay to send you to gentleman school or something or which one they attended to unpolitley stare or
Interupt as such. Least you ain't a newb to lobster anymore, you scored a few free pro tips by the sounds of it too!

Vape on !
 
P.A.M.,
  • Like
Reactions: Squiby

zor

Well-Known Member
thank you all for the support, i watched a few youtubes on lobster shucking and see room for improvement in my technique. Old man may have been right

I ride the fence with eating etiquette. I appreciate manners and love learning cultural customs. I can't, however, stand the smacking of lips and associated mouth sounds, I have misphonia and it feels like someone is drilling holes into my head when I hear such sounds in close proximity. BUT, this is quite prevalent in some cultures, so I try to tolerate and grit my teeth and endure.

10 or so years ago I read a book about the history of sushi and the story of a woman becoming a sushi chef, it was called the Zen of Fish or Zen of Sushi. Anyway, in it the author describes the tradition and "proper" way of eating sushi. I discussed this with a friend, Seiji who owns and manages one of the best sushi restaurants I have ever been to, Cafe Sushi in Cambridge, MA. I wanted to be mindful of his culture's customs and to do right by his creations. He shook his head and said to me "I don't believe there is a right or wrong way of eating my sushi. Whatever brings you pleasure is all I ask for." or something to that end.

I eat lobster and don't care for the. Process so long as I'm not squirting shellfish juice.on people or missing nice pieces of meat. You're good @2 Cycle ! Were it a formal dinner and shit well maybe there's a proper process, but otherwise fuck that guy for mocking you.
 

Summer

Long Island, NY
and see room for improvement in my technique. Old man may have been right

:tup: :rofl:

Always room 4 improvement. Being that lobster is a delicacy, lobster lovers want to get every morsel of lusciouness & every ounce of flavorful juice out if it so you need to know the proper dissecting technique to do so. :D
 
Last edited:
Summer,

Baron23

Well-Known Member
Gosh, I've tried to avoid this thread but it calls to me! haha ;-)

I live in Maryland where we eat a LOT of steamed blue crabs. If you haven't had this experience, they steam them live and serve them whole. You need to open and clean them and extract the meat.

Now, there are a couple/few favored variations on how to properly clean and eat a steamed crab but they are the same in the main.

And cleaning one properly is key to getting the most meat out of the crab, avoiding the bits you shouldn't eat, and making it an enjoyable experience.

And how to clean a crab is NOT some instinct that we were born with...its taught and passed down. We often see people on a crab deck/house who are not familiar with crabs and struggle to get anything out of them aside from Old Bay in their eyes and fingers cut on crab shell. A few pointers will often help these folks enjoy there experience rather that feel it was a lot of work for very little.

Now, that doesn't mean that I think being a self-righteous and judgemental prick about it is the right way to help people eat crabs. But it really isn't just "well, anyway you do it works fine". It does not.

We used to have a skeet tournament in my area, big shoot with 120 competitors, and it was called the Lobster because we have cooked and served up to 600 chicken lobster (1 and 1/2 lb type of lobster). My dear friend ran it and I was always on the lobster cooking team (incredible that we never blew the place up with 5' propane tanks and burners that looked like something off of the ass end of a fighter jet. LOL

AND I was taught at least one way to clean a lobster that I was completely unaware of. First, ring the tail off. Then, with a sharp sturdy knife, make a left-right slit by the anus (well, not sure what its called on a lobster). Push your thumb in this slit and push the meat out the front and Robert is your mothers brother.

So, I wasn't there and have no real idea how much of a butt head this guy was....but perhaps he really was trying to help...just with lousy bedside manners???
 
Baron23,
  • Like
Reactions: RUDE BOY

Ramahs

Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
i was at the seafood restaurant enjoying my lobster meal. It included rolls and a hot potato. Being a newb with lobster, I pre cracked all my shells and cut where I needed to including the head and antennas. As I am doing this I see some old guy staring at me and laughing a bit to his wife. Ignoring this, I kept going with my cracking and began to submerge the lobster in clarified butter. To my surprise, the old guy kept staring and shaking his head. He looked irritated this time and he finally came over. He began by telling me that I look like a city slicker and he would show me how to crack the lobster the right way. He was especially irritated that I ignored those little legs, to which he told me to grab a handful and sucker the meat out. He finally left me and I had a funnel cake and left. Is it normal to be corrected by people on how to eat foods at restaurants? I felt humiliated but was I in the wrong here?

Yeah, I'd really want to make that asshole swallow some teeth for acting like that.
Unfortunately, I don't want to risk a conviction over some random old asshole I'll probably never see again.

At minimum however, I would DEFINITELY tell him that I'll eat my food HOWEVER THE FUCK I WANT, and unless he wants to leave this restaurant wearing my leftovers, then he should shut the fuck up and keep his shitty comments to himself and take him and his shitty wife (who seemed to be okay just letting him act in this horrible way to another person that did nothing to him) THE FUCK OUT OF HERE immediately!

If they don't leave, I could at least spend some time harping on them about how they are eating their bread wrong. Because apparently they should eat it the way I want them to eat it, and I apparently have the right to bitch at them about it when they are just trying to eat their meal.

