Lobsters Had to Earn Their Place in the Culinary World

Nowadays, lobster is considered somewhat of delicacy for people to treat themselves. It is often quite expensive, especially for the amount of meat that can be procured from inside the hard outer shell. But in the early 1800’s, lobster was not a delicacy, it was not even eaten by any class other than the low. Lobster was eaten by prisoners and servants and the poor who snuck down to beaches to steal lobsters from fishermens’ traps. Lobster was abundant so the price was low, causing many wealthy Americans to consider lobster beneath them. Also, lobster was killed before it was cooked so it did not have the fresh look and taste of lobster today. Lobster first became a food for all classes when railroad companies sold lobsters at high prices to inland passengers unaware that lobster was considered a “trash food” by coastal residents. Soon, lobster was eaten by all, especially during World War II, when lobster was not rationed. Decreasing supplies of lobster along with increased demand drove the prices of lobster through the roof where the prices are now. I think this article really shows the power of popular opinion. Today, everybody considers lobster to be fancy for no other reason other than everybody else thinking lobster to be fancy. Is there really criteria that makes one meat fancier than another other than its price and what others say about that meat? People are so influenced by others that they cannot make their own decisions in as individualistic a field as personal tastes in food.

Luzer, Daniel. "How Lobster Got Fancy." Pacific Standard Magazine. The Social Justice Foundation, 7 June 2013. Web. 15 June 2017. <https://psmag.com/economics/how-lobster-got-fancy-59440>.