Down East March 2012

March 2012

The table of contents from the March 2012 issue of Down East.

Features

Mad for Maple

On Maine Maple Sunday, Elizabeth Peavey jets from sugarhouse to sugarhouse, sampling Maine’s sweet and sticky treat. By: Elizabeth Peavey

 

The Incredible Edible Eel

The mysterious fish faces a troubling future from overfishing to environmental factors. By: Susan Hand Shetterly

 

Cheap Eats

Herewith, our 2012 guide to Maine’s best cheap eats, all for under $15. By: Michaela Cavallaro Photography by: Mark Fleming

 

Maine’s Got Moxie

It’s no longer regarded as a cure-all, but the curious-tasting soft drink does seem to be a prescription for happiness.

 

Sweet Tasting Notes

A writer and a wine expert taste-test maple syrups.

 

Departments

Briefly Noted

Christian P. Potholm, a professor of Maine politics at Bowdoin College, provides an anthology of the Maine experience in Maine: An Annotated Bibliography (Lexington Books, Plymouth, United Kingdom; 131 pages; $55). Divided among such themes as “Finding the Real Maines,” “Maine’s Independent Governors in Myth and Reality,” and “Women of Maine,” Potholm introduces each section with a short essay followed by a thorough, balanced, yet always surprising list of books and articles to help a reader dive further into the subject.

 

North by East

Log homes made in Maine, sold in China, spiders scare shipbuilders in Bath, and more!

 

Black and White and Red All Over

Can new owners save Maine’s largest newspaper chain? By: Colin Woodard

 

Lost and Found

The Lost Kitchen brings an inventive use of fresh, local ingredients to Belfast’s dining scene. By: Will Bleakley Photography by: Jennifer Smith-Mayo

 

Maine’s Primary Choice

Forty-eight years ago, Senator Margaret Chase Smith awaited the results of her first presidential primary. By: Will Bleakley

 

To Fish or Not to Fish

Morgan Callan Rogers in her debut novel takes a look at the inherent struggles of coming-of-age in 1960s coastal Maine.

 

Editor’s Note

A snapshot of what it was like to eat in Maine in early 2012. By: Paul Doiron

 

Letters to the Editor

Read what our readers have to say about Maine.

 

Match This!

Merchants Row’s Gulf of Maine Wooden Memory Tiles ($30; merchantsrow.bigcartel.com) may be a simple memory matching game played by children, but it takes the artistic eye of an adult to be fully appreciated. Complete with sixteen pieces depicting marine life and vessels found in the Gulf of Maine, each tile is handcrafted from birch plywood by Mark Marchesi.

 

Complementary Love

A conversation about smelts brings a wife and husband closer together. By: Martha White Photography by: Jennifer Baum

 

Sweet Stuff

Photograph by Jennifer Anderson

 

Where in Maine?

Photograph by Laurence Parent