**edit - My apologies for the harsh language...but reading the OP just made me really, really, really angry that an adult would behave like that towards a stranger who was just minding their own business, and not have to face any repercussions at all**
 
Last edited:

MyCollie

Well-Known Member
Gosh, I've tried to avoid this thread but it calls to me! haha ;-)

I live in Maryland where we eat a LOT of steamed blue crabs. If you haven't had this experience, they steam them live and serve them whole. You need to open and clean them and extract the meat.

Now, there are a couple/few favored variations on how to properly clean and eat a steamed crab but they are the same in the main.

And cleaning one properly is key to getting the most meat out of the crab, avoiding the bits you shouldn't eat, and making it an enjoyable experience.

And how to clean a crab is NOT some instinct that we were born with...its taught and passed down. We often see people on a crab deck/house who are not familiar with crabs and struggle to get anything out of them aside from Old Bay in their eyes and fingers cut on crab shell. A few pointers will often help these folks enjoy there experience rather that feel it was a lot of work for very little.

Now, that doesn't mean that I think being a self-righteous and judgemental prick about it is the right way to help people eat crabs. But it really isn't just "well, anyway you do it works fine". It does not.

We used to have a skeet tournament in my area, big shoot with 120 competitors, and it was called the Lobster because we have cooked and served up to 600 chicken lobster (1 and 1/2 lb type of lobster). My dear friend ran it and I was always on the lobster cooking team (incredible that we never blew the place up with 5' propane tanks and burners that looked like something off of the ass end of a fighter jet. LOL

AND I was taught at least one way to clean a lobster that I was completely unaware of. First, ring the tail off. Then, with a sharp sturdy knife, make a left-right slit by the anus (well, not sure what its called on a lobster). Push your thumb in this slit and push the meat out the front and Robert is your mothers brother.

So, I wasn't there and have no real idea how much of a butt head this guy was....but perhaps he really was trying to help...just with lousy bedside manners???

I’ve been eating blue crabs for a long time. Still kills me when I see people smashing away at claws with the mallet. I use a knife but I guess that’s just the way I was taught.
 

Baron23

Well-Known Member
I’ve been eating blue crabs for a long time. Still kills me when I see people smashing away at claws with the mallet. I use a knife but I guess that’s just the way I was taught.
Yep. And they are saying the blue crab population in the Chesapeake is high this year. Looking forward to some good crabs and beer this summer.
 
Baron23,
  • Like
Reactions: Summer

GreenDragon

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I'd really want to make that asshole swallow some teeth for acting like that.
Unfortunately, I don't want to risk a conviction over some random old asshole I'll probably never see again.

Are violence and incarceration a regular occurrence for you?

made me really, really, really angry that an adult would behave like that towards a stranger

Do you find equivalence between snarky crab cleaning advice and physical violence?
Can you see/feel the irony in your reaction?
 

Ramahs

Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
Are violence and incarceration a regular occurrence for you?
Do you find equivalence between snarky crab cleaning advice and physical violence?
Can you see/feel the irony in your reaction?

I know that you're trying to set me off and get me in trouble. But I'm not falling for your bullshit :rofl:

A valiant attempt, and I commend you in your effort...but not today, my friend :evil:

That being said, something tells me that if you have the decency to call me on MY bullshit...then you're probably a better person than the asshole whom the OP had described in the restaurant. So, why not be friends? I have no beef with you!

How bout a hug? Remember, I can't commit violence if I'm hugging!
giphy.gif
 
Last edited:

GreenDragon

Well-Known Member
I know that you're trying to set me off and get me in trouble. But I'm not falling for your bullshit :rofl:
A valiant attempt, and I commend you in your effort...but not today, my friend :evil:

Is this a common occurrence for you?

That being said, something tells me that if you have the decency to call me on MY bullshit...then you're probably a better person than the asshole whom the OP had described in the restaurant. So, why not be friends? I have no beef with you!

Do your friends get free dental care too?

How bout a hug? Remember, I can't commit violence if I'm hugging!

Are you crossing your fingers, winking, holding a knife or sporting an erection?
 
GreenDragon,
  • Like
Reactions: Summer

Ramahs

Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
Maybe we should get back to the lobster asshole guy the OP was talking about.
You're starting to make me think you really like me :brow:, or at least the idea of me (though, that new-relationship-high tends to fade eventually)...and I appreciate your complements of course...but I'm not the topic of this thread.
PM me if ya wanna get frisky. However, it should probably be kept off the main thread.

They already had a topic here, from what I understood :hmm:
 
Last edited:

RogueGuy

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
@Ramahs loved your rant and totally agree.

its one thing to have fun with someone and rib them in a charming way. Its another to be rude and the OP was obviously offended.

While I dont condone violence, there are some people who just deserve a really good ass kicking.
 

2 Cycle

Well-Known Member
lobsters would be so much more likable if they evolved their claws away. While true that i greatly enjoy eating this delicious claw meat, they are just too pinchy for their own good.
 
Top Bottom