The Ocean State

     Rhode Island, as we all know, is the smallest of our fifty states.  Little Rhody is only 48 miles from north to south and a mere 37 miles east to west.  The population is just over a million inhabitants, less than Philadelphia and the entire state shares the same phone area code: 401.  But the state has over 400 miles of coastline.  So as you might expect, fishing is a major industry.  Clams, scallops, oysters, codfish, flounder, sole and certainly lobsters proliferate the menus of the restaurants and clam shacks not only in Rhode Island, but the entire New England area.

     And many of the local eateries operate on a system generally referred to as "eating in the rough."  It isn't fine dining by a long shot, but it is good.  The eat-in-the-rough protocol is as follows:  You stand at a counter or window and place your order first, even before sitting down.  That might require shouting your order in to the kitchen.  Then you take a number and find a seat.  The kitchen then goes to work and your meal is prepared right then and there and brought to your table on a tray, served on paper plates with plastic utensils.  Another variant can be employed and you are summoned back to the counter to retrieve your own meal when you respond to your number being shouted out.  For those unfamiliar with the method for retrieving the succulent lobster meat from the shell there is usually a detailed set of instructions on the place mat.  And after you have finished your meal you are also expected to clear your own table.  One final note:  payment is almost always cash only.



     Although my stay in Rhode Island was limited I was able to feast on the ocean's bounty for the 4 days I was there.  More on my experience tomorrow.