The 'Big Oyster'

July 23, 2006 9:58 AM

'History on the Half Shell.' "A loaf of bread," the Walrus said, "Is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides Are very good indeed-- Now if you're ready, Oysters (via) dear, We can begin to feed." . . . . . "O Oysters," said the Carpenter, "You've had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?' But answer came there none-- And this was scarcely odd, because They'd eaten every one.------Lewis Carroll-------
posted by nola (15 comments total)

!
posted by nola at 9:59 AM on July 23, 2006

One of my favorite restaraunts in Boston - B & G Oysters.
posted by ericb at 10:13 AM on July 23, 2006

*restaurants*
posted by ericb at 10:14 AM on July 23, 2006

Damnit! Now I'm hungry!
posted by brundlefly at 10:21 AM on July 23, 2006

You Are the Oyster. (Warning: Shameless self-promotion.)
posted by Iason at 10:34 AM on July 23, 2006

There was a great oyster place off of Lemon Avenue here in Dallas but it's closed down now. It didn't have a large parking lot but it was always full. Can't imagine why it failed. Had the best mahi mahi, and I loved their blackened catfish. I used to go there just for the music. In the summers we used to sit on the deck and watch planes fly back and forth from Love Field into the sunset painted sky. Personally I never ate the oysters cuz that just looks gross. Now there's a Blockbuster to the right of it and a bagel place to the left, and the building there's just a shell of its former self. Damn shame really.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:35 AM on July 23, 2006

Oysters used to be one of my favourite foodstuffs in the world. Then I ate a bad one and spent ten days in bed, getting up only to go to the toilet every 15 minutes and losing 12 pounds.

I don't really enjoy oysters and more: they remind me of sitting on the throne and crying.
posted by rhymer at 10:37 AM on July 23, 2006

that is a terrifying story rhymer. I would hate to lose the pleasure of eating oysters. Did you not smell it was bad? How soon after did you realise what you'd done?
posted by criticalbill at 11:02 AM on July 23, 2006

nice first couple of links, nola, btw, making me want to yam two dozen pearl beauties right now
posted by criticalbill at 11:03 AM on July 23, 2006

’Twas a brave man who first et an oyster.

Braver than I, anyway. Yecch.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:08 AM on July 23, 2006

I'm currently reading The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky who previously wrote Salt and Cod. Good stuff, but it is making me hungry.
posted by fixedgear at 11:17 AM on July 23, 2006

Oyster the Cat, who is ill and needs some 10 ratings to cheer him up. Badly.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 11:31 AM on July 23, 2006

Criticalbill, it was classic shellfish poisoning, probably down to some strain of e. coli. The oyster looked and smelled fine (it wasn't off). I was fine for about a day and then was violently ill once and then went to toilet for a little over a week until I'd pretty much eviscarated myself (after a few days your guts bleed a bit from being so sore).

Of course, everyone says "Why don't you go to the doctor?" but this is easier said than done when you need to be no more than two metres from the nearest can.

Unlike some people who've had it, I am not now violently ill when I eat an oyster, I just don't really enjoy them at all. Still, I continue to enjoy clams, mussels and other shellfish.
posted by rhymer at 11:39 AM on July 23, 2006

This isn't the right month to discuss this.
posted by euphorb at 12:42 PM on July 23, 2006

’Twas a brave man who first et an oyster.

Nah. Just a starving one who thought, "It's either this or dirt..."

There's this great oyster place down the road a bit from where I work (in Katy, for those of you familiar with Houston.) I used to go there and eat a couple dozen every payday. They started tasting a little weird about a year or so ago, though (pre-Katrina, if that matters at all) (I mean, really weird. "This tastes like a baby's soiled diaper smells," weird,) so I haven't been back in a while. Still love the things.

This isn't the right month to discuss this.

I don't wanna wait until September.
posted by Cyrano at 2:06 PM on July 23, 2006