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Where David Foster Wallace and his neighbors were during the 9/11 terror attacks, in which he documents within the essay “The View From Mrs. Thompson’s House"

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Where David Foster Wallace and his neighbors were during the 9/11 terror attacks, in which he documents within the essay “The View From Mrs. Thompson’s House"

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[ This would be for a major internal/external conflict found in the novel ] In the last essay of the book, and one of the most fascinating portraits, Wallace dipped his toes into political journalism with spending a week on the 2000 campaign trail with Senator John McCain. In this essay, Wallace explores his campaign strategy, the idea and image of a "politician," and the ins and outs of the American voter. Wallace makes a sentiment inquiring why voters who were at McCain's rallies became so uproarious with praise when McCain said that he was committed to telling people the truth. Voters have always had a bad history with politicians, with failed policies, lying, etc. which leads voters to naturally have a thick defensive shell to politics. McCain's odd strategy of admitting things haven't been great but still promising a large stature somehow brought voters to be in wonder. That in effect is the external conflict, and the internal conflict can be found within McCain himself, trying to adapt to a world that is constantly changing in order to win his campaign.

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"Is it right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?"

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Perfectly cooked lobster is surely one of life's simplest pleasures. Live Maine Lobstersare a snap to cook. Steaming and boiling are the two most common ways to cook lobsters.

But before you can cook your lobsters, you need to be careful handling them. If you have never handled live lobster before, keep the bands on! Some lobstermen insist on removing the claw bands before cooking. The rubber bands, they say, impart an off taste to the water and to the lobster. Only salty and experienced lobster lovers should remove them before cooking. Whether you're having lobsters shipped to your door or are picking them up at the local pound, learn the best way to handle live lobsters and keep them fresh before cooking.

Cooking Live Lobster at Home

Cooking lobster is an art, and if you do not get the timing just right, you might be in for a tough or chewy lobster. Never overcook your lobster. This makes the meat tough and stringy. You'll find plenty of lobster cooking tips online, but we find most of the times are way too long. In the winter, lobsters have a harder shell and therefore require more time to cook. In the summertime lobsters have a softer shell and require less time to cook.

What Size Lobster Pot?

Whether you steam or boil, pick a pot with lots of room. Do not crowd the lobsters in the pot as the heat will not circulate evenly around the lobsters. If you do not have a big pot, cook lobsters in batches, using a couple of pots. If you add the same amount of water in each pot, the lobsters should cook at about the same time. A 4-5 quart soup or pasta pot will work well for a couple of lobsters. A 19-quart pot will cook about 5 to 6 1- 1/4 lb.live lobsters . The pot does not have to be heavy duty as water will actually boil faster in a lighter gauge metal pot.

Share Our Live Lobster Cooking Guide

How to Steam Lobsters

Steaming cooks whole lobsters more slowly than boiling, so it reduces the chance of overcooking. It also makes less of a mess! Why steam lobster?

Yields a more tender lobster than boiling.

Lobsters are less diluted with water.

Makes less of a mess.

Timing is more accurate since the water returns to a boil faster

Preserves the ocean fresh taste of lobster.

Cooks lobster a little slower with less chance of overcooking.

Keep the lid on tight to keep in the steam. A steamer rack is not a necessity; it just keeps the lobsters from getting charred on the bottom of the pot. You can also use a vegetable steamer rack or an upside colander inside the pot.

Steaming Instructions:

1. Use a pot large enough to comfortably hold the lobsters and fill water so it comes up sides about two inches. ( Feel free to use a steaming rack to place the lobsters on or just add directly to the pot.)

2. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If you have sea salt-even better.

3. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and put in lobsters, one at a time. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Place lobsters in the pot (head first), cover tightly, return to a boil as quickly as possible and start counting the time.

4. Steam a lobster for 7 minutes per pound, for the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter. See chart below for approximate cooking times. Regulate the heat if the froth starts to bubble over.

5. Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Set in a large bowl for five minutes to cool before cracking.

If the roe inside a female body is blackish and appear gelatin-like, instead of the customary red, it is undercooked. Put the lobster back into the pot until the roe is red. The roe is edible, but can be rinsed out.

Steaming Lobster Times

Lobster Size: Cooking Times (Steaming Chart is for all lobsters, not each)
1 lb.-1-1/4 lbs. - 7-9 minutes
1-1/2 lb. - 9-11 minutes
2 lbs.- 11-12 minutes
2-1/2-3 lb. - 12-14 minutes
5 lb. - 22-24 minutes

Cooking Clams with your lobsters? Place the netted bag of clams on top of the lobsters and steam both at the same time.

