Travel&Spice: S01E05

Hola foodies/travellers! Presenting Episode-05 of Travel&Spice for your dose of spicy travel, where travellers share interesting stories about their favourite meal, restaurant or food encounters.

Today, Shelly Najjar shares her experience of trying something new; something that she was initially reluctant in trying. Shelly is a bucket list and travel blogger at The Goal List. She believes in making the most of every opportunity, whether at home or traveling, and leads a Facebook community of people achieving their goals.

Over to Shelly…

I’m beyond hungry, firmly into “hangry,” where I could care less about what or where we eat. My travel companions have already declared the nearest collection of food options as “too touristy” so I watch in desperation as they scroll through a seemingly endless list of Yelp reviews.

We’re in Boston, MA, USA; so they want seafood and based on reviews, they pick James Hook & Co. for the lobster rolls, a local favorite.

“Lobster roll” sounds like some kind of sushi, which I’m familiar with and love, so this could be okay. When I ask my friends about it, they give me strange looks.

“It’s a sandwich,” they say, showing me the pictures.

I’m not sure I’ll like this. I enjoy trying the “local specialty” when I’m traveling, but I really dislike lobster, so I’m not that excited for this particular event. However, I’m too hungry to raise an objection and start the decision process all over again.

James Hook & Co. is a small shop and restaurant selling fresh seafood. It has both indoor and outdoor seating (weather permitting), and yes… it feels authentically “local” instead of touristy. The raved-about lobster rolls are a specialty of theirs, available toasted or untoasted, and overflowing with piles of lobster salad. They also have a case of fresh seafood and other prepared foods to choose from.

After we order, I wait for my friends to take the obligatory travel food pictures, as I warily eye the crustacean-filled bread. It doesn’t look like there’s enough bread to cover the taste of the lobster. I’m nervous–what if I dislike it so much that I can’t eat it, and I’m still hungry? I shouldn’t be worried. My stomach’s growling and I’m so hungry I’m willing to eat anything, making this the perfect time for me to try something I think I won’t like. But as it usually turns out, it’s good to try new things when traveling, especially when it’s not something I’d normally choose on my own.

The bread is perfect: toasted and crispy on the outside, with a soft inside. And the lobster is definitely fresh, and overall pretty good (and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like lobster). It’s surprisingly tasty, and personally, although I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat it (still not a huge fan of lobster), it’s definitely a food I’d be willing to eat again if I was with others wanting to try local Boston food. And my lobster-loving travel companions raved about it, so I’d count that as a solid recommendation to try the lobster rolls.

It strikes me as we leave that this is a perfect example of the beauty of traveling with others, which always leads me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. My recommendation to you, then, is to taste the local specialty wherever you go, even if you don’t think you’ll like it, because you never know, you may end up learning to love the lobster roll.

James Hook & Co. is located at 15-17 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02110 and is open daily.

Check that out, guys. Thanks to The Goal List, you now know where to find a lobster roll worth fighting for in Boston.

**Image courtesy: James Hook & Co. **

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