Lobsterfest

If you have talked to me in the last month, you may have been subject to my intoxicated late night phone calls attempting to persuade you to pick me up to go to Red Lobster with me for Lobsterfest.

SO I finally got to go. Red Lobster created lots of strong emotions in me, unexpected feelings of weirdness. Lobsterfest was in fact really delicious. Although maybe my heart was going to stop from total butter saturation, I ate so much cheddar biscuits and shellfish I felt like the lobster had come back to life and was going to claw its way out of my stomach.

HOWEVER, because I never have been to a red lobster (except for that one time ten years ago. . .so that doesn't count) I experienced something similar (parallel is maybe a better word) to culture shock. Something about the half full lobster tank , the dark wood paneling, and the artificially weathered nautical signs freaked me out. Mostly it was the idea that at each of 651 US (and 29 in Canada) everything was exactly the same. The same half full lobster tank witht he rubber ban claws, dark wood paneling, and artificially weathered nautical signs, bored looking hostess, elderly couple, stressed out family of five, second dates, silverware wrapped in paper napkins slightly worn carpet etc etc, perhaps varying slightly by ethnicity and economic class, but not by much I feel. Of course this is the experience at most resturants I go to, but I had not realized it in such a profound way until then.

As punishment for driving all the way to Lynnwood for this adventure, my friend assured me most of the way home that the lobster I ate was certainly from the tank at the front that I cooed at so intently while we were waiting for our table. Can you imagine what it would be like to meet your meat every time you ate?! Would you be able to stand it? Or would it become passe.

OH MAN and did I tell you I also saw Fast and Furious that same night!? IT was amazing. Truly fantastic. Vin Diesel was embarssingly muscular in shirts embarssingly small. Oh man, so so good.