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Archive: Jun 2024

A Cajun Homecoming: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler…en Portland

Along with fiddleheads, which we shouted out recently, another Spring delicacy showed up locally in the past few weeks. But it’s not local, although it illustrates an interesting connection to Maine foodways, so bear with me. Harbor Fish has reciprocity agreements with a slew of fish markets nationwide and around the world, I’m not sure the actual mechanics, maybe it’s a proprietary secret. If there is a groundswell of demand, I will look into it. You will notice the fish market regularly features fresh fish from Hawaii, the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, Blue Crabs from Chesapeake Bay, etc. I describe that lobsters (and Maine bluefin tuna, oysters, scallops, elvers (baby eels), and urchin) travel all over the world via air freight, and other fish markets abroad send their stuff back on the return flights. I’m pretty sure it’s an…

Macaroni & more…

A Portland Macaroni factory, 1924 Combing through old tax photographs of Portland?s Old Port from 1924, I happened upon this gem, which emphasizes Portland?s strong tradition of Italian-American food, one of my top recommendations, depending upon where visitors are from. Check out the kid smiling at the bottom too, he?d be 107 or so today….

The Big and the Beautiful

There is an old saying that it’s not always the prettiest woman or most handsome man that makes the best dance partner.  Sometimes, at a party, you don’t want flashy, you just want steady, reliable, and solid.  Portland has plenty of pretty buildings, a surfeit of them.  With our rich Victorian pedigree, this is easily…