The Beach Week prize
As Beach Week approaches and the anticipation mounts, I have great news. I have a prize.
When I went down to Ocean City recently for my story, I also had to come up with an Under $20 "find," part of the ongoing Bloggers at the Beach feature. Mine was supposed to have a food- or restaurant-related theme and be unique to Ocean City.
This was trickier than you might imagine because it was Ocean City. Finds there are more along the lines of a great raft or a funky T-shirt. There didn't seem to be any upscale gift shops where I might buy, say, some fabulous mugs with a hardshell crab design on them. ...
I finally decided on the cookbook from the Inn on the Ocean. I know owner Vicki Barrett is a good cook from eating her elaborate breakfasts, and I have faith in her recipes.
So now I have this cookbook to give away as a prize, but no ideas for a contest.
I don't want to give it for Best Guest Post because I'm grateful to everyone who wants to write something about the beach experience. I don't want it to feel competitive. (And please keep those beach food memories and recommendations coming, folks.)
There must be something we can do during Beach Week, tentatively set for June 14, that we can give a prize for. Suggestions welcome. Asking, for instance, people to submit their best beach food photo?
I say "tentatively set" because I'm going back and forth between starting Sunday, June 14, the actual beginning of the week, or Monday, June 15, when we have about double the readers as on the weekend.
Comments
Monday, you heathen
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 1, 2009 4:29 PM
A cook book? So the prize is something that makes me work more? :-(
Posted by: ~╥╥☺ < terrier mom | June 1, 2009 5:15 PM
You could give it for best comment that week. Or, if you want to save yourself some hassle, toss a name in the hat for all the comments that made you laugh, and have someone randomly draw one.
Posted by: Lissa | June 1, 2009 5:17 PM
Give the prize for best food find at the beach that hasn't been mentioned...OC or Rehoboth
Sounds good to me. EL
Posted by: Diane | June 1, 2009 5:46 PM
Anybody want to see a guest post about a seaside trip with a certain very young raptor? I have details....
How about giving the prize to the Xth comment of the Yth post of the day on the Nth day. That way every comment can win and it would encourage comments all week without being competetive. EL could decide ahead of time that the first comment of the third post on Thursday wins.
Posted by: Amanda C | June 1, 2009 5:56 PM
Terrier Mom -- I was going to suggest that you try cooking with Jesus, but I then discovered that somebody has already written that book.
Posted by: hmpstd | June 1, 2009 6:01 PM
Or, best first comment.
Posted by: Lissa | June 1, 2009 6:01 PM
Thanks. Jesus can't cook, but he does shake and bake.
Posted by: ~╥╥☺ < terrier mom | June 1, 2009 6:05 PM
Just in case anyone really is looking for some fabulous mugs with a hardshell crab design on them. ...Valley View Farms (of all places) has some. I am one of those who can't figure out why anyone would ever want to go to OC, MD. Give me the Jersey Shore, thank you.
And I'm sure you're going to tell us why in a guest post for Beach Week. Just e-mail it to me. :-) EL
Posted by: City Redux | June 1, 2009 6:17 PM
I have been looking to win a "Don't Bother me, I'm Crabby" novelty item for quite some time.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | June 1, 2009 6:42 PM
AC, I don't think anyone would be interested in that. I'm sure you're too busy with the kids anyway, what with explaining all the new words Bourbon Girl taught them.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 1, 2009 6:42 PM
RoCK, you've got to be kidding. They are all over the Inner Harbor.
Those were funnier before I moved here.
Posted by: Lissa | June 1, 2009 6:58 PM
RoCK, you've got to be kidding.
Yes Mr. Ham on Wry is always kidding.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 1, 2009 7:30 PM
Hey! I've got a great idea! Let's vote on who gets the prize.
(Mr. Ham on Wry...laughed right out loud.)
Posted by: Bucky | June 1, 2009 7:39 PM
I think the cookbook is an awesome prize - I'm a collector of cookbooks!
Posted by: Joyce W. | June 1, 2009 8:14 PM
I have a friend to comes to visit once or twice a year who is just fascinated by all the crab kitsch. So, whenever she comes, we go through every single tourist trap in Harborplace.
