It’s not glam ma’am ...but eat your clam
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge found royal duty a trial yesterday – when they were invited to eat raw phallic-shaped shellfish.
The geoduck – a type of clam – was served up as the couple visited a food and wine festival on their tour of Canada.
William peered at their helpings in bowls, laughing: “Presentationally they are quite challenging.”
A perk of royal life might be getting to sample free food and drink but this was definitely the downside.
However putting on brave faces at the festival in Kelowna, British Columbia, the couple pronounced the geoduck delicious.
Kate said: “It’s really unusual. I’ve never seen it before. It’s so fresh.”
Chef Ned Ball agreed with others’ remarks about the shape of the dish, saying: “It is absolutely phallic – but at the end of the day it is a clam.”
The royal couple were much keener on a cooked version of geoduck served in mustard sauce by a Japanese chef.
Other local produce they sampled included wild salmon, oxtail, malt whisky and blackcurrant liqueur.
And as they tasted chef Vikram Vij’s “amazing” coconut vegetable curry William said: “I’m so glad you did not surprise us with a vindaloo.”
While in the area the couple also visited the University of British Columbia, where they were made honorary members of the ladies’ volleyball team and presented with matching “Cambridge” shirts.
Later they got in the frontier spirit by flying two hours north to a former goldrush town called Whitehorse.
When they left Kelowna it was a sunny 70F (21C) but at Whitehorse it was a chilly 5C and Kate wrapped up in a green coat and tartan scarf.
Waiting at the airport to greet them was the Governor-General of Canada David Johnston, who told them the wilderness of the far north “humbles and inspires” people.