Hiking: Mount Katahdin. Need I say more? Okay fine, I will. First of all, Katahdin is literally spelled exactly how a Mainer would pronounce it (Ka-tah-din). It’s so perfect it kills me. Second of all, have you ever climbed Katahdin? No? And you call yourself a Mainer. If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about. THE VIEWS, BABY! Like wow. We all know Maine is picturesque but there’s something about standing on top of the state that tops every other view you’ve ever seen. Seriously, if you haven’t climbed it—do it this summer. Oh and we have one end of the Appalachian Trail, so that’s pretty special.
Lobster: Why does no one understand the reason why I make a crinkly face at “Real Maine lobster!!” at Red Lobster or any grocery store in the south? Well, because they truly believe that it’s real Maine lobster. Let me tell you something—if I didn’t pick it out of the tank or buy it fresh off the boat, I don’t want to eat it. Don’t sit here and try to convince me that Jason’s Deli in Savannah sells “Real Maine lobster stew”. No. No they do not. It may be real, but it has been processed and packaged and I want nothing to do with that. Am I a lobster snob? Yes, yes I am. I was born and raised in Maine, so you should never expect anything less from me. PS: I ate 11 lobster rolls last summer. Does that make me an expert?
Strawberries: Okay, I’m speaking for all of central Maine when I say that Stevenson’s strawberries melt in your mouth. I can’t even buy strawberries in the grocery store anymore. It’s just not happening. I live for strawberry season in Maine—all four weeks of it. Strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberry jam, strawberries on waffles, strawberry ice cream—all will be consumed during strawberry season. There’s something so right about strawberry stained lips and clothes. You just can’t beat it.
Blueberries: At least we get two full months for blueberries. I’m actually the worst blueberry picker because I eat double the amount that I put in the carton. The best and worst part about blueberries is that once you do have a full carton and are headed home, they'll disappear before you even pull into your driveway. Then you have to go back and pick some more, so really it’s a win-win situation. Every Maine-raised kid can say they’ve read Blueberries for Sal. Also, our official state fruit is the wild blueberry—so clearly they’re wicked good.
Maple syrup: Forget Vermont maple syrup. Maine maple syrup is where it’s at. Maple sugar Sunday, yummmmm. Just thinking about maple syrup on ice cream and waffles makes my mouth water. My parents send me maple syrup every year. I’ve sent some to my friends and they literally fight over it (seriously, they just told me that). My one true testament to being a maple syrup lover? My parents shipped me a box of maple syrup, maple cream and maple sugar peanut butter cups while I was across the world in Hong Kong. Yep, seriously the best parents ever. God bless Maine maple syrup.
L.L.Bean: Your Walmart is open 24/7? Ours isn’t. But L.L.Bean is. Now, you might have to settle for freeze dried camp food and an endless supply of maple syrup as your groceries, but nonetheless, L.L.Bean stays open year round for all of your Maine needs. They have everything, and thank God they’re open all day every day, because it could take weeks to go through everything. They originally decided to stay open all the time because hunters who were leaving early for hunting trips needed supplies at early hours and would knock on the door. So L.L. threw away the key and the doors have been open ever since.
Backroads: I’m talking legit backroads. Not side roads to a house, not dirt roads with houses all along them—backroads where you have to do an eight-point turn to turn around because if you kept going you would have to fight your way through trees and mud holes. Also, this picture sums it up. This was taken way up on Blueberry Hill in Vienna. We were completely alone the entire afternoon that we were up there, not a single car or person in sight. And then we started heading back down towards the main road and we hit traffic. Yes, we hit traffic on the backroad. It was such a funny thing to see, and I said to myself, “only in Maine”.
Corn on the cob: The best moment of the summer is biting into sweet Elvin’s corn during a lobster dinner. Wait, no, the best moment is definitely seeing the sign for Elvin’s finally pop up on Kents Hill. That means that it’s summer. The corn is sweet and falls off so easily—it really doesn’t get better. Lobster and corn are for sure my two main food groups during the summer.
Moose: “Oh I’ve seen a moose before! In the zoo!” No. BYE. If you haven’t sat in your car for at least 30 minutes at a moose lookout point in northern Maine, and then hopped out of the car as soon as you see one—just for it to go back into the woods—then you haven’t seen a moose. Those moments used to be the highlights of my summer. The 30 seconds out of the year that were spent looking at a moose at the lookout near camp were the best 30 seconds. And forget keeping your cool if a SECOND moose happens to come out of the woods and into view—that’s even better than winning the jackpot.
Fielders: Attn: Central Maine. If you’ve never been to Fielders Choice, my heart is seriously breaking for you. My dad said to me, “you know, you don’t have to go to Fielders every time you see one of your friends”. HA, ok dad. Whatever you say. I’ve gone through many phases of favorites—but peanut butter ice cream always comes out on top. Fielders opened for the season on March 11th last year. I’ll be home on March 15th this year and you better believe Fielders will be my first stop.