Who needs shark week when you have Lobster Week? Hands down, Michael Phelps would beat a lobster in a race with no need for CGI. And I can honestly attest to not one lobster tornado, however the bright red, prehistoric-looking symbol of the sea was everywhere in Nova Scotia: on t-shirts, building signs, and even a lobster-shaped table pager at a local shack; in lobster poutines, benedicts, casseroles, and even potato chips. Like cheese in Wisconsin, lobster culture in the Maritimes is big business. In Nova Scotia alone, where lobsters are sometimes referred to as the "cockroach of the sea," it's a billion dollar business. What most people don't realize is that cold water lobster found in the Canadian Maritimes and New England is special--its the only species that has front claws--a pincher and a crusher. Pacific, Caribbean, South African lobsters (also called rock or spiny) have only five sets of appendages and front antennae. It's a matter of opinion, of course, but I'll bet anyone a shark stunt in the cold Atlantic that the claw meat is the sweetest, most tender part of the crustacean. Landing by ferry in Yarmouth on the southern tip of the province and traveling by car along the coast to Halifax and eventually around to the western port of Digby (330 miles with lots of stops!), you can truly experience Lobster Week. And on the way, slow down to explore Lunenberg (a UNESCO site) and order a lobster roll at The Fish Shack. It's made with mostly cold claw meat with slightly peppery mayo on a toasted, freshly baked hamburger bun. From your bite, you know that it's pretty close to perfection. p.s. Seafood-philes take note: Digby is the Scallop Capital of the World. A trip for another time perhaps.
