I empathize with the letter writer of “Made in Maine?” (Working Waterfront, February-March 2009) although I can get Maine lobster out here. It tastes a bit different, though, because no one pronounces it lobstah.
My problem was getting Maine shrimp and I had given up, after hearing that they were too delicate for successful shipping and that the supply was limited or undependable. Serendipity stepped in when I called Dave Thomas of Islesford about lobster, after hearing about him from a friend.
I ended up ordering only shrimp. Peeled and frozen in one-pound packages, they could be shipped at the two-day rate, unlike lobster. Ordering 12 packs resulted in a per-pound price lower than the price of shrimp here that often comes from India or Indonesia.
We now have Maine shrimp every Friday night, an emotional experience out here in the Diaspora. I cook one pack, we eat half, and I freeze the other half for the next week. In six months, when they run out, I shall pick up the phone.
Byrna Porter Weir
Rochester, N.Y.