This being my first oyster ever, I was pretty freaked out - but undeterred. With some excellent cocktails at the ready, we were prepared for oyster number one: the Hayden’s Reef. He also mentioned that they’re best with some sort of acid: lemon, Tabasco or cocktail sauce. Were we supposed to just swallow them whole or chew? I’d always heard to gulp them down whole, but our expert suggested a “courtesy chew” to get the flavor of the oyster. We asked John the best method for eating the slippery beasts. Our informative oyster tour concluded, it was on to the tasting. He also passed on another tidbit about the oyster shells: Hank’s recycles them! They’re turned over to be used to build artificial reefs for oysters to spawn. The Japanese imports are hardier and grow faster. Apparently, our West Coast versions are slow growers and were eaten to virtual extinction. Finally, I won’t even discuss its associated appearance and how it adds to the mix.īut enough with the science lesson! Hank’s was serving up raw oysters on the half shell: two native to Virginia, called Hayden’s Reef and Tom’s Cove, and a third, from Washington State, called Pebble Beach.Īgain, John brought his encyclopedic knowledge to the table, explaining that the Pebble Beach oysters were actually imported from Japan. These acids heighten the amount of dopamine in the brain which, it turns out, is vital to stimulate sexual desire. This extra dose of zinc was a needed boost back when diets weren’t as healthy and vitamin-focused as they are today.Īlso, oysters have tyrosine, an important amino acid. They are high in zinc, a vitamin that controls progesterone levels (closely related to testosterone), which have a positive effect on the libido. He started by explaining a bit about the oyster’s aphrodisiac nature. So, instead, I took her to some experts where I felt certain we could test the mollusks safely and, as it turns out, enjoy some extremely well-prepared libations.Ī bartender at Hank’s, John, took excellent care of us that night. The last thing I want to do is poison my Valentine. I guess I could have shucked them myself and spent some time explaining how that worked, but frankly, I was worried. Now I have to admit, dear Eaters, I cheated a little. It was my intention to try out a recipe from that sounded delicious: grilled oysters in fennel butter.īut then, that’s not quite right, is it? Really, it’s raw oysters that presumably have the lust-inducing properties, not cooked ones. I gave serious deliberation to preparing and cooking a meal. I mean, have you really looked at a raw oyster? Yikes! Have I ever mentioned I’d never tried seafood before I met my sweetheart?Īnd, while oysters are probably the most infamous aphrodisiac, trying them for the first time seemed a bit daunting. So, as days fly by and we hurtle towards Valentine’s Day, I’m faced not only with preparing a meal to woo the lady, I’ve also taken on oysters as my We The Eaters aphrodisiac-themed post.
It’s well-established at this point that I have a favorite foodie I’m continually out to impress with my newfound culinary skills.
0 kommentar(er)
