You know those shirts that say: "My dad [or another family member] went to [state or city] and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"? Well if I could make one for the city of Ocean City, Maryland, it would say: "I went to Maryland and all I got was CRABS!" Now don't let your minds wander too far from this statement, when I say crabs, I mean the real thing. The orange crustaceans that live on beaches or oceans with a single pair of sharp claws. Now usually, people tend to stay away from restaurants that are advertising "All You Can Eat", myself included, but last night, however, I made an exception. It was our last night on the "island" of Ocean City, MD and we wanted to soak up the last bits of Maryland, which meant for dinner it was, "All You Can Eat Crabs". I've never had a real crab before, but I love imitation crab meat. Tonight, though, I was determined to try the real thing. The restaurant we chose was on the beach, eating dinner with my feet squished in the sand was the ultimate experience, old-bay sanded crabs and sandy feet. A large platter of cooked crabs appeared at our table in about 15 minutes, the hard blue shell crabs had been steamed to a dark red and sprinkled in the zesty spice of Old-Bay seasoning. I turned the crab over so its belly was facing me and smashed the center with a wooden mallet, I took the top shell of the crab off, as the shells pinched my hands, and uncovered the tender, juicy, meaty insides. I threw the non-eatable pieces into a large bucket and moved onto the meat in the legs of the crab, which broke apart with another smash from the wooden mallet. The salty spice from the Old-Bay mixed with the savory flavors of the crab. The crab legs were smooth and sweet. The meat was moist and delicate, loaded with flavor, colored a glistening white. Although I took breaks in between my crab consumption, I had to stop after I had devoured 6 and a half crabs - I felt happily full and satisfied. It's safe to say, I clawed my way through Ocean City, Maryland.
