About 9:30 yesterday morning the phone rang with caller ID displaying “Kellum’s Seafood”. The guy said “this is Bob down at Kellums and Paul just called and said he just caught a fish about like you want, are you still interested?”. You bet! Imagine that, somebody actually calling from a boat in the river – what a world. Anyway, he said to show up around 1:30 and he’d be back at the store. So about that time I arrived at their "store" which is more like a warehouse, with oyster shells in the dirt driveway and a huge pile of shells in back. This is real stuff, folks. So I go inside past the fishing tackle to the counter and was greeted with a big smiling "Hi – you must be Bill!" He introduced himself as Paul Kellums (more good stuff) a very happy guy in a flannel shirt, jeans and a ball cap. He said let’s go take a look, and led me through the back of the “store” to a pickup truck outside. In the back were two tubs ice with four humongous heads poking out of the ice looking skyward like a whale about to breach. Their eyes were still clear and bright and the skin shiny. He selected the “smallest’ and yanked it out (they all had tags in their mouth), and it was about a good three feet long, and weighed out at 21 pounds undressed. A beautiful creature. After confirming I still wanted it he asked if I wanted it filleted. Sure! Whereupon he picked up the phone, dialed a number and said "Hey (I forget) get your knives and c’mon down I got work for you!” It just doesn’t get any better.
After a bit, (while I perused the fishing lures about which I know nothing except they all seem to be chartreuse) the (I forget) man arrived toting a bag of knives. He laid the fish on the board and went to work. Said he’d done hundreds of these “big ones” and proceeded to produce two gorgeous filets, and never gutted the fish nor removed it’s head. He and Paul talked about “going out tomorrow”, while he worked. Then he asked if I wanted the “cheeks”. Sure. And he deftly produced a couple of little oyster sized hunks of meat. Meanwhile people appeared getting some smaller fish and jars of oysters. His phone kept ringing taking oyster and fish orders.
I often emote about “real” things, and Kellums is one of them. They are the definition of watermen and a culture that hasn’t changed with the influx of the folks from up the road. Friendly, helpful, and happy. It’s worth the drive down 235 anytime. Great place. Talk to them. You’ll enjoy it.. and you can get real, local great food like:
It's why we love Southern Maryland
Feel good department
Before my trip to Kellums yesterday, I went to Starbucks for my morning shot of enthusiasm. As I was walking in from the parking lot, there was a man on the “porch” yakking into his cell phone for all to hear. I went around to the front, and started in and the same gentleman came through the side door, mouth still flapping, and actually took two very large, quick steps to assure that he beat me into the line as customer 10 rather than 11. No excuse me, no eye contact, just a hurry to get in front of me. He then proceeded to talk and let the line in front of him gap a couple of times and actually had to be asked twice what he wanted. Never put the damn phone down from his entrance to his exit. (we’re still leading up to the feel good part).
Still buoyed this morning by my Kellums experience of yesterday, I again went to Starbuck’s because we still had a couple of LMI’s needed from Giant. As the flutter mobile U-turned the corner by WaWa at Rte 4, a Mustang appeared behind me that also turned into Starbucks. While I parked around to the side as is my want, the mustang parked much closer to the door. Thusly he reached the front door quite a bit ahead of me, and to my amazement, he waited with the door held a good ten seconds for me to arrive, and held it open for me. I thanked him and went through and said “go ahead” No, he replied, you were here ahead of me and so you should go first. When I protested again, he said you drove in the parking lot ahead of me so you deserve to be served first. Imagine that! How polite. Very refreshing here in the land of “me first”. Maybe there is hope.
Last Feel Good
So here we are, at last at Thanksgiving. We’ve considered the Turkey and it’s alternatives, discussed wine (still holding to DWTHYL), and we’re committed to whatever we’re going to have for dinner. As long time readers will remember, on special days like this, I always point out that whatever food appears on your table, whatever liquid accompanies it, what really matters is the people around you. If you don’t have friends and family surrounding you (either in person or in memory) all you have is sustenance. Add in the family and friends, and that is what it’s all about. So before you partake of whatever you have chosen, raise a glass to those around you, those that have been around you, and think of those people that are in lands far away, doing things because they want to serve us and make days like today possible for us. Hopefully they will soon be able to be part of what we all enjoy today.
Bon Appetit and, please, especially today
DFD
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