Floridian Lifestyle at Pinchers’ Crab Shack
Nestled between a dilapidated pet shop and a mass-produced chain store lies Pinchers’ Crab Shack, a local dive of free spirits in the wilds of the stubborn and pompous Naples area. As Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” blares from a weathered jukebox nestled next to cases of unopened beer in a corner, the various smells of salt, frying foods, and vinegar assaults one’s senses. It is here in this atmosphere that Florida is truly found.
Pinchers’ is a true haven of Floridian atmosphere. Whether the canopy of inflatable parrots and rafts or the walls of island memorabilia ranging from autographs to record covers to pictures of fish, Pinchers’ welcomes the diner with a flare of Caribbean leisure and pleasure. The style remains very familiar, from the open kitchen where chefs concoct the food before the patrons to the paper-bag coverings flung over the tables. Drinks come in jars, napkins are found in the form of paper towels situated next to the tables, and salt is found within a beer bottle. This is truly a welcoming restaurant which calls to the deepest senses of salt, sand, and seawater located in the depths of the soul.
While at Pinchers’, be sure to sample several of the magnificent dishes. First and foremost are the fried clams, deeply fried strips of clam which dwarf a human finger. If one is not in the mood for fried food, try the King Crab Legs, an enormous rack of crab’s legs smothered in a rich butter sauce; not only is the crab delicious, but it is interactive as one gets to smash the legs to get to the meat. If simple seafood is what one craves, go for the scallops, richly broiled in a wine sauce leaving the mouth craving more. Last, finish the dinner with a piece of Key Lime Pie, the traditional dessert of Florida and the best pie found this side of Key West.
This wonderful dive truly shows the natural Floridian lifestyle. The waitresses in tank tops and shorts serve with a smile while the bar welcomes patrons wearing everything from traditional suits to Hawaiian tee shirts to bathing suits.
The whole island is in the shape of a giant square with white sandy beaches full of people sunbathing, swimming and fishing right on the shoreline. From the end of the hot pavement parking lot to shore of the beach is an ocean of soft white sand. The pearlescent white sand seems to know how to invade every nook and cranny almost as if it enjoys it. Walking around the beach on the fluffy whiteness surrounding the parking lot, the seagulls are fighting over scraps of food on the ground. “Sandy beach ecosystems provide invaluable services to humankind. Their functions have been exploited through history, with significant anthropogenic effects (Lucrezi, 2015)”. This white sandy beach is a beautiful refuge from the mundane grind of everyday life. The smell of the misty ocean air mixed with the sound of seagulls hovering above and kids playing is a tonic for the mind. The feel of the sand between their toes and the waves crashing over them as people swim in the water, or the jerk of a fishing pole when someone is catching a fish makes Fred Howard Park one of the best places to relax. Standing on the beach looking out on the water, people are kayaking and windsurfing. The lifeguards watching vigilantly in their bright red shirt and shorts, blowing their whistles when they see someone being unsafe. After a long day of swimming and laying around visitors head back over the soft white sand to the showers, in order to rinse off the menacing sand that clings to everything like a bad habit. Everyone rushes over the hot pavement burning their feet to reach their cars so they can put away their beach paraphernalia which is still covered in the white sand, nearly impossible to completely leave behind, so when they get home it serves as a reminder of where they were that
In the story, Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin uses music, jazz, and hymns to shape the story and show how it shapes Sonny’s life and how music is inherent to his survival. All of this is seen through the older brother’s eyes; the older brother is the narrator and the reader begins to understand Sonny through the older brother’s perspective. Baldwin writes the story like a jazz song to make a story out of his father’s past and his brother’s career choice and puts them together, going back and forth, until it creates a blending of histories and lives. He shows how the father’s past is similar to the narrator’s life; the older brother has conflicts with his younger brother, Sonny. Music heals the relationship.
1. Janda, Kenneth. The Challenge of Democracy. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 1999. (Chapter 3 & 4).
