Maine Oddities: Beans
“You mean you’ve never been to a bean suppah? We have two kinds of beans, hot dogs, two types of gelatin salad…”
When we rolled into Maine via New Hampshire, I remember seeing a beautiful New England church, complete with its majestic white, wooden spire. The church, nestled in some very thick woods, vividly displayed the small town, New England charm that we fell in love with.
But, on the sign out front, where you’d usually see a thought-provoking or inspirational message like “Forgive your enemies, it messes with their heads”, there was a very simple message, “Bean Supper 5:30 PM.”
I remember driving on towards Portland, bewildered, wondering just what in the world is a bean supper. The church looked old, possibly out of commission, so maybe it was an old sign from the 1970s? The 1930s? We went along and never heard of bean suppers again, until today.
New Englanders Take Beans Seriously
“You mean you’ve never been to a bean suppah?” asked the white-haired church lady. Darci looked to me, desperation in her eyes, but I was talking with someone else about jobs in the Scarborough area. Her plea for help went unanswered. The church lady took the please-someone-help-me look as an invitation to continue with new vigor as she launched into a breathless litany.
“We have two kinds of beans, hot dogs, two kinds of gelatin salad, and chop suey. You better come to the bean suppah, and keep coming to chuhch.”
We drove away, completely forgetting about what the message was during the sermon (something about being precious), but focused on the really big question–what in the blue blazes is a bean supper (suppah)?
This question then diffused into other questions: why two kinds of beans? what if another kind of bean is suddenly introduced? what’s a New England gelatin salad? does that also have beans jammed into it? and who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to toss in chop suey?
I mean, we’ve used beans for burritos, tacos, and bean dip. What are they doing out here?
Bean Suppah: The Real Deal
Apparently, unknown to us Coloradans, bean suppers (suppahs) are a big deal out here. Where I would stroll into store and snag a can of beans and…do something with them…a New Englander might stab me in the eye with a lobster fork if I dared bring a can of beans to a bean suppah.
Preparation begins the day before by digging a pit into the ground and lining it with bricks. No kidding. Bean hole beans (that’s such a thing) are soaked over night and then parboiled. Next, they’re loaded up with a special secret sauce that you get after you receive your Tom Brady tattoo and can survive at least two winters. Your beans, with New England special sauce, are loaded into stainless steel pots, covered in foil and a lid, and then placed into that brick-lined hole you dug. Oh yeah, in that hole you’ve placed glowing hot coals. You seal the hole up with an insulated lid and leave your buried concoction to simmer for an entire evening. Boom! For breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday you’ll be having bean suppah–something completely foreign to these two Coloradans, who would probably add green chilies to it and get tossed out of the state.
Don’t believe me? Well, cram it in your bean hole, and watch this video:
Anthony Peterson says:
They probably would have been repulsed by the bean and egg sandwich that I consumed while in Albuquerque!
Karen Martiny says:
Well, I certainly have never heard of a bean suppah or a bean pit, but now I know! Better than placing a whole poor pig in the ground like the Hawaiians do! Now Darci and you need to let us know how the bean suppah was – we’re all waiting to hear!
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Salem says:
Once it starts, the bean suppahs never stop.