Alicia Jessop knew Friday, June 7, was going to be a memorable day, but she did not realize it would be one she would never forget.
The 34-year-old Pepperdine University professor planned to finally visit New England, hitting some of the last seven states she had never been to, and try her first-ever lobster roll. What she did not plan for was capturing a now-viral photo of the moment a seagull tried to snag her pricey sandwich as she was lining up the perfect shot.
“I was really embarrassed. You hear stories of people taking crazy Instagram pictures and hurting themselves and I was like, ‘Oh my God, you are now that person, you just wasted $21.50 (about P1,100) for a picture.'”
Jessop started her lobster roll quest in the afternoon, renting a car after wrapping up a work conference in Vermont and beginning her New England road trip. After a few Google and Yelp searches, she made her way to Fox’s Lobster House in York, Maine, buying her lobster roll and walking over to the water to take a picture.
“It was the most picturesque place,” Jessop said. “You are standing on the seashore overlooking the lighthouse. I don’t really take a lot of food pictures, but I knew this needed to be documented.”
She spent about 20 seconds framing her Instagram shot, maneuvering her hands holding the lobster roll in the perfect position so her phone could capture the sandwich and the Nubble Lighthouse in the background.
Jessop said as she took the picture, she felt something rustle her hand. She immediately thought she dropped the lobster roll.
“That was when I realized the seagull had swooped in and I had not even seen it coming,” she said. “It is a really smart bird and it all happened so fast.”
Before she had time to shoo the bird away, Jessop said it was already feasting on the lobster roll with “all of his friends.”
As she walked back to the lobster shack to get another roll, she flipped through her camera roll and burst into laughter, realizing the only photo she had was the exact moment the seagull had swooped in to steal her sandwich.
She shared the photo on Twitter saying, “This is why we cannot have nice things, I was trying to take a picture of the lobster roll I ordered in Maine and well, this happened.”
This is why we can’t have nice things. I was trying to take a picture of the lobster roll I ordered in Maine and well, this happened 😂🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/N601vpQ41h
— Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) June 7, 2019
Thousands of people enjoyed her post which now has more than 201,000 likes.
Jessop went back to Fox’s and paid for another lobster roll, but this time sat in a different area to enjoy the sandwich which she said “was an awesome treat and well worth the money.” She asked another customer to snap a photo of her so she had proof she actually ate a lobster roll.
Aside from the funny story and laughter she personally got from her lobster roll mishap, Jessop said the experience has shown her “people just need a laugh.”
She is also embracing the possibility of being known as the seagull picture woman for the rest of her life.
“There are a lot worse things I could be known for, and if that means I get free lobster rolls and bring a little bit of laughter into people’s lives, I think that is a good thing,” she said. HM/JB
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