There are specials offered at every meal depending on the season and the catch of the day. Chef Vanzile says that he plans the menu around what fresh fish and produce look the best rather than what is trendy. However, there is still a great deal of ambition evidenced in the menu. Some recent specials included Mahi chowder and blackened salmon with Romesco cream as well as more expected fare such as sautéed crab cakes and a shrimp omelet. Fish and chips were the special on St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish themed-meal for diners to enjoy.
James Baldwin, author of Sonny’s Blues, was born in Harlem, NY in 1924. During his career as an essayist, he published many novels and short stories. Growing up as an African American, and being “the grandson of a slave” (82) was difficult. On a day to day basis, it was a constant battle with racial discrimination, drugs, and family relationships. One of Baldwin’s literature pieces was Sonny’s Blues in which he describes a specific event that had a great impact on his relationship with his brother, Sonny. Having to deal with the life-style of poverty, his relationship with his brother becomes affected and rivalry develops. Conclusively, brotherly love is the theme of the story. Despite the narrator’s and his brother’s differences, this theme is revealed throughout the characters’ thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue. Therefore, the change in the narrator throughout the text is significant in understanding the theme of the story. It is prevalent to withhold the single most important aspect of the narrator’s life: protecting his brother.
In conclusion, the short story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin brings out two main themes: irony and suffering. You can actually feel the pain that Baldwin's characters experience; and distinguish the two different lifestyles of siblings brought up in the same environment. The older brother remaining nameless is a fabulous touch that really made me want to read on. This really piqued my interest and I feel it can lead to many discussions on why this technique was used. I really enjoyed this story; it was a fast and enjoyable reading. Baldwin keeps his readers thinking and talking long after they have finished reading his stories. His writing technique is an art, which very few, if any, can duplicate.
In the lyrical and heartrending short story Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin tells the tale of two brothers, both having taken a different path to survive, and how these paths have estranged them. One brother, the narrator and a button-down algebra teacher, lives a straight-forward life with a wife and two kids. The other brother, Sonny, is a heroin hooked, jazz crazed, musician who views life in a much different light. During the course of their difficult relationship the narrator, through remembrance of previous death experiences in his life, acceptance of Sonny’s choices , and hearing Sonny express his sorrows and suffering through his music is able to open his heart to the previously unaccepted Sonny and rekindle their fraternal bond.
Baldwin, James. “Sonny's blues.” Baldwin, James. Going to meet the man. New York: Dial Press, 1965.
Baldwin, James. "Sonny’s Blues." The Story and its Writer: An Introduction to Shorty Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. Bedord / St. Martin's, 2011. 835--839. Print.
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
Daniel Murphree, “Perpetuating a Mythical Paradise: Transnational Visions of the Colonial Floridas,” Terrae Incognitae 37 (Jan. 2005): 41-52.
James Baldwin was an African-American writer who grew up in Harlem and was considered one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. He achieved this status through his use of racial and social issues within many of his masterpieces. His experience with discrimination, poverty, and drugs lead him to write many short stories about the struggles African-Americans faced in America. His style is considered one of the most distinctive styles in American literature. “Sonny’s Blues” was one of James Baldwin’s earlier masterpieces and is set in Harlem, New York just like many of his other literary works of art. The short story is about two estranged African-American brothers and how “that relationship has moved through phases of separation and return”
Vacation time usually brings about excitement and enthusiasm. In this particular setting, a not so typical family, grandmother, and a stowaway feline eventually make Florida their destination choice. The decision goes against the wishes of the grandmother who points out the fact that there is a fugitive loose and headed for a destination this family has seen before. As the trip ensues, they come across various sights indicative of the era of segregation and hard time.
Rosen, David. Four ways your privacy is being invaded. 11 september 2012. 13 february 2014 .
Bohannan, Paul, and Philip Curtin. Africa & Africans . Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc. , 1995.