The following is from a letter that was written by St. Therese of Lisieux to a missionary priest in China. The pair wrote to each other more for spiritual encouragement and advice than anything else… but that doesn’t mean there were never any amusing episodes to share…

"…to come back to your cook, would you believe that we too sometimes have amusing incidents in Carmel? Carmel, like Su-Chuen, is to the world a foreign country where the world’s most elementary usages are lost; here is a small example. A charitable person recently made us a present of a little lobster, all tied up in a hamper. Naturally no such marvel had been seen in the Convent for a very long time; but our dear sister cook did remember that the little thing had to be put into water to be cooked; she did it, with much lamentation at having to treat an innocent creature so cruelly. The innocent creature was apparently asleep and let itself be handled without protest; but the moment it felt the heat, its mildness turned to fury. It knew its innocence and, without so much as a by-your-leave [good-bye], leaped out onto the floor, for its soft-hearted executioner had not yet put the lid on the pot.

So poor sister armed herself with tongs and rushed after the lobster which was leaping about frantically. The struggle lasted quite a time: at last, weary of battle, the Cook, still armed with the tongs, came to our Mother and told her that the lobster was certainly possessed. Her face was even more expressive than her words (poor little creature, a moment ago so mild, so innocent now possessed! Truly, you can’t trust the praise of "creatures"!) Our Mother couldn’t help laughing to hear the judge demanding justice; she went straight to the kitchen, seized the lobster - which, not having made a vow of obedience, offered some resistance - put it in its prison and went off after having shut the door - that is, the lid - tight. In the evening at recreation the whole Community laughed till the tears ran at the little lobster possessed by the devil and next day everyone was able to enjoy a mouthful…

The donor wanted to give us a treat, and certainly succeeded; for the famous lobster, or rather its story, will serve again and again as a feast not in the refectory but at recreation. Maybe my little story does not strike you as funny, but I can assure you that had you been present you would not have kept your gravity…"