4 ms·

Lobster is another great example. It used to be a poor man's food and now it commands a high price.

beat 10y ago
Interestingly, lobster is pretty cheap now, due to abnormally high numbers of catch-sized lobsters (probably something to do with global warming). There's a restaurant here in town that specializes in basically lobster everything, and it's not out of line price-wise with standard Minneapolis hipster fare. If lobster prices ever go back up, they're toast. Their whole menu would skyrocket.
- ghaff 10y ago
  Relatively :-) Lobster meat in Maine still runs about $40 per pound. It may be about half that if you cook soft shells and pick your own meat but prices for live lobster are still $1 to $2 per pound higher this year at this time than they were the last few.
  - douche 10y ago
    No way - it's been $5-8/pound this summer, and that's buying live lobsters from the grocery store, not off the boats on the coast where it's cheaper. Of course, last year and the year before the prices were historically low; I think I bought hard-shells once for $2.50 a pound.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      Well, yes. I was talking retail, not wholesale but my point was that lobster is still pricey per pound compared to other protein at retail (and wholesale). Last week soft shells were running about $6 per pound at lobster pounds and other local retail sources. They were more like $4 to $5 last year. [EDIT: The $40-ish/lb was for picked lobster meat.]
- cableshaft 10y ago
  Or they'll just do what tons of other restaurants already do and serve you fake lobster and no one would know the difference. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lobster-not-lobster-substitute_us_56b9eb62e4b04f9b57db0a57 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lobster-not-lobster-subs...
- douche 10y ago
  The reason lobster catches have been increasing is that the lobstermen are effectively farming them. They are putting out so much bait and providing so much feed, while at the same time only harvesting young, relatively immature lobsters. The amount of eggs a large, full-grown lobster can carry is exponentially higher than what the catchable ones can carry, and lobsters can live a very long time.
AnimalMuppet 10y ago
I seem to recall reading that servants at mansions in Newport (about 1880 or 1900) demanded that they not be served lobster more than three times a week.
- pasquinelli 10y ago
  i heard something similar, but it was a law regulating how often a prison could feed lobster to inmates.

beat 10y ago

Interestingly, lobster is pretty cheap now, due to abnormally high numbers of catch-sized lobsters (probably something to do with global warming). There's a restaurant here in town that specializes in basically lobster everything, and it's not out of line price-wise with standard Minneapolis hipster fare. If lobster prices ever go back up, they're toast. Their whole menu would skyrocket.

ghaff 10y ago
Relatively :-) Lobster meat in Maine still runs about $40 per pound. It may be about half that if you cook soft shells and pick your own meat but prices for live lobster are still $1 to $2 per pound higher this year at this time than they were the last few.
- douche 10y ago
  No way - it's been $5-8/pound this summer, and that's buying live lobsters from the grocery store, not off the boats on the coast where it's cheaper. Of course, last year and the year before the prices were historically low; I think I bought hard-shells once for $2.50 a pound.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    Well, yes. I was talking retail, not wholesale but my point was that lobster is still pricey per pound compared to other protein at retail (and wholesale). Last week soft shells were running about $6 per pound at lobster pounds and other local retail sources. They were more like $4 to $5 last year. [EDIT: The $40-ish/lb was for picked lobster meat.]
cableshaft 10y ago
Or they'll just do what tons of other restaurants already do and serve you fake lobster and no one would know the difference. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lobster-not-lobster-substitute_us_56b9eb62e4b04f9b57db0a57 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lobster-not-lobster-subs...
douche 10y ago
The reason lobster catches have been increasing is that the lobstermen are effectively farming them. They are putting out so much bait and providing so much feed, while at the same time only harvesting young, relatively immature lobsters. The amount of eggs a large, full-grown lobster can carry is exponentially higher than what the catchable ones can carry, and lobsters can live a very long time.

AnimalMuppet 10y ago

I seem to recall reading that servants at mansions in Newport (about 1880 or 1900) demanded that they not be served lobster more than three times a week.

pasquinelli 10y ago
i heard something similar, but it was a law regulating how often a prison could feed lobster to inmates.