the joy of arthropod devastation

If you are from a coastal state you probably have some sort of relationship with a local shellfish or mollusk that others don't quite understand. Be it lobster boil or oyster shucking or sucking crawfish heads, there are foods that bring us all back to the maritime traditions of our homes. Here in Maryland we eat our blue crabs steamed and covered with Old Bay from a communal pile.



Michelle, Anastasia, Will, Debbie,
Cassie, Sue, John, Reggie, me, Denise

 The connection between Marylanders and the blue crab is so strong that when your birthday falls in a non-crab season month (like Cassie and Denise from Objects Found) your friends will still gather in a crowd for crabs.
Yes, they had to be brought in from the Carolinas and yes, they are 5 times more expensive than local crabs in the summer. But the stomach is no different from the heart in that it wants it wants. If a winter baby (or babies) wants crabs for a birthday celebration then by jimminey it is gonna happen.
Picking the meat from these bad boys takes patience and practice, resulting in hours of hanging out with your friends, hands covered in spicy goodness. The crab feast is a time honored tradition here that transcends all socio-economic boundaries. Even in a nice restaurant the crabs are dumped directly onto brown paper covering the table and everyone digs in like primitives, ripping claws and legs and swimmerettes off with their hands.
After knife and mallet, bucket and paper towels, a good time is had by everyone, except, of course, the crabs. 

mmmmm... tasty carnage