Older Maritimers who have lived there for decades remember a time when lobster was significantly cheaper than bologna. The crustacean was so plentiful, the story goes, that one could snag one with a handheld hook right out of the city harbour. Bologna, on the other hand, was processed and unavailable directly from the environment, hence costing more. Trendier as well, I'd guess.
Kids felt ostracized, bored, and sated because their brown-bag lunches consisted of lobster sandwiches for days on end - "Not lobster again!" Many families were just too poor to afford anything other than what nature abundantly offered.
Lobster no longer clogs the harbour. Bologna has lost its cachet as a choice of the more financially flush, in addition to being processed with heaven only knows what, together with lots of salt. We now generally think more highly of foodstuffs coming directly from nature than we do of manufactured ones. Processed food is now cheaper.
And perhaps our tastes have matured. Or perhaps they haven't entirely. After so much lobster, I could really go for a childhood favourite - bologna on white bread with corn relish!