It is kind of like watching a train wreck. I just can't stop searching to shelves to find the latest item they've managed to stick a crab on.
I'm still waiting for a crab razor.
Posted by: Lissa | June 1, 2009 9:28 PM
I go to Rehoboth Beach every summer and have found what I believe to be the best restaurants at the best prices. My two favorites from last summer are The Thai Restaurant on Rehoboth Ave. (block closest to the beach) and the sushi restaurant which is two doors down. In prior summers when The Cultured Pearl was in it's previous location, we went there however since it has moved, it is much more expensive and harder to get a table. I know this is not Ocean City but if you get to either of these places in Rehoboth, I believe you will find that the food is excellent and the service and atmosphere are good too.
We will be talking about Rehoboth, Bethany and even out-of-state beaches if people want to. EL
Posted by: baltimorean | June 1, 2009 9:45 PM
I know the Crabby items are at Harborplace (or as it now known with all these rampant teenagers: Lord of the Flies-Ville), but I would never buy something like that. Winning it, however, would be like a badge of honor or perhaps a trophy.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | June 1, 2009 9:56 PM
"Lord of the Flies-Ville"
Does anyone remember wilding?
Posted by: LJ | June 1, 2009 10:34 PM
"Lord of the Flies-Ville"
Does anyone remember wilding?
WTF? That's messed up. You had better have some explanation for bringing up "wilding". That's not okay.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 1, 2009 10:43 PM
Have you not been reading the local news lately, OMG?
Posted by: LJ | June 1, 2009 11:02 PM
I never read the local news. It's moronic. Wilding is a very particular term used to describe gang rapes in NY in the 90s/ Is there a new fun definition?
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 2, 2009 12:48 AM
baltimorean--you sound as if you consider OC superior to Rehoboth. Please elaborate. Just for the record, I have been to OC exactly once, for as long as it took to drive through, and never saw any reason to return. Rehoboth is our beach of choice.
Posted by: Dahlink | June 2, 2009 6:59 AM
Anybody want to see a guest post about a seaside trip with a certain very young raptor? I have details.....
Amanda C, any insight you can give us regarding the infernal origins of Owl Meat GrowingUp would be welcome indeed.
Posted by: Laura Lee | June 2, 2009 11:56 AM
Grrrrrrr.........
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 2, 2009 12:21 PM
DON'T POKE THE ANGRY OWL!!!!!!!!
Posted by: RayRay | June 2, 2009 12:24 PM
I owe you one RayRay.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | June 2, 2009 1:00 PM
It's as if you've never met me. ROTFL
Clams, clams, clams, ....
Posted by: Amanda C | June 2, 2009 1:10 PM
"I woulda been here sooner, but I was thinkin' up that ham on rye line."
Posted by: Stacy | June 2, 2009 2:51 PM
"I'm still waiting for a crab razor."
I've heard about The Bearded Clam but I didn't think crabs had hair.
Posted by: Retired in Elkridge | June 3, 2009 10:30 PM
I hesitate to mention it for fear of ridicule, but Hometown Girl in Hampden has quite a lot of kitschy Bawlmer stuff.
Posted by: Dottie | June 5, 2009 2:01 AM
Wasn't there fear last year that the bay could be taken over by the interloping hairy crab from Asia?
Posted by: LEC | June 5, 2009 11:54 AM
if you can't be kitschy in Bawlmer, where can you be? I personally like the hand painted crab shells and the crab mobiles.
Posted by: Joyce W. | June 5, 2009 2:56 PM
LEC, we haven't heard much about the mitten crab lately.
Posted by: Dahlink | June 5, 2009 4:28 PM
LEC& Dahlink, also, whatever happened to the freakish walking Asian fish that were going to take over our native fish supply?
Posted by: Joyce W. | June 5, 2009 8:16 PM
whatever happened to the freakish walking Asian fish that were going to take over our native fish supply?
I think they found Crofton so boring that they couldn't bring themselves to reproduce.
Posted by: Hal Laurent | June 5, 2009 9:03 PM