Oysters

Oyster "season"... one of my favorites of the seasons (except for Winter and Waterfowl) is sunsetting. The old addage states that Oysters are "safe" to eat if eaten during months which contain the letter "r". Especially the raw ones. I really enjoy oysters. They are a "blobulous" blob of protein, slurped - not chewed. Our neck of the woods, or waters, produces some pretty good oysters. Oysters out of Hyde County are as good as those from Texas and other gulf states. I still prefer Galveston Bay oysters, though.

What make a good oyster? I like one that is extra salty. That's it. Some like them based on texture and color. I don't eat them plain, though. I extract the oyster from it's halfshell with the tiny tin fork, dip it in hot sauce, then in cocktail sauce, then my neck.

I have eaten at many "Houses" of slimy bivalves. I have a favorite, too. The "Original Oyster House", serving the two peninsulas of Alabama's Gulf Coast, offers the best - in my humble opinion. I would rather eat anything at it's origin, though. The Acme, in N'Awlins is good, too. Eating in and around the French Quarter is always a good thing. I have only been to New Orleans on one occasion, though. It was about 6 months after Katrina...debris, trash, water, mosquitoes, and people were everywhere. It is not a tough city to navigate, as long as you stay oriented to Canal Street. Grab a beignet, too, if you remember.

Around the Inner and Outer Banks, one can also find excellent offerings. While there are some famous T-shirt restaurants at the beaches that also serve oysters and other sea creatures, it's best to seek out smaller locales, especially seasonal ones. Williamston, Edenton, and Ocracoke have some excellent Holes in the Wall. Any trip to Edenton is incomplete if one fails to stroll the downtown concourses.

Oysters were a large part of Native American diets, too. Lucky jokers...

Oysters appear in some traditional dishes around here, such as cornbread dressing. Oysters Rockefeller is an interesting twist on a slimy mollusk. A steamed oyster, though, is a waste of steam and raw flesh. I hate 'em.

And while I enjoy eating oysters, shucking them can go out with the bathwater. On to many occasions has the knife or screwdiver had its way with my phalanges. But if you are adept at the shuck, buy a bushel...and invite some friends...before its to late in the year...

Enjoy the day...