The Flying Fish

Before her children were born Marie and her husband, Ray went to New Bedford to visit. Marie told me it was such fun to go there. They had all day clam bakes under tents. All kinds of seafood was served, all you could eat for two dollars. The area they went to was called Achusnet Bay. I may have that spelled wrong, but the way Marie described it, it was all I could do to keep track of the story because she used so many descriptive words. I could almost hear the seagulls and see the fishing ships and the noise.
Marie and Ray were there to see his brother and his wife and they thought that they would like to cook some fish chowder. They went down to the pier and they started to ask the man on the boat for a fish. He said, “ What are you, beggars?” Marie, said, “No, we are visitors.” All of a sudden the man threw this big fish at them. It was at least a five pound haddock. They took it home and cleaned it. They made a wonderful chowder with potatoes, onions, and fish, clams, scallops. The clams and scallops were frozen and were alright because they were an hour and a half from home.
She was telling me that the lobster tails were so sweet that she wanted to eat them until she was sick, but of course she loved all the rest of the seafood too.
The second time they went to visit, Marie had children and the clam bakes were still going on and continues to be sharp in her memory. I asked Fran if he remembered going there and he did.
I have always lived in the Midwest and have never been privy to such wonderful food.