The island is known for its commercial farming of mussels, and "PEI mussels" are sold more than any other all over North America. They also produce a lot of oysters and lobster.
We drove to the fishing village of North Rustico for lunch at the Blue Mussel Cafe, which had gotten great reviews.
We ordered a lobster dip course, followed by bowls of pink mussels that were incredibly tender and tasty and well worth the trip. The interior of the shells were, as advertised, blue in color, due to the particular waters in the area.
Down the street from the cafe is a well-known seafood market, where we picked up twenty-five oysters in their shells for later preparation and consumption at our campground.
Oysters aren't easy to open. I do have an oyster shucker but am lacking in experience. I used a kitchen towel to hold each of those things in my left hand as protection against injury while trying to wedge the tip of the shucker into the hinge end. Those babies were stubborn. Their muscles were stronger than mine but mine were bigger and eventually I managed to wedge them open and detach the oysters from the shell halves. I opened half and left half closed.
First, I swallowed a couple of them raw, with their liquor, as oyster cognoscenti do. The taste was briny and distinctive and was supplemented with a traditional Louisiana hot sauce concoction. Nancy had no interest in that approach.
Next, I placed the dozen unopened oysters directly on the grill and cooked them for ten minutes or so, at which point most of them spontaneously opened. We ate those with a couple of sauces and noticed an interesting smoky flavor imparted by the grilling.
Finally, I coated with Panko breadcrumbs the remaining oysters that had been detached from their shells and pan fried them. Crispy exteriors and tender, delicious interiors.
My favorites were the fried oysters, I think Nancy preferred the grilled oysters, but all three preparations were delicious and fun.
Prince Edward Island has an interesting history. One day we drove way over to the town of Miscouche, near the northern end of the island, to tour the Acadian Museum there. Originally "Acadia" was a substantial French colony which comprised what is now part of Quebec, part of Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. During the 17th and 18th centuries France and England took turns taking military control of all or part of that area. Whenever England was in charge, the Redcoats had the habit of kicking the French settlers out, as depicted in this painting in the museum.
Many of the French settlers boarded ships and returned to France. Some hunkered down in remote parts of Acadia, including Prince Edward Island. Eventually, when control of the area shifted, some of those families resettled in Acadia. And some of them traveled to southern Louisiana, which was French territory at that time, and were the progenitors of the Cajun population that has given that area such an interesting flavor. You may know that the word "Cajun" is a bastardization of the word "Acadia". (I'm from northern Louisiana and went to medical school in New Orleans, so this is of personal interest to me.)
In the museum we listened to a video of a local band playing traditional Acadian music. The musicians were all playing fiddles, and what they played would fit right in with what you can hear today from zydeco music in Louisiana Cajun country (except without accordions and washboards).
In checking out the restaurants on the island, I noticed that the Culinary Institute of Canada has its campus in Charlottetown, and there is a restaurant associated with it. We made reservations for Tuesday night.
It's a beautiful facility, right on the waterfront. The chefs are fully on display, so you can watch and listen as instructors guide the students.
The food was artfully plated and delicious. The servers were cordial. We were happy campers (literally). A wonderful evening. I will admit that it was a bit long between courses - but that wasn't a problem for us. We're on vacation.
The classic 1908 children's novel Anne of Green Gables was set on Prince Edward Island. That story has been converted into Anne of Green Gables: The Musical and was playing at the Confederation Theatre of the Arts in downtown Charlottetown. I wanted to see it, as an homage to our visit here, but Nancy voted to go instead to Jesus Christ Superstar, which was playing at the same theater.
Guess what: We saw Jesus Christ Superstar.
Nancy has attended stage productions of that musical twice and has viewed it on television many times. She's a fan. All the songs are familiar to both of us. In this one Judas was impressive, Jesus was a bit wimpy and irritating, the pit orchestra was fabulous, and it was a great evening at a beautiful theater.
We loved Prince Edward Island, and Charlottetown would be a fun place to live. Wrong country, though.
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