How to Boil Lobster

The shell of the lobster flavors the bumbling water, which in turn, flavors the lobster meat!

For cooking a bunch of lobsters, boiling gives you even fast cooking. However, boiling lobster tends to water-log them.Why boil lobsters?

Best for cooking 4 or more lobsters at a time.

Cooks lobsters more evenly than steaming.

High, intense heat cooks the meat quickly, making it to easier to remove from the shell.

Boiling Instructions:

1. Fill a pot (large enough to hold the lobsters) anywhere from one-half to two-thirds full with water. Deep enough to submerge the lobster by about 3 inches.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. (If sea water is available, even better. Skip the salt.) Bring the water to a strong boil over high heat.

3. Place the live lobsters in one at a time, headfirst, completely submerging them. Pick up the lobster by holding the upper side of the thorax between your thumb and middle finger.

4. Cover the pot tightly and return to a boil as quickly as possible. AFTER the water boils start timing, and regulate the heat to prevent water from boiling over, but be sure to keep the water boiling throughout the cooking time. Melt some butter while you wait.

5. Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Set in a large bowl for five minutes to cool before cracking.

When a lobster boils it retains a lot of water. Pierce the body and tail with a knife to help drain the water.

Hold the underside of the body away from you, because the lobster have a tendency to flip the jointed tail, splattering water. You can cook more than one lobster in a pot as long as there is enough room and water to cover the lobsters. (If you do not have a big enough pot use two smaller pots or cook your lobsters in batches.)

Boiling Times for Lobsters

Lobster Size: Cooking Times (Boiling Chart is for all lobsters, not each)
1 lb. Lobster... 5-7 minutes
1 1/4 lb. lobster... 7-8 minutes
1 1/2 lb. lobster... 8-10 minutes
2 lb. lobster... 10-12 minutes
3 lb. lobster... 12-14 minutes
5-6 lb. lobster... 18-20 minutes

Reheating Cooked Lobster

In the rare occasion you can not eat a fresh cooked lobster on the spot, you may reheat it and enjoy later. (Also, see our tips for storing live lobster before cooking). It's best to par-boil or par-steam (partially cook) your lobsters rather than cooking them all the way though. Cooked lobster in the shell will keep refrigerated for up to twenty-four hours. Simply reheat it in the shell in the microwave for about a minute or less, or gently steam in water for about 2-3 minutes (depending on the size).

If you can not reheat your lobsters within 24 hours, its best to pick the meat out of the shell and refrigerate in a covered bowl or zip lock bag. Fresh out-of-the shell meat will keep refrigerated for about 2-3 days. You can enjoy the meat cold in a lobster roll or warm by heating it up in saucepan with a little butter.

Cooking Lobsters at High Altitude

Cooking lobsters at high altitude takes more time since water boils at a much lower temp, and evaporates faster. At high altitude the air has less oxygen and the atmosphere becomes much drier. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most cookbooks consider 3,000 feet above sea level to be high altitude. At sea level, water boils at 212 °F. With each 500-feet increase in elevation, the boiling point of water is lowered by just under 1 °F. At 7,500 feet, for example, water boils at about 198 °F.

To compensate for the lower boiling point of water, the cooking time must be increased. In short, increase the cook time, not the heat. How many minutes should you increase the time? Try adding about 2 minutes to our lobster cooking times. Also, cover the pot tightly when cooking. To avoid overcooking and undercooking your lobsters, use an instant read food thermometer to check internal temperature. The FDA recommends most seafood be cooked to an internal temperature of 145ºF. Visit the FDA's website for more information on cooking lobster at higher elevations.

How to Tell if My Lobsters are Cooked?

Another common mistake is adding to the cooking time just because you are cooking more than 1-2 lobsters in the pot.

Many people will mistakenly boil a two and half pound lobster twice as long as a quarter pound lobster.

For timing, use the weight of individual lobsters, not the total weight of all lobsters being cooked

Lobster is cooked when the shell is entirely red. When properly cooking lobster, the meat becomes a creamy white color all the way through-no translucent areas. Some chefs say when the antennae pull out easily, lobsters are done, but this is not always the case. Insert an instant read thermometer in the underside of the tail closest to the body. The internal temperature should read about 135-140 degrees F. It is important to note when you take your lobsters out of the pot they will continue to cook. To stop the cooking process, put your lobsters in a big bowl of ice.

If you overcook them, your going to be eating tough lobster. If you under-cook your lobster you can always heat them up. The reason many people believe larger lobsters are tough is simply because they overcook them.

