Maine on Travel Channel Today (Portland: transfer, kitchen, best)

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

OMG, I do not know anyone in Maine who eats this weird, gross stuff. I don't think too many of these people are locals.

Good to know! Though I enjoyed the scenery on the film immensely, I told Brad that I may NEVER eat chowder in Portland!

Fish sperm??? Seriously!!!!!

Loved the segment with Linda. Scared Brad to death when I jumped up in bed and screamed, "I know her!! I know who that is!" She was so funny!

[ProdigalLobster]

I dunno about the fish sperm... I mean, didn't the chef say it was the reproductive organs? That's not *exactly* the same thing. And with that, I'm not touching that subject again, LOL.

I'm with you, Coastal, I'd probably try the orange-glazed lobster with smoke, too. I wonder if the citrus in the glaze might be strong enough to sort of 'cook' the lobster, as in ceviche. I'm a foodie, too! Normally I get irritated with people trying to fancy up one of my favorite foods that is just so darned perfect when simply prepared... but that lil glass with the smoke swirling around looks way too cool to pass up.

[AlisonL]

A friend of mine in Georgia called to ask if Mainers eat all those things. I told her, not anyone I know. We eat normal stuff.

[CoastalMaine]

Prod, honest to God, the BEST calamari dish served 'Providence style' with hot pepper rings, oil, and lightly fried, was served to me in Louisville, Ky!! I would fly back there ANYTIME just for a few days of chowing on food. The best sushi I've ever had was there at a place called Sopporo's.

A new favorite dish I would like to try and copy on my own was chopped raw oysters served in a homemade Bloody Mary mix with chunks of celery and finely chopped onion, horseradish... in a shot glass... they were called Oyster Shooters.... OMG!!!!!

How can you go to the middle of the country and have some of the most amazing seafood ever? Those two chefs should be in New England. AMAZING!!!

Yup, I thought the same thing about the ceviche and lobster... and the sushi place in Portland is on my list of places to go now too. Simply fantastic.

I love my comfort foods. They're well... comforting and delicious. But I love the experimentation of food concoctions too.

When someone asks what's your favorite food? I can't pick one. I love it all.

[CoastalMaine]

Alison, I understand what you're saying, but this is a wide world and many of us have traveled lots of it. While the usual, standard fare is awesome for everyday living, I enjoy getting out of the 'box' now and again. My dad always raised me with the caveat, "It's good to have a little adventure in your soul."

While many Mainer's up north would consider it quite normal to enjoy beaver, moose, and deer, as well as game birds, it's quite a novelty to many south of Maine who think eating sushi is quite normal.

I straddle the fence. I like all of it. Well, I haven't had beaver or moose yet, but they're on my list!

Normal is what you're sphere of life experience is. Think about it. Had you even heard of a quesadilla 30 years ago? I doubt it. Unless you're from NM, Arizona, or southern Cal., or Texas. Nachos piled high? Doubt it. It's a new age. Yet now it's 'normal stuff'. Who heard of buffalo wings 40 years ago? No one. Mozzarella sticks? No one. That stuff was all pretty exotic once upon a time.

[ProdigalLobster]

Amen to pretty much all of that, Coastal! I agree, I have trouble choosing a favorite food... my best explanation is that I try to experience each thing for what it is. If one is open to it & paying attention to the moment, it makes the food that much more special, whatever it is (ok, within reason.. don't have a hankerin' for any insects myself, either).

But of course, there are always the comfort foods... some of which I plan to bring up with me from my adopted home down here. Aw, how fun would it be to have some dinner parties? Nothing fancy or stuffy, just good food & friends.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

I still know many old timers out there, my dad being just one of them. Deerislesmiles dad has a very distinct accent. Yes, they do vary from bay to bay. A Casco Bay fisherman's accent does vary from a Penobscot Bay fisherman.

As well though, an accent from the county is far different all together. I'm not referring to the French Canadian accent, more so what I refer to as a farmers accent.

Ya like Susan Collin's accent!

[lrfox]

I've had the Chowder at Hugo's and It's O.K. It's not fantastic, certainly not traditional, but OK. The presentation was over-done obviously for the TV coverage and publicity that goes with it, but I wouldn't call what Zimmerman experienced a typical dining experience by any means. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's mostly entertainment. There's a certain "Shock" value that comes with describing in detail what's in the chowder at Hugos... it's similar to someone telling you EXACTLY what goes into a hot dog and then showing you clips of the process while you eat it. It's going to gross you out, but the end result isn't nearly as bad as it seems. Same goes for all the juice products that have fish parts, etc.

The Sushi place he went to in the beginning is the best in Portland. It's almost as good as what you can find in places like Boston, Providence, New York, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the chef's background story as I usually ask politely about where the staff is from and how did they get here whenever I go into one of those restaurants just for a little history. Usually the stories can be better than the meal itself.

I'm surprised they didn't cover any of the food at Fore St. They spent a lot of time shooting there and there were several clips of he and his father in there and quite frankly much of the food in Fore St. is equally as unique as Hugo's (and in my opinion, better). I guess they must have known the chef/owner of Hugo's.

Obviously what everyone saw was extreme examples of what people do for food in Maine. I did giggle when they talked about eating a certain woodland rodent known for building dams in ponds and streams, I guess that's a testament to my maturity. But for the most part, it was extreme and sensationalized. I got the feeling the cookout at the end contained more people from away than it contained Mainers, but overall it wasn't bad publicity.

*Edit* Mermaid, Didn't realize Linda Greenlaw is your sister. I bet she has some fascinating stories, you're lucky! She represented herself and the state VERY well on the show (Probably 100x better than the rest of the motley crew they assembled).

[Elcarim]

That sushi place DID jump out at me! The fresh fish I spotted on the bar looked fabulous! I can't wait to pay a visit to that one. I'll be skipping Hugos. I'll get some home-made chowdah at a cafe in Eastport!

[island mermaid]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about my sister. You can all get to know her a little bit better when the reality television series she just finished doing airs in April 09. You'll see her in her true element, sword fishing off the Grand Banks again. It'll be on NBC. Can't say much more than that right now.