The Portland daily press., 1892-07-09
RHODE ISLAND cLAMBAKEs.
What They Are, How Prepared and How
Consumed.

CldmpdkeS are IeAoWAou Cn0 country
over, but there is scarcely any one out
side the state who is at all acquainted
with the process of preparing clam
dinner. All individuals not thus in
formed Rhode Islanders regard as
hopelessly benighted and so, for the en-
/ Alightenment of such unfortunates, /
have thought it well to give descrip-
tion of the modus operandi of genuine
| old fashioned Rhode Island clambake,
together with such observations as may
suggest themselves as | proceed.
1t is, really now, an interesting proc
ess. The requisite materials for small
bake are as follows: A few sticks of
cordwood, number of stones about the
size of a mans head-and the smoother
and the more nearly round the better
lot of wet seaweed, big piece of can
vas, and last, but not least, the clans
themselves.
The man upon whom devolves the tre-
mendous responsibility of conducting
the bake-and he always has deep
sense of the dignity of his position-hav-
ing collected the material, first piles up
the cordwood in "corncob' fashion. He
then sets fire to it, and after the fire
has gotten well under way throws the
stones in, around and above the blazing,
! cracking sticks. AS the wood burns
away and the ''corncob" structure grad
ually settles the stones settle with it,
until finally nothing remains but pile
of stones SO hot that it burns ones face
to stand within three feet of them.
sour hero" as the story books say,
now covers the hot stones with seaweed,
pours the CLAIMS over the seaweed, dis
tributing them evenly, puts on more
seaweed and over the whole thing throws
the piece of canvas, so arranging it that
as little steam as possible will escape;
for the stones being kissing hot and the
seaweed dripping wet, there is steam in
abundance, and it is the steam thus pro-
duced that cooks the CLANS; so that it is
not strictly accurate to speak of baked
CLAIMS. Steamed CLANS is the correct
term.
1t takes about three-quarters Of an
hour for the CLAIMS to cook thoroughly.
At the expiration of that time the canvas
is removed, the upper layer of seaweed
raked away, and the CLAIMS, steam.
ing hot, removed and placed upon the
table ready for the diners when they
shall have finished their clam chowder
and fish, which are always the first and
second courses of a genuine ''shore din
ner." This chowder is grand con-
glomeration of clam, potato, onion and
cracker all boiled up together, with a
few pieces Of salt pork to "give charac-
ter' to the mixture. Strange as it may
seem, Rhode Islanders really like it, or
at least imagine that they do.
Following is the menu of typical
clam dinner:
Chowder. Fish.
Sweet Potato. Corn.
Brown Bread. Ice Water.
The fish and corn are cooked with
the CLAIMS. The fish, rolled up in wet
cloth, and the corn in its husk are tucked
in among the seaweed about twenty
minutes before the time of ''opening the
bake" and left there with the CLAIMS to
be steamed into a condition of edibilitv,
Bluefsh, mackerel, swordfsh, cod and
other kinds of 'ssea fruit are cooked in
this way.
The eating of clans is an art in itself,
A quart, dish of the bivalves, shell and
all, is placed before you, and with
pitcher of hot, melted butter, or some
thing supposed to be that. Anyway it
is hot, yellow and greasy. You pour
out little on your plate. Then you
pick up clam in the shell with your
left hand-your left hand. remember
separate the shells and remove the ugly
looking skin enveloping the head and
neck, remove the clam with your other
hand, holding the head and neck be-
tween the thumb and the forefnger, dip
the clam in the hot yellow grease float
ing around on your plate and then gen.
tly insert it in your mouth-that is, all
but the head and neck.
When you get as far as the neck you
must bring your teeth together with
considerable energy. This leaves the
body Of the clam in your mouth, and the
iiOS1A eeAAN AAO1ot ouOolNC, Stlll DoUW6ou CQ0
thumb and the forefnger. A swallow
most people regard mastication in such
cases as superintendent the deed is
done. Down your throat has glided
hot, dead clam-lungs, stomach, liver,
entrails and all, except the organs of the
head and neck, that go to make up
first class, well regulated clam. Ugh!
AS might be anticipated, it takes time
to master this art, and nothing amuses
a Rhode Islander more than to watch a
novice eat CLAIMS. But sometimes the
novice is SO ignorant as to eat the CLAIMS
neck and head, and then the veteran
clam eater is quite disgusted. The lat
ter can swallow a CLAIMS entrails with
out shudder, but is scandalized at the
spectacle of ones swallowing clam's
head
If one wishes genuine clam dinner
he must come to Rhode Island, take a
sail down the far famed Narragansett
to some one of the beautiful summer re-
sorts located on its shores, and seat him
self in the big dining hall where he can