In the traditional waterfront restaurants, fried hush puppies are always served first, usually before the water glasses are on the table. Hush puppies are a local cuisine tradition as well as a standard of quality measurement. Hush puppies are made with cornmeal, flour, eggs and sugar. Some folks add chopped onion; others add sweet milk. Once blended, the mixture is dropped by the spoonful into hot fat and fried to a golden brown. Old-timers say the name derived from cooks, who, while preparing meals, tossed bits of fried batter to quiet the dogs who were waiting for kitchen scraps.

Most natives were raised on conch and clam chowders, and even the newest eateries include them among their soups and appetizers. Local conch chowder is made with whelk. To easily remove the meat from whelks and clams, locals recommend freezing the shell; the frozen meat is then easily pulled from the shell, and juices are saved. Traditional chowder is made with chopped meat, water, butter, salt, pepper and diced potatoes. For a different flavor, you might also add squash, onions and other spices.

There is nothing like a traditional Down East clam bake -- you won't find eating like this on any restaurant menu. But you can sometimes luck out and catch a school or fire department holding a fund-raising clam bake. If that happens, drop your plans and head on over for some real good food. It is said that the idea for the clam bake came from the Native Americans, who taught early residents to cook clams, fish and corn in the steam of hot stones. Modern-day clam bakes usually offer clams, chicken, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, onions, carrots, corn and sometimes a few shrimp. They are all steamed together in a net bag or cheesecloth and served with melted butter. This is not the time for table manners, so use your fingers!

Peelers, pickers, jimmies, white bellies, hens, steamers, paper shells or soft-shells -- no matter what you call them, they're still crabs. Learning the difference between the names and the stages of a crab's life is the hard part. Knowing when crabs are ready to shed and are marketable as soft-shells is important to the livelihood of many Crystal Coast fishermen. Understanding the process a crab goes through to become a soft-shell is an art as well as a science.

A peeler is a crab that will, if all goes well, become a soft crab within 72 hours. They are carefully handled and put in vats where they can go through this molting process. Jimmies are the large male crabs that measure 6 inches from upper shell tip to tip, and steamers or pickers are just regular crabs. The sure way to tell if a crab is a peeler is by the pinkish-red ring on the outer tip of the flipper or back fin. Those that complete the molting process are sold live or dressed. Many are packed with damp sea grass, refrigerated and shipped live to restaurants or seafood markets as far away as New York. Most are sold dressed, because live soft-shells are delicate to handle and have a life of only about three days. Insiders consider soft-shell crabs a delicacy and favorite ways to prepare them include lightly frying them in batter or sauteeing them in butter and wine. There is nothing better, or stranger looking, than a soft-shell crab sandwich.

Shrimp burgers, another very popular local seafood treat, are little more than fried shrimp on a hamburger bun with slaw and special sauce. Each restaurant has its own sauce, which is the secret to a great shrimp burger. Some places have come up with variations (oyster burgers, clam burgers), but it's all basically put together the same way. Oh, what a wonderful lunch it makes.

Collards are a traditional mainstay in the diet of most locals, especially those living Down East. A "mess" of collards cooking in the kitchen creates an unforgettable aroma that you either love or hate. Collards are leafy green vegetables that grow almost year round in this area. Most locals say the best way to cook collards is with a streak-of-lean salt pork or some fatback added to the pot. Top it off with a few new red potatoes and some cornmeal dumplings. Cornmeal dumplings are unique to eastern North Carolina and are basically made by shaping cornmeal, water and salt into small patties and dropping them into the collard pot for about 15 minutes.

Within the past few years, an interesting trend has been impacting Crystal Coast dining. A respectable population of culinary talent is flourishing in our haven of fabulous seafood. On the Morehead City waterfront alone, three new gourmet-quality restaurants reflect the demand of increasingly upscale appetites. Openings around Morehead and in Beaufort, new menus and redecorated restaurants from Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle tell us that our tastes are changing. Our dining choices certainly are.