Tangier Island has always been a place of intrigue in my mind – a mythical island of less than 500 people, disconnected from daily life. When we were young, my sister took an overnight boat trip there with family friends. A hurricane led to a near stranding and peaked my interest in visiting. In medical school, we learned of Tangier Disease, a genetic disorder causing reduced levels of HDL (good cholesterol), named after the island’s inhabitants who have a rather shallow genetic pool.
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So when Amir suggested a day trip, I Googled “tangier ferry” and discovered Tangier Rappahannock Cruises, a 2 hour ferry service that leaves from the coastal fishing town of Reedville, VA. I recommend selecting the same-day return trip, and skipping the suggested lunch at the Chesapeake House (more on that in a bit). Total cost round-trip for the two of us was just $57.24 including all taxes and fees. While you can just show up at the dock and buy tickets the same day, I recommend booking online to save yourself time and ensure your reservation.
We sat on the bow to get the best vantage point of blue skies and glassy seas. Osprey, fishing boats and crumbling barns float by, demanding the attention of your camera lens. I, as usual, captured them through the lens of my iPhone, Amir through his Canon DSLR.
Tangier soon turned from a distant mirage to a beautiful green world just ahead. The skyline was low, consisting mostly of simple two-story houses with a rare deviation in height for a church steeple and a water tower. As we entered the man-made channel lined with little white houses and docks, our ship’s captain revealed that Tangier is the world’s source for soft shell crabs. The crabbers live in these tiny white shacks – shacks that are filled with blue crabs, checked diligently on the hour in anticipation of the golden moment when the crab molts its shell. The crab is then scooped up and placed on ice or into a freezer and sold to restaurants for a feast later that day. It’s a practice as unique as the island itself.
We stepped off the boat and onto the dock, the end of which was lined with locals in golf carts offering 15 minute tours of the island, and friendly women with sun-aged skin offering coupons for the best lunch spots (there are only 7). We opted to skip the carts and create our own walking tour.
Instantly we were struck by the strange collision of worlds. Tangier is part what you would expect – fishermen, boats, flip flops and simple life at a slow pace – everything I love about Chesapeake Bay living. But it’s also part Cuba, part 3rd world country. For an isolated island, bringing goods in is expensive, so you see signs of old everywhere you turn. 1970s motorbikes, rusted chain link fences, refrigerators from 3 generations past. If you want new and shiny, this is not the place for you.
And while old often equates with charm, there’s something a bit off in Tangier. Like bringing things to the island, disposing of them is also a costly task. So, garbage is everywhere – broken down golf carts, bottomless boats, and 20 year old Pepsi cans littering the land and the water. It makes you cringe. It doesn’t fit. A proud people so dependent upon nature for their existence, so careless in protecting it.
For a half second my mind contemplated the missed opportunity – “What if they just picked up the trash?” “What if they had some eco-friendly activities?” I imaged the potential for increased tourism, and the subsequent revenue that could benefit this island and its people. And then I wondered, maybe this is deliberate.
We decided to try Fisherman’s Corner for lunch. We entered the brightly painted, simple square building to find a bustling room tightly packed with tables of both tourists and locals. The menu was typical Chesapeake Bay fare – she crab soup, crab dip, fried shrimp, crab cakes and soft shell crabs. Clearly we had to try the soft shells. The food was simple, home-cooked and a tad pricy, but delicious. My soft shell crab was sandwiched between two slices of white Wonder bread. While I was initially skeptical of my minimalist bun, when topped with the zesty tartar sauce, the flavors combined perfectly. We skipped dessert since we’d already cheated and devoured hand-dipped ice cream cones on our earlier walk.
There are two churches, one fire station, one police officer and one school. On an island with 450 people, you make do. The sign outside the fire station explains that until very recently, every household was provided with a single leather bucket. When a fire broke out, the entire town would arrive and form a bucket brigade. I wondered what hurricane preparations took place today.
In just 3 short hours, we’d experienced 90% of what Tangier has to offer. We heard a dialect I can only describe best as Old English garble. We marveled at the eccentric locals like bird watchers spotting a never-before-seen species. Tangier is a dichotomy of beautiful and ugly, but special none-the-less.
~Steph
grapefruit, and pear halves (not the kind packed in heavy syrup)
It doesn’t take any longer, other than to package and stick it in the freezer. Things like stews and chili are actually better the second time.
Then make chicken salad, chicken a la king, chicken sandwiches, or toss it with some pasta, those leftover mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.
Or, if you like the creamy kind, start with a little mayonnaise, add a little sour cream and blue cheese. Too thick? Add a little milk. Or make a dressing starting with mayonnaise, add ketchup and lemon juice. This is the dressing you like on that shrimp salad (iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar, chopped tomatoes, a little sweet onion). Add a little horseradish for an extra kick. If you want Thousand Island dressing, add sweet pickle relish to this.
There are 3 ingredients: butter, flour and milk. The basic recipe uses 1C of milk. For thin 1 T flour and butter. For medium: 2T flour and butter. For thick: 3 T flour and butter. Now, you want to add salt and pepper to taste. (You may remember the dinner you, Jackie, Kara and Kristin Dennis made for all the parents. You made a basic medium white sauce and added champagne. This was the sauce you poured over your chicken.) Or, you can add a little sherry, if you like that flavor (I do.) Quite honestly, I have never made a thin or thick white sauce. The medium is always right for my purposes. So now that you’ve made it, what do you do with it? Well, you could chop up some of that leftover rotisserie chicken and put it in that with a little pimento or leftover mushrooms, maybe some onion that you’ve sautéed. You could even add some of those baby peas from the freezer or a couple of chopped strips of red or green pepper (also in the freezer) and/or pimento….good too. Now you have chicken a la king, which you can serve over an English muffin (also in your freezer) or toast points. One of your dad’s favorite quick dishes is tuna fish (from the can) with just white sauce and salt and pepper on toast or English muffin. You can add chipped beef (get it from a deli) to the white sauce too, serving it over toast. When I make baked chicken potpie, I use white sauce with some tarragon (to taste…..add a little, then more until you like it).
Take those veggies that have been languishing in the fridge, maybe you bought some broccoli or fresh green beans or snow peas. Put a little pan of water on to boil and start a skillet (you don’t need a wok) with peanut oil. Chop up some carrots and onions. Sauté some shrimp from the freezer, leftover chicken or even hot dogs. Add the veggies to the stirfry (there are no rules here, just leftovers). Put the Top Ramen noodles in the boiling water until they are soft……maybe a minute?……drain, then throw them in the pan with the veggies and add a little soy sauce and sesame oil. Dinner, in 10 minutes, Chinese style.
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix.
TeamLouka 