What Happens When You Take a City Person On a Maine Lobster Boat

Maine is a culture shock for some city dwellers, so a lobster boat has to be like another world.

Maine's Lobster Industry is a World of Its Own

I'll admit, I've never been on a lobster boat in Maine. I did ride a boat in Nova Scotia, but it was a tourist cruise. We saw the captain haul the trap onto the boat and then pull the lobster out.

READ MORE: 9 Things That Happen on a Mainer's First Fishing Trip

For the record, it was already banded, so obviously not a fresh one.

It was an interesting experience, and I learned a lot about a typical day on the water.

Maine's Lobster Fishery Involves Long Days and Tough Conditions

But it got me thinking about what a surreal experience riding on a serious lobstering vessel would be to someone from the city. Some of the people on my tourist cruise were not from areas that had a lobster fishery, and so they were baffled by things that I've known all my life.

Get our free mobile app

I'm sure there are people whose knowledge of lobster is limited to the easiest way to crack the shell and the importance of keeping the melted butter warm. Bib or no bib? Do you eat the green stuff or not?

Maine is a Fascinating Place with Lobsters, Potatoes, and Blueberries

Ask me anything about potatoes and I probably won't know the answer, but I'll probably be able to fake it. My parents are from potato country in Northern Maine, so I can tell you why those buildings with the rounded roofs (potato houses) are built into the sides of hills.

So, forgive me if I'm a little off on some of these entries, like what time people get up to go lobstering. But you'll get the idea. It's a far cry from the comfortable offices and aromatic coffee houses in the city.