Big Sid
First, there is a whole story about Big Sid, a lobster that John and his roommates bought back in 1970. But it is his story and I am hoping that he’ll write an addendum to this post. Anyway, on our 37 1/365th anniversary we went to Legal Seafoods and ate lobster. John ordered the 2 to 2 1/2 pound size and he got a really big lobster. We went methodically eating our lobsters. John was tidy. I was messy. In fact, at one point, the guy who was seating people came around and wiped off the banquette next to me where I had squirted a ton of lobster juice and guts. It’s a good thing I don’t embarrass easily. We really enjoyed our lobsters!
It’s been a great couple of days celebrating here in Boston. Who knows if we’ll be back. But it is time to turn west.
The Legend of Big Sid the First (by John)
The year is 1969 or 1970. John, Ralph and Barry are rooming together in an apartment in Cambridge, MA. Barry’s parents are coming to visit from Chicago. What to have for Tuesday dinner? Living in New England, we decide on baked stuffed lobster (actually, “lobstah”, see pronunciation guide above.) John is nominated to prepare this dish, having had it exactly once at Anthony’s Pier 4, a famous Boston restaurant (that sadly has now seen better days), and having once seen a cooking show on TV in which a lobster was dispatched.
The newspaper says that the local Big Buy supermarket is running a Tuesday Blaster special on lobsters, two to a bag, for 88 cents a pound! Even for 1970, this is a real deal. So we rush out and grab 3 bags of crustacean goodness to feed five people, plus crackers, butter and herbs for stuffing.
We get home and start preparing, boiling water in the largest pot we have (a turkey roaster, thankfully) and preparing the stuffing. When it comes time to cook the lobsters, all goes well until we notice that one of the bags has only one lobster, and said beast is over 3.5 pounds instead of the planned-for 1.5 pounds.  Something this big cannot be dispatched anonymously. After suitable deliberation, we name this monster of the sea “Big Sid”.
Let it be noted that Big Sid puts up strong resistance to being manhandled, but, along with his standard-size colleagues, cooks up wonderfully and is the centerpiece of a very successful dinner. All large-size lobsters are referred to as “Big Sid” by our family to this day.