Why fall in Maine is a prime season
Published in The Straits Times, 4 October 2015:
It is a balmy, tranquil day at the fishing docks of Casco Bay and I am watching shiny white boats haul in their catch at the waterfront.
Across the river, the foliage is a lovely spectrum of scarlet and yellows.
My husband returns to our table with a large lobster, boiled to a fiery red. He dons his armour (a plastic bib, really) and attacks the crustacean.
In one fell swoop, he skilfully twists off the claws and breaks each one with a nutcracker.
To dislodge the tail, I arch the back of the lobster till it snaps with a resounding crack.
"Ooh, tomalley," I say as I unhinge the shell, hungrily eyeing the oozing greyish-green slime.
This is the lobster's liver, which looks remarkably unappetising, but is considered by some to be a delicacy.
We are devouring lobster with warm melted butter at the Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster shack (36 Main Street, South Freeport, ME 04078; +1 207-865-3535; www.harra seeketlunchandlobster.com) in South Freeport, which counts George and Barbara Bush among its legions of fans, according to The New York Times.
This is our maiden trip to Maine in autumn, the prime season for hard-shell lobsters, which is significant for a state that accounts for more than 80 per cent of the lobster haul in the United States.
The best places to enjoy lobsters are the lobster shacks or outdoor pounds - devoid of frills - that harvest and boil the crustaceans on the spot.
We are within sight and scent of the sea, our fingers dripping with lobster juice and creamy corn on the cob.
If we look quite the experts, it is because this is our third lobster feast in just two days.
We started off awkward and uncertain, our eyes darting between the crustacean and the eight-step "how-to-eat-a-lobster" instructions in our trays.
By the end of our five-day trip, we will have eaten nine whole lobsters and countless lobster rolls - mounds of cold, sweet flesh served on hot, crisp bread - between us.
We will know the anatomy of the lobster rather intimately (and make mental notes to arrange cholesterol tests).
To round off our meal, we order dessert of wild blueberry pie. The crust is warm and buttery, and the blueberries - the official fruit of Maine - so plump that they explode in bursts of tangy sweetness with every bite.
This is the life, I sigh contentedly, as we dine alfresco by the wharf, breathing in the sea-salted air and enjoying views of the harbour.
But there is more to it, we discover, as we explore other facets of coastal Maine in the fall.
LEAF SEASON
It hits us that autumn is a commodity in Maine, when there are hotlines for visitors to track the changing foliage hues and there are fall surcharges at some hotels.
Nature is a flamboyant exhibitionist in autumn in the otherwise low-key New England region. In the thick of fall, the vivid colours of scarlet, purple, red, orange and yellow leaves enliven the backdrop of pristine highlands and jagged coastlines.
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