cancer the crab cake bento and baltimore explorations

Hi bento pals! This month's astro-bento is for Cancer the Crab...or crab cake. We took a holiday weekend jaunt to the homeland of the crab cake: Baltimore, Maryland. And happily, this city was not only full of wonderful food, particularly seafood, its layers of the past and sense of originality were fully in keeping with the nostalgic, lunar spirit of this sign.

Lexington Market was an incredible journey through American food history, now in its 220th year. Today, it preserves in architectural amber the spirit of the last century. The intact Art Deco vividness of the "Chinese Savouries" stand amazed me:

 

So many options for local seafood and soul food here:

And an abundance of all kinds of sweets:

You can bring your delicious prepared food purchase upstairs and take a seat overlooking the food hall and listen to live music: a reggae band was playing when we visited. The maze-like proximity of food stands serving everything from crab cakes (of course) to hot sausages, fried chicken to Italian pastries was overwhelming, exciting and so much fun...

Jamison took these great shots at Poe's burial place:

 

 

The next morning we explored the city's waterfront as sizzling heat radiated off the streets, then hopped on a water taxi to venture out to Fells Point and Canton...delightfully cooling and a way to get closer to the aquatic heart of Baltimore.

 

 At Fells Point, lovely 18th century streets, many bars and taverns...

 Melting in the sun a little, we ducked in the cool, quirky Cafe Latte'da for excellent iced coffee...

and came across a little book took me back in time: I recall meeting its illustrator Mimi Vang Olsen one day while walking around NY with my mom many years ago...plenty of cute and helpful suggestions for giving your new kitty a Japanese or culinary-inspired name!

Fells Point street view by Jamison:

 

Lunch at the excellent Canton Dockside featured exquisitely simple and fresh crabs. We shared several steamed to order jumbos...with the addition of soft-shelled crab and sweet corn, this meal was summer bliss!

 

Buildings near our downtown hotel were full of interesting architectural character, often with a maritime theme:

Staying at the (very welcoming and comfortable) Monaco in the refurbished former headquarters of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway offered interesting glimpses of the past as well:

For breakfast we found ourselves time-traveling at the wonderfully dark-wood, Olde England-evocative Burke's. They open every day at 7 am, serving up old-time Mid-Atlantic Americana: yummy, caloric and sustaining meals in a relaxing, dimly lit dining room.

Comfy booths parallel a pretty 40's era bar:

My chili omelet:

This visit has us very interested to return, to glimpse other layers of the past as they interact with a vibrant, if at times challenging present in a friendly city full of excellent food. As seafood lovers, how could we stay away?

 Speaking of seafood, this month's Astro bento features foods that astrologer and chef Lucy Ash describes in the Cancer chapter of A Taste of Astrology.

Watery and soothing foods are expressions of this maternal, lunar sign: crab, eggplant, watercress, melons, pine nuts, mushrooms, lychee, dairy products, cucumber...this bento includes many of them. A crab cake is nestled in with watercress, lunar orbs of shimenji mushrooms and juicy watermelon:

Roasted eggplant with pine nuts fills a sakura container, golden corn (whose summery friendship with crab I so enjoyed this weekend) also inside with ripe cherries, a lychee and more watermelon for cooling relief (at least 100 degrees today, again)...

Thanks for coming along on this journey!