Just remember to bring your pot back to a rolling boil and regulate the heat. The tail is a good indicator of freshness. It will contract and curl when cooked; and the tail meat will be somewhat firm, not mushy. Happy cracking!

How Do you Grill Live Lobsters?

While boiling and steaming are the most well know ways to cook live lobster, grilling is another great option. See our step-by-step guide for grilling live lobster in your backyard. And if your cooking frozen lobster tails, we've got you covered too. Checkout our tips for boiling, steaming, and grilling frozen lobster tails.

Get the Main(e) ingredient- fresh, live lobsters shipped to your front door no matter where you live!

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Over The Top Lobsters Shipped to Virginia

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How to Cook the Perfect Lobster - LobsterAnywhere.com

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Perfectly cooked lobster is surely one of life's simplest pleasures. Live Maine Lobstersare a snap to cook. Steaming and boiling are the two most common ways to cook lobsters. But before you can cook your lobsters, you need to be careful handling them. If you have never handled live lobster before, keep the bands on!

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This book is a collection of essays. It is not a traditional novel. For the purpose of brevity, I, the author of this project, Jake Kwiatkowski, have chosen to only talk about a handful of the essays within. There's no clear theme connecting any of them, other than possibly just an exploration of Americana and the human condition. There are 10 different essays all about different things, so if I were to apply this project to each individual essay then it might possibly kill me.

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David Foster Wallace's thoughts on Boogie Nights (1997)

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David Foster Wallace's thoughts on Boogie Nights (1997)

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In Wallace's first essay in 'Consider the Lobster', "Big Red Son," about the adult video industry, centered mostly around the AVN (Adult Video News) awards and the people involved in the industry. The stars & starlets, the fans, the directors and producers, the outside world. Within this essay, Wallace mentions how the people attending the AVN awards worships Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Boogie Nights', a 1997 film about the porn industry. Despite it featuring the characters in an almost pathetic, cynical and satirical light, the porn industry embraced it with open arms. Wallace mentioned how there were rumors of PTA showing up at the awards, no matter how incognito. This article below shows a bit about what David Foster Wallace had to say about PTA and 'Boogie Nights', at least on record. Paul also talks about his own experience with Wallace, which is an extra treat for anyone who may be a fan of Wallace and/or Anderson.

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What David Foster Wallace Taught Paul Thomas Anderson

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In a new interview, Anderson reveals that Wallace taught him for a semester at Emerson, where they read DeLillo's "White Noise."

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The Central Issue (or at least, the issue within the most important vignette within the book, that being the one sharing the same title) is... 

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The Central Issue (or at least, the issue within the most important vignette within the book, that being the one sharing the same title) is... 

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exploring humanistic pleasure tangled with animal abuse. Wallace explores every facet of the argument regarding boiling lobsters alive to cook them and eat them for human enjoyment. Wallace describes this process beat by beat, not only describing how they're cooked, but how they're captured, eaten, and celebrated. Most importantly is the big question, a question that he never truly seems to answer, instead he only ponders: Do lobsters feel pain?

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This book was outright fantastic. David Foster Wallace's extreme attention to detail and prose is an absolute treat. He explores caveats of civilization from far and beyond in ways that genuinely widens your eyes in a way that isn't preachy or "Look at me, I'm such a genius, adore me!" sort of way. Instead, Wallace provides a truly empathetic portrait of the subjects he writes about in his essays, letting the reader draw their own conclusions while still being questioned in a significant, interior-thinking way, if that makes any semblance of sense. What's wonderful with this book is that in [almost] every essay there are footnotes, containing extra information pertaining to the stories. While you may not *need* to read them, they sure do add a lot to the overall experience of the book. Wallace takes the time to explore each and every issue in all of their complicated glories, horrors, or sorrows. The reason I hesitate from giving it a 10 is because I couldn't help but feel that [while I appreciated it] the extensive, almost exhaustive amount of time he spends obsessing over each and every individual detail made me lose my attention numerous amounts of times. That, and the ridiculous amount of footnotes on each and every page falls into the same trap; it was just a chore sometimes. It's DFW's unique and enchanting voice that kept me the most interested, no matter how dull the topic at hand had been driven into the dirt. I would highly, highly, highly recommend this book. The highest compliment I could give it is that it offered me new perspectives that I had not even thought of previously. I find it enormously engrossing that each idea is fully arced and explored to the deepest of their abilities and in a way that doesn't sell them to you cheap, either. An achievement and something that I will revisit and recommend long down the line.