5 Reasons to love oysters... yes, including that

Hey everyone who actually reads this :P
I haven't posted in awhile cuz I haven't really had much to post about, it's been business as usual at the restaurant for the most part, and I'm not one to write just to write. I write when something comes to mind or I'm inspired by something, or I learned something really fucking cool.

Anyways...

5 Reasons to love oysters

1) They're simple.
Oysters don't really need anything with them, at the restaurant we serve them with horseradish, cocktail sauce, and shallots and parsley in red wine vinegar on the side, as well as a lemon wedge and a schezuan berry (look those up, they're cool, there's kind of a electric sensation to them). But the dont really need it, they're beautifully tasty on their own, you don't even need to cook them.

2) The Preparation. Oysters are one of those interesting items that while it doesn't take much to prepare and plate them, it's strangley cathartic to do. It takes both patience and a kind of aggressiveness to open them and do it right. My chef, my first night opening them told me something I found kind of profound "Remember that they're still living creatures, don't attack them, treat them with respect" (or something close to that) You've got to be patient, wiggling the knife in carefully so you don't jam it in stabbing the oyster, but you've got to be aggressive enough to put the force behind the knife to get in there and be able to pop hinge.

3) There's many different types; Each with a different flavor to them. Oysters absorb what's around them in the ocean, making different oyster from different place taste completely different. At the restaurant we use Stellar Bay Oysters, which are the best oysters I've ever tasted, they have that saltiness that all oysters have to them, but they are cut by this almost honeydew like sweetness to them that is just outrageously good.

4) They're elitist; raw oysters aren't for everyone, they seperate the men from the boys, the consistency is weird, but it's something you can learn to love, and it's soooo worth it when you can get past it, and just enjoy the flavor (see above)

and.....5) They're sexy; Everyone who loves them knows them to be an aphrodesiac, and theyre just one of those sensual things that are fun and enjoyable.

They're right up there with foie gras for my favorite food, if you've never popped an oyster, try it, and just go with it, you'll hate the consistency of them the first time, but try them another, you'll know what to expect, it'll go down easier, and you'll focus on the flavor you completely ignored last time.

Later ya'll
CT