Posting pictures of the foods people enjoy seems to be one of the most popular uses of Facebook lately. Recently one acquaintance bragged about eating lobster at a fancy restaurant, posted a photo and commented, “I wonder what the poor people are eating tonight?”
That comment made me smile and I wondered if the person posting knew that at one time no self-respecting individual would have gloated about eating this modern-day delicacy. That’s because 200 years ago lobster was the food of poor people, indentured servants and lower society. In fact, British POW’s during the Revolutionary War supposedly revolted after being fed too much lobster. (Apparently prisoners complaining about the food being served is nothing new.)
Poor people, in an effort to hide the shame of having to eat lobster, would bury the shells in the backyard and thus it became known as a good fertilizer for the soil. Yet today we don’t hesitate to let everyone know that we enjoyed some lobster and post pictures so that everyone else can drool over our good fortune. I guess it’s part of getting our money’s worth!
I, myself, have never been an avid consumer of this succulent shellfish. Don’t get me wrong, I love lobster. What’s not to love about those sweet morsels of meat dipped in hot butter? It’s just that… how do I put this in polite terms? Eating lobster always seems to give me gas.
And nothing ruins an evening of fine dining more than a bloated stomach and having to excuse myself from the table several times to make sure I don’t accidentally break wind while laughing at a friend’s joke. Now that would put a damper on any evening, never mind one where I am trying to be a perfect lady!
However, despite the possibility of this potential humiliation, I have been giving serious consideration to ordering lobster at our next evening out. Why would I risk it, you might wonder? Well, I just read that lobsters do not age in the traditional sense and that their organs do not degenerate.
If eating this delicacy can do for me what it does for the lobster and stave off the effects of aging, then I’m in! Besides, I can always pop a few Bean-O pills before the meal and hope for the best.
