Well, that's not surprising. Until last Saturday, I hadn't either. But a local veterans post held one that afternoon, and my wife and I decided to check it out.
This took place at the Beechwood Hall, a former church way out in the country, built about 100 years ago ...
Off to your right is the fishboil. It consists of several things. One: some fish, Lake Superior whitefish, bought right at the Lake Superior shore, about 70 miles away ...
Two: you need a hardwood fire that is really burning hot ...
And you need a big aluminum kettle in which is boil the fish ...
It has a double boiler inside. The fish are in the top level. Some potatoes and onions are in the lower level. The stuff looks pretty good, right, guys? ...
OK, folks, pay attention. They hold a lot of fishboils in Door County, Wis. (that big peninsula north of Green Bay), and the vets at this post thought they would try it themselves as a fund-raiser. It's called a fish boil because ... well, maybe you can figure that part out. But the highlight is called the boilover.
The fish naturally give off some oil as they are boiled. How can you get rid of that oil and improve the taste?
First, you take some kerosene and pour it into a glass jar ...
Next, you have someone ring a bell ...
That's a vital part of the boilover--because people want to watch what's going to happen next ...OK, everyone watching? Assume the stance. Bend over a little bit, hold the jar in your right hand and swing it forward ...
And then stand back. Fwoooshhhh!!!!
The fire really kicks up, which makes the boiling water even hotter. Just as intended, the kettle boils over, taking the oils with it ...
So that's the show we saw.
I must confess that I like other kinds of fish more than whitefish. But this one was worth it for the show. By the end of the afternoon, all the fish had been boiled, served and eaten, and the vets had made some money for their scholarship programs.
That's called a win-win situation.
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