Lovely writing as usual, from the disturbingly inappropriate cousin (that reminded me of my own childhood) to the oysters and middens. I visited a 1500 year old one on the shore of New Jersey. And my first raw oyster was with my father at a long gone seafood restaurant attached to a fishmonger's. You always remember it, don't you? Like Bourdain says. "it was a brave man who first ate an oyster," and maybe that's way. My mother prefers cherrystone clams, and I like those too. Those are lovely snake photos, and I'm glad more people appreciate them now. I learned to stop telling adults that I found a harmless snake the first time they killed it.
I remember the midden you visited (https://thomaspluck.substack.com/p/the-rocky-road-to-hampton-furnace?s=r) -- I'd love to go out there & also see all those fiddler crabs. My mom used to make a great oysters Rockefeller, so those were probably my first, but my first raw one was in NY, and yeah, the thrill never quite fades does it? So sorry to hear about the harmless snake, I'll keep that in mind for most circumstances myself.
Chris and I have never liked oysters, but when we were in Tasmania, we decided to go to a famous oyster restaurant/farm/market and had a sampler of them cooked about 5 different ways. Verdict: We have tried very good oysters. We do not like oysters. https://barillabay.com.au/
Lovely writing as usual, from the disturbingly inappropriate cousin (that reminded me of my own childhood) to the oysters and middens. I visited a 1500 year old one on the shore of New Jersey. And my first raw oyster was with my father at a long gone seafood restaurant attached to a fishmonger's. You always remember it, don't you? Like Bourdain says. "it was a brave man who first ate an oyster," and maybe that's way. My mother prefers cherrystone clams, and I like those too. Those are lovely snake photos, and I'm glad more people appreciate them now. I learned to stop telling adults that I found a harmless snake the first time they killed it.
I remember the midden you visited (https://thomaspluck.substack.com/p/the-rocky-road-to-hampton-furnace?s=r) -- I'd love to go out there & also see all those fiddler crabs. My mom used to make a great oysters Rockefeller, so those were probably my first, but my first raw one was in NY, and yeah, the thrill never quite fades does it? So sorry to hear about the harmless snake, I'll keep that in mind for most circumstances myself.
Water snakes get killed as moccasins a lot.
I liked this and then realized I didn't like it. But you know what I meant. :)
Oysters
Our shells clacked on the plates.
My tongue was a filling estuary,
My palate hung with starlight:
As I tasted the salty Pleiades
Orion dipped his foot into the water.
Alive and violated,
They lay on their bed of ice:
Bivalves: the split bulb
And philandering sigh of ocean
Millions of them ripped and shucked and scattered.
We had driven to that coast
Through flowers and limestone
And there we were, toasting friendship,
Laying down a perfect memory
In the cool of thatch and crockery.
Over the Alps, packed deep in hay and snow,
The Romans hauled their oysters south of Rome:
I saw damp panniers disgorge
The frond-lipped, brine-stung
Glut of privilege
And was angry that my trust could not repose
In the clear light, like poetry or freedom
Leaning in from sea. I ate the day
Deliberately, that its tang
Might quicken me all into verb, pure verb.
Seamus Heaney
"My tongue was a filling estuary,
My palate hung with starlight: ..."
Holy ... oyster, that's gorgeous. Thank you, and thanks to you, Mr. Heaney.
Makes your mouth water don't it.
I love this, and not just for the generous shoutout. That said, I confess I have never had oysters, nor do I suspect I ever will.
There are many reasons I think you’re wise, Chris, and this decision is just one of them.
😂
Chris and I have never liked oysters, but when we were in Tasmania, we decided to go to a famous oyster restaurant/farm/market and had a sampler of them cooked about 5 different ways. Verdict: We have tried very good oysters. We do not like oysters. https://barillabay.com.au/
Wow, that’s quite a restaurant! I appreciate your dedication to the cause, and promise to eat all the oysters you don’t want. 🦪😜
If you search online for the Taman Beji Griya waterfall, you might see photos of the huge serpent sculptures carved in the waterside stone.
Will do, and thanks! ❤️