Lobster of Water

Lobster of Water is a term originating in the Mid-Atlantic (particularly the Chesapeake Bay area) during the late 17th Century as a short hand for the tavern owner/service personnel to bring a small serving of fresh drinking water for everyone seated at the table.

While the term is in limited use today, it was thought to have been introduced by a German/Swedish immigrant Joevald Gotheim who spent his early years in Maine. Gotheim was known to be a successful merchant that entertained his business partners lavishly, often buying meals for groups of four or more.

Given that taverns rarely served fresh water with a meal at that time, it was often seen as a special request. Also, since Gotheim was known to speak heavily accented English, requesting "ein Lobster wasser" became plainly understood to be water for everyone at the table. Since most tables seated either four or eight patrons, a "full" lobster of water likely represented the eight legs of a lobster and a "half" lobster the four legs on one side. With the mixture of languages spoken by immigrants and local bay fisherman, the term stuck and continued in use for many years.

Use of Lobster of Water came into modern use only recently, and again seems to be traced to the upper Chesapeake, notably the Washington DC area.