Number Twenty-One

Have Crabs during Crab Season

(aka settle in, have a beer, and get crackin’ or go home pt. 2)

Can we talk about Baltimore / Maryland Bay Blue Shell Crabs for a second? If you follow me on Insta, you’ll see once a year, in the summer, I try to make my way back to the East coast and grab a dozen or so of these beautiful crustaceans.

It’s tradition.

tra·di·tion

/trəˈdiSH(ə)n/

noun

  1. the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.

    "every shade of color is fixed by tradition and governed by religious laws"

  2. THEOLOGY

    a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures.

Things I love about Summer in Baltimore (in no particular order)

  1. I love watching kids play in hydrants in the streets. I know that’s not specific to Baltimore, but when my Mom sees it happening, I see her face light up, and I know she’s thinking of a time she use to do that.

  2. I love that people are OUTSIDE

  3. I love that every street smells like Old Bay, drifting from the local crab spot.

  4. I love everyone has a crab spot and will tell you where you should go if you mention you are about to get crabs.

  5. Pork Yat gaw mein — don’t forget the ketchup

  6. I loved walking into my Grandmother’s house — and how it always looked the same.

  7. I loved my Grandmother offering us food right away.

  8. I loved my Grandmother’s soft shell sandwiches, and remember the first time I had one. (simple: soft shell crab on wonder bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayo)

  9. I guess — I miss my Grandmother.

My Maternal Grandmother on the far right. Along with My Mama (the bride), my Paternal Grandma and my Dad’s Sisters.

My Mom is from Baltimore. Not the DMV. Not the burbs — Baltimore, Baby. She played in Druid Hill Park. Her grandparents on her father's side worked the docks. The Wire was realistic to my Mama. That was her review!

I am not from there. I’m a military brat. So my touchstones of the birthplace of 1/2 of my ancestry are only from Summer vacations and visits.

My love of Baltimore comes from my Mama’s stories and from visiting my Grandmother in the summertime.

My Parents on their wedding day

Married at my Grandma’s house in Baltimore. (babies!)

Here’s the thing about my family and Baltimore — we are not close. We don’t have family group chats, family reunions, or celebrate holidays together. BUT, during the summer — crab season — my grandmother would steam some crabs, music would be put on, and newspaper lined the basement table, cold beer in pitchers, and for a few hours, my huge family would come together, snapping perfectly seasoned crabs, and getting these jokes off. And if you can’t handle a joke, go upstairs where there’s plastic on the sofa.

My Grandmother died in 2020. It was cancer and it was relatively fast. Since it was during the pandemic, I could not go to the funeral and say goodbye. But every year, during crab season, come hell or high water, I’m gonna put some newspaper down, get a cold ass beer, put on some tunes that she’d like, and pay homage to her, my Mama, and all the women before me who could steam and season a bushel of crabs like it was nobody’s business.

And who could take a joke.

Something that I’ve thought about with all my adventures since my Grandma died — My Grandmother’s world was small. She lived in the same city her whole life. She’d ventured out to casinos and other trips, but never outside of the country. Anytime I would call her and tell her where I was about to go — and it was inevitably overseas — she would always pause, probably wanting to tell me to not go / express concern, but instead would say “well, you have fun and be safe”.

And I do.

Jalon Nichols