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Operation Lobster

One afternoon when we were having lunch on the snack bar patio at the Hotel Ancon, (Cuba) I spotted a gentleman having a rather large lobster for lunch. Naturally we asked the waiter how it was possible to get that, since I knew it was not on the menu. He intimated that you could sometimes buy them privately, on the beach or elsewhere, and if you tipped the staff you could get them to prepare it for you. But he wasn?t too specific on where or who you could buy them from.

John and Lily, some people we met at the hotel, were celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary one evening in the Cuban/International restaurant, and they were served lobster. Now in this case it was because they were guests at the hotel on a previous occasion and just because Lily is Lily, the hotel comped them a suite and the special lobster dinner. I wish I knew what her secret was for being treated like a queen, but she says it?s all in how she treats other people. It?s true she is very gracious, warm and giving, but there?s a certain charisma there as well. I started calling her Princess Lillian after that and said I want to be just like her when I grew up.

But anyway, the two events started a discussion on the snack bar patio Sunday with Rob, another fellow traveller and quite the character, as to how we, as a group, could have a lobster feast of our own. Rob is one of these wheeler-dealer guys (a good person to know) and he said if a lobster feast could be had, he would find out how to make it happen. A few inquiries of the staff later, and he said someone could hook him up: all he had to do was go to some address in Trinidad to get them, and if a few pesos were passed out the staff would fix up a lunch for us. Yes, he assured us, we would be having lobster for lunch on Tuesday, the final day of our stay.

Rob had rented a scooter for the week so transport wasn?t an issue. It was just that by this point in the day he had managed to work his way through half a 40 pounder of Absolut vodka purchased from the Duty Free on the plane, mixed in a large water bottle with orange drink from the bar, so the rest of us thought the trip ill advised on this particular day. We needn?t have worried, as the possibility of getting on the scooter became less and les likely the more vodka he consumed. Besides which, he began to get very distracted by some college cuties down on vacation for Reading Week. However there was much discussion as to how said lobster was going to be stored, especially if it was live. Rob volunteered his bathtub if we would let him shower in our room. John and Lily, having the suite, had a full sized fridge, so this seemed the most likely possibility.

I ran into Rob after dinner and he had just wakened up from a ?long nap? and said he felt great. He was just going to get something to eat, then he was off to Trinidad for the lobsters. But apparently that trip never took place, at least not that night. No word of the success of Operation Lobster all day Monday either, but at some point Tuesday morning Lily informed me that she had 10 gigantic lobsters in her fridge.

Around 12:30 things started to come together on the patio. Rob had also invited Ken and Doreen, a couple from Kitchener, Julie, a woman from Montreal, and Frank, the German hottie Julie met at the hotel, to join us. Marino was also supposed to partake but had gone away for the day. So with John and Lily, Redman and myself, and Rob, that made a party of nine. Tables were arranged, the party was assembled, introductions were made and the lobster arrived. And as you can see from the accompanying photo, the size was not disappointing at all. And? the meal was laid on by the hotel staff with a delicious tossed salad, bread, French fries, and a saut?ed onion garnish. Plus, Rob had bought several bottles of white wine to go with it all. What a feast! There were no takers for the extra lobster as we were all too full. And although some of us were initially a bit put out that Rob invited people who were not part of our ?core group? the additions to our company turned out to be muy sympatico after all.

The party adjourned to the beach for further mayhem but that story will have to be continued another time. But I just want to say, Robert Jones of Pickering Ontario you are Da Man! A great host and a fellow of your word. Operation Lobster was a resounding success.

Filed under Cuba 2006, Feb 27, 2006
 

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