Amei Halal Market, Portland, Me

I spotted this place from the bus yesterday. Signs in the window advertised their meat, including goat, and, if I wasn't hallucinating, CAMEL. It's just off Congress on the left side of St. John. If you're coming down Congress with the Greyhound bus station on your left, take a left on St. John.
 
There's a Thai restaurant next door to the market too, fwiw.
 
Chowhounding often reminds me of the days when I was a bird watcher and kept a "Life List" of sightings. If this place does have camel, it's going on my Chowhound Life List!

[karenaa]

I went to the Amei Halal Market in Portland, Me today to specifically purchase Camel (really wanted to try it). They said they haven't had Camel in awhile (they had many goats hanging in the fridge though). Anyone know where I can actually get Camel meat between Maine and New Hampshire?

[Kinnexa]

I haven't shopped for camel meat, but maybe you might try Lewiston? There's a large Somali population here too, and several halal markets and Somali groceries on Lisbon St. If you can't get it here, I bet someone here will be able to tell you where!

You're not hallucinating -- put that sucker on your list! Though it's probably not frozen camel meat, but rather camel jerky. Mmmmm...caaaamel jerky...

There's been a fairly recent but substantial influx of Somali immigrants to the area, enough to support a couple of halal markets. You can even find halal goat in the local supermarkets now (along with banana nectar, guava juice, huge bags of basmati rice, and ghee)...stuff that wasn't exactly common here before a couple of years ago. I've tried goat, but I am still (and will probably remain) a camel virgin, I'm afraid.

"You're not hallucinating ..." Whew, that's a relief!

I had camel once and it didn't thrill me. I'm very fond of goat. I was born in Portland and each time I go back, I'm amazed by the diversity of the food scene, compared to when I was younger.

Anyway, hooray for the Somali population!

Wow, you've actually tried camel??!? I've had a few mystery meats while travelling (particularly in Southeast Asia...was it dog? wild chicken? monkey? lizard? who knew?), but I'm pretty sure camel wasn't one of 'em. Your reaction to camel sounds like mine to ostrich, snake, and kangaroo, all of which I found out I'd eaten after the fact, and which I won't be eating again...they all tasted odd and gamey to me (never mind the strange pinky-orange color).

I give props to the Somalis, too...it can't be easy settling somewhere that's so different, climate-wise, and so...well, whitebread, for lack of a better term. I was born in Portland, too, but I never would've moved back (I'd been away since '83) if it hadn't become a little more ethnically diverse. I like the fact that we have places like the new halal market, an Afghani restaurant, and a bunch of Asian grocery stores now. I like that you see crusty old Mainers in flannel shirts digging into plates of spring rolls and scarfing down Pho. I love that it's going into the second generation for some immigrant groups and you get the relative novelty of local kids from Cambodian and Vietnamese families who talk with broad Maine vowels and dropped "r"s. Much more cosmopolitan here than it was when I was a kid -- definitely a positive change.

Yes, I've tried camel. It was a few years ago. I really can't remember exactly what it was like. I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it though. I do like ostrich, and years ago when I was a kid, I had rattlesnake meat. My dad would try anything once. That's how many times we ate rattlesnake.

Pat Hammond--what is the Afghani restaurant that you mentioned being in Portland? I haven't seen one.

It was "Vacationland" who posted in this thread about an Afghani restaurant. I'd like to know where it is too!