updated 2:37 p.m. ET May 12, 2008

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine - When it comes to lobster, Kathryn Rolston is all about tails. She finds it easier to wrestle from the shell than claw meat, and more substantial.

But for Gene Beaudoin, her lunch companion, it’s the claws that make the meal. He says any extra effort to get at them is worth it because the meat is sweeter and more tender than tails.

“Plus there are two claws,” he said as they finished their lobster rolls during a recent visit to The Lobster Shack restaurant, which overlooks the cold, lobster-filled waters of Maine’s Casco Bay.

“But I like the texture of the tail meat,” she countered light-heartedly.

The arrival of warm weather in Maine means tourists won’t be far behind, scarfing down the state’s signature seafood at the numerous lobster joints that dot the coast. And with that comes the perennial debate over lobster part preferences — claws or tails.

In these parts, it’s a question that can stir spirited debate, something akin to asking Southerners which kind of barbecue is best.

The North American lobster, Homarus americanus, is regarded as the king of shellfish. Served whole with a side of melted butter is the traditional way to eat it, but chefs also use lobster meat in numerous recipes, from appetizers and stews to salads and pastas.

Much of the lobster is edible, including meat from parts many diners never try — the body, legs, even the tail flippers. By comparison, the tail and claws offer rich rewards for comparably little effort.

The tail meat generally is chewier and more fibrous than the claw. That’s because lobsters flap them forcefully as a means of locomotion, said Brian Beal, a lobster expert and professor at the University of Maine at Machias.

The claw muscles are softer, because they aren’t used as much or as vigorously as the tail. The crusher claw (the larger of the two, used to crush things) generally is tougher than the pincher claw (used to pull things apart).

Beal prefers the tail to the claw — he says it’s meatier and more flavorful. The tail and claw have different tastes, he says, much the way that the different parts of other animals have diverse flavors.

“Why does bacon taste different than ham? It’s different muscle tissue, that’s all,” Beal said.

Melissa Bouchard, head chef at DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant in Portland, is well familiar with the claw vs. tail debate. Year round, DiMillo’s goes through 140 lobsters and 70 pounds of lobster meat a day.

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