She says claw meat is preferable for lobster rolls and lobster club sandwiches because it’s more tender and easier to eat.

Lobster tails, however, are used for the restaurant’s deep-fried lobster tail entree, Bouchard says, because they stand up better than claws to deep-frying.

And then there is the best of both worlds. A combination of claw, tail and knuckle meat is used in other dishes such as lobster ravioli, seafood scampi and baked lobster pie.

Bouchard thinks people from Maine prefer the claw meat, while people from other parts of the country like the tail.

“It’s the tourists vs. the locals,” she said.

True lobster lovers will tell you they like the entire lobster. But even tails and claws have their downsides.

The claws can sometimes be puny in soft-shell lobsters. For the tails, people have the vein — the intestine — and the roe, or eggs, to contend with. (The vein usually is removed, while the roe is scraped or washed out.)

A newspaper columnist in Portland once asked readers their lobster preference in an informal survey. The result: a tie between the claw and tail, with knuckles, legs and other parts far behind.

You can count Bob Wakefield, the owner of the Great Maine Lobsterbake Co., a fan of knuckle meat, which is found in the shell between the claw and the body.

“The tail fits the blue-collar palate, and the knuckle fits aristocracy,” Wakefield said. “The knuckle is a little bit more delicate, and the tail you can get your arms around and get a big piece of meat.”

Ask longtime lobsterman Greg Griffin for an opinion, and he’ll talk up the lobster’s virtues without downplaying any part.

“The sweet subtle succulent lobster flavor is throughout,” said Griffin, who reckons he’s eaten about 7,000 pounds of lobster in his time.

Back at The Lobster Shack, Barry McIntyre of Cobden, Ontario, ate his first lobster while having lunch with his wife and friends. The verdict? He liked the texture and taste of the claw over the tail.

“I would trade a tail for a claw any time,” he said.

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