<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for How I shucked my oyster ambivalence and learned to love the noble bivalve]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Roz Cummins http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:41:11 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/1 Spats and gametes...

In case you're wondering what the "spat" in the caption refers to, that is the phrase used to describe a baby oyster.

I also want to clarify that it is the oysters' gametes (the eggs and sperm) that are combined in order for fertilization to occur, not the oysters themselves. Since this is a form of external fertilization, the mama and papa oysters don't need to be present for this stage of reproduction.

]]> Spats and gametes...

In case you're wondering what the "spat" in the caption refers to, that is the phrase used to describe a baby oyster.

I also want to clarify that it is the oysters' gametes (the eggs and sperm) that are combined in order for fertilization to occur, not the oysters themselves. Since this is a form of external fertilization, the mama and papa oysters don't need to be present for this stage of reproduction.

]]> Comment #2 by evesegal http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/ Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:41:11 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/2 Too little and too much on oysters

Those sauces sound dreadful. The French, and Europeans generally, eat raw oysters only with a squeeze of lemon, so as not to interfere with the oysters' flavor. I love capers and use it in tartar sauce but I would never use something as strong as capers in a cocktail sauce for oysters or clams or shrimp. Standard cