We had a chance to answer that question last weekend. The occasion was Betsy’s birthday; the venue was a self-catering cottage in the small seacoast village of Paternoster where the locals were celebrating the crayfish festival. Wait just a minute you say. We’re not talking crawdads – we’re talking lobsters! Time for some clarification.
Wikipedia calls them Spiny Lobsters, Langouste, and Rock Lobsters and notes that they are called Crayfish in South Africa. So, since this story is set in SA, these are crayfish! You can see the anticipation on Zane’s face as he checks out what’s for dinner.
Kurt even offered one to Zindzi and Thula, our African dogs, but they were wary of the pointy bits. The rest of us broke off those parts and saved them for another meal. There were eight crayfish for the four of us (we decided that Zane was too young to indulge) when we began. At the end there was one crayfish left because someone couldn’t face another bite.
Over the next few days we bought and froze another dozen of the larger ones to take home and enjoy over the next few months. What a treat!
Speaking of treats, the entire weekend in Paternoster was a treat. The place we stayed was lovely with doors opening onto a deck and views of the Atlantic.
We were able to watch the fishermen in pursuit of our meals and time our visit to the landing beach where the catches were sold to local restaurants and locals interested in fresh crayfish.
Look closely and you will see Betsy and Kurt arranging a dinner purchase.
The process of moving the boats into and out of the ocean involves a bakkie (pickup truck) and four-wheel drive. The boats are pulled into the water where an incoming wave allows them to float further out. I’m betting that the corrosion caused by the salt water limits the useful life of the vehicles.
What do we do while on holiday in a sleepy fishing village? Eat, sleep, walk the beach, and play with Zane.
Life is good.
Floyd
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
How Many Lobster Tails Can You Eat?
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