A Fortuitous Happenstance

     There is a small agency in Newport, RI that offers a walking culinary tour of the town only on Fridays.  Eager to be a part of the chef led tour I quickly signed up, only to find that the 1 pm event had been canceled due to a family emergency.  Naturally disappointed I had to quickly make alternative plans for my limited time along the Narragansett Bay.  Somewhat disgusted at the abrupt change in my schedule I got in my car and headed for Point Judith along the coast where nearly a half century ago I had for the first time dug for quahogs along the beach using a somewhat pre-historic looking clam rake at low tide.

     As luck would have it that also happens to be the location of the ferry to Block Island that transports people and supplies to the small resort community there.  And again a stroke of good fortune came my way when I discovered that the morning ferry was still in dock and about to leave in half an hour.  I quickly booked passage for the 45 minute, 12 mile ride and set off to discover new sights, and as it turned out, tastes of Rhode Island.

 



     It was almost noon when we landed in Old Harbor, a small Victorian looking village.  I rented a car for the afternoon with the intent of visiting the two lighthouses located on each end of the island.  From north to south it is a short half hour scenic drive past million dollar summer homes and I happily took in the ambiance of the locale, feeling very serene and relaxed.  But after visiting both lighthouses I still had some time left before returning my PT Cruiser convertible and catching the afternoon ferry back to the mainland.  So I took off to find some of the off the beaten track places that are hangouts for the locals and not the tourists.


     And that's when it happened.  I had finally done something that had taken me over 6 decades to accomplish.  They say you always remember your first, and I certainly did.  It was the first time in my life that I ate a stuffie!  I came upon a small backwater (no pun intended) little bar/restaurant on a side street outside Old Harbor.  It was frequented by a couple fishermen and an old retired guy (like myself).  And there I had the Rhode Island classic.

     A good stuffie is a labor intensive culinary work of art.  Using the shell of the quahog the clam meat is chopped and mixed with some breadcrumbs and a secret blend of spices and then baked in the shell, then served with hot sauce and a lemon wedge.  It was a perfect combination of salt, heat and sweetness that danced around in my mouth, tantalizing my tastebuds.  It made my day, as Dirty Harry would say.

 

     I wasn't disappointed!  That stuffie became the measurement by which all future stuffies will be regarded in my mind.