BASK IN THE ISLAND SPIRIT
In Prince Edward Island it’s all about the people … and their parties. In Celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, Christalee Froese is travelling across this vast land. Join her in P.E.I. as she discovers the magical mix of food, froli
Islanders know how to party … and how to include visitors in their good times.
Maybe it’s the abundance of fiddling musicians in their midst, lobsters in their traps and potato vodka in their caesars. Maybe it’s the kitchens, community halls and pubs that host more ceilidhs (Celtic/folk music parties) than one can possibly attend. Whatever magical combination of food, frolic and fun combine on Canada’s tiniest province, it always leads to something festive … and memorable.
“Oh, she’s gonna be a kicker, that’s for sure,’ says my P.E.I. host as he picks me up at the oceanside Charlottetown Delta hotel to escort me to the 22nd annual PEI International Shellfish Festival.
You see, Islanders are a rare breed. All 142,907 of them seem to have drunk a potent elixir that has allowed them to play host to more than 1.5 million tourists annually without becoming jaded or cranky. In fact, they like it when people come to their tiny patch of rich red land sized 224 kilometres from stem to stern and 64 kilometres wide.
With no part of Prince Edward Island being more than 16 kilometres from the ocean, these hospitable Islanders pull up the lobster traps from the bottom of the sea when any guests arrive. They shuck their oysters and pick their potatoes and turn it all into feasts of plenty. And then, they pull out their fiddles and the wooden spoons and they invite you into their fold like you’re a long-lost relative.
The massive oyster bar at the PEI International Shellfish Festival is a prime example of Islander hospitality as fishermen teach their guests how to eat the freshly caught bounty. They take an oyster by the shell, turn it “just so” and pour it down their gullets, licking their lips like they have just been kissed by the sea.
I follow suit. With a tip of the wrist, and a quick swish of the ice-cold oyster around my mouth, I too am kissing the sea … and savouring its briny breath.
This goes on for hours at the opening night of the four-day shellfish festival, aptly called Feast & Frolic, as I devour oysters, seafood-stuffed mini-potatoes and mason jars of seafood chowder like a starving sailor. But it isn’t until we sit down for the main course of fresh-caught lobster and P.E.I.-raised beef that I see the real Prince Edward Island.
Staring down at a basket full of bright-red P.E.I. lobster, I declare that I’m a bit of a novice in terms of dissecting the tasty creature. That’s when the island spirit kicks in and then P.E.I. Lt.Gov. H. Frank Lewis, seated to my right, gives me some pointers and P.E.I.-born, Toronto-based chef Charlotte Langley grabs my lobster and cracks its claws like she’s been doing it all her life, which she probably has. The resulting gigantic chunk of lobster meat, dipped in warm butter, is so sublime that it makes me think this is the first time I’ve tasted “real” lobster.
The hospitality and abundance of locally grown and fresh food on P.E.I. simply does not end as I get the exact same treatment no matter where I travel.
“How are’s ya?” says the Fiddling Fisherman, J.J. Chaisson, as he and his wife, Julie, heartily welcome me and seven other tourists aboard their boat for an afternoon of jigging and reeling. We dance, we play the spoons, we eat scones and jam, we spy dolphins and passing sail boats and then we return to the redearthed shore a merry band of new-found friends.
The next night, I’m off to the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in downtown Charlottetown to take in local ceilidh superstars Richard Wood and Gordon Belsher. By the end of the family friendly evening, surrounded by young and old, I am jigging with complete strangers like we’re all part of the same wedding celebration.
It’s then back to the shellfish festival to meet chefs like the Food Network’s Lynn Crawford, cheer on chefs in kitchen stadium and eat salt-and-pepper oysters, seafood cakes and Thai muscles like they’re going out of style.
After Day 2, I am in love with Prince Edward Island and all of its people. So much so, that I FaceTime my husband to let him know I’ve picked out our summer home.
But there’s more. Day 3 and 4 bring farmers markets, leisurely drives to P.E.I.’s red-sand beaches and strolls through quaint and colourful fishing villages. With lush green farms rising up around us and dairy cattle dotting the hillsides, we stop in New Glasgow at The Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. Nestled at a windowed seat overlooking the sunflower-adorned and hydrangea-studded Gardens of Hope, we dine on P.E.I. potato pie that is surely from the gods. With its bacon-maple cream sauce and its layers of soft, luscious P.E.I. potatoes and island cheddar, I long for just one thing: the recipe. But I know that restaurants don’t give out their recipes — it’d be the death of them — so I don’t bother to ask.
When we return to the car, my friend pulls a piece of paper out of her purse and presents it proudly. It’s the Potato Pie Recipe!
I giggle as I see it because it doesn’t surprise me one bit. Of course, these Islanders would give away their culinary secrets because when you’re in Prince Edward Island, you’re not really visiting — you’re more like family.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit tourismpei.com where you’ll find information on the Island’s Fall Flavours Festival running throughout September and on next year’s PEI International Shellfish Festival, Sept. 13-16, 2018.