What seemed like an innocent package at our doorstep turned into a night full of surprises, brief sadness, barking, and full stomachs. Let me begin…

I was a bit over-cautious, I’ll admit that now, but when you hear scratching on the inside of a package that says PERISHABLE, you gotta be. Even B wouldn’t get too close, so we called in reinforcements.

By the time my husband walked in the door, I had deduced that this must be a seemingly wonderful holiday gift from a work vendor no doubt, because the previous year we received a couple of lobster tails (just the tails, frozen and non-living) in a similar package. But that package wasn’t filled with the sounds of scratching claws.

Once my husband got home I started thinking, “Silly me, I could have opened this package up myself like a big girl…it’s not like the lobsters are going to be sitting there, ready to jump out at me! They are probably securely wrapped up in….whatever you wrap a living sea creature in.” But sure enough, we popped the lid off and there they were, crawling all over our cob of corn! I was a bit freaked at this point.

They waived their claws at us, whether it was a greeting or out of protest, we’ll never know. At that point I couldn’t help but name them…Lobby and Lucy. Some of you are thinking that it’s just wrong to name something that’s going in your stomach, but I felt it was more cruel not to acknowledge their existence in my kitchen. Plus, I had to talk with Lobby about giving up our oyster crackers he had clenched in his tail, and I felt bad saying, “Hey you!” Anyways…

Do these things come with an instruction manual?

Yep.

This was B’s first time meeting a live lobster too.

She protested the scenario and I don’t blame her because now it was time for our new friends to take the plunge.

Let’s just say in between the above photo and the next one, there was A LOT of screaming by me, barking and banging of utensils. All in all I’d say it went well.

Hey B, I thought you were in protest of this whole thing? (If you missed it, see the drooling dog in the bottom left corner of the above photo)

As we boiled the lobsters, we also cooked the red potatoes, corn on the cob, New England clam chowder, mussels and clams, and thawed crab legs that came with it. The lobsters are actually pretty easy to cook. Just plop them in a big pot for about 15-20 minutes depending on their size, and you’re done.

They are turning bright red, which means they’re almost done. And no, they did not “scream.” For those that don’t know, lobsters have no vocal cords, so they cannot scream. The high-pitched sound you sometimes hear when cooking them is air releasing from their shell. Even knowing that, I’m glad ours made no noises.

It was quite the evening and a very tasty meal, that’s for sure. I’d say if you or a friend want to go on an adventure before you eat dinner next time, consider getting a live lobster (and a labrador).