Travelogue: Portland Maine's Oddities and Delicacies

This is a highly abbreviated list of what there is to eat or gawk at in Portland, ME, as compiled from my own experience in the summer of 2013.

Obligatory lighthouse shot. C'mon. . . it's nice!

There will be no photos of the lobsters.  We ate them all too quickly.

Cooks Should Never: Deep Fry In the Pouring Rain

Pridefest, St Louis 2013.  

You know what happens when a drop of water or two accidentally gets into a pot of hot oil?

Spit, sizzle splat.  Maybe you get a little freckling of burns on your forearm from the leaping droplets.

Now let's say you have 50 hungry guests waiting in line for Loaded Fries with Pulled Pork, Aged Cheddar and Barbeque Sauce, and you already have 20# of fries immersed and roaring in gallons of hot oil, and it starts to pour down rain? Of course the fryers can't be under the tent for safety reasons, so they aren't.  The patrons are hungry, wet and cold.  Would you call off the show, shut down and turn them away?  

Hell no, me hearties! Batten down the sheet pans, roll down those sleeves and fry on! FRY ON I SAY!

No one was harmed, and we learned that a French fry remains crispy under the surface of the oil even if the oil is being rained into. Not recommended, but it worked this time.

How to Make the Best Yogurt Ever, for $3 a Gallon

Really? Yes.
That last piddly 2 tablespoons of your favorite store-bought yogurt is good for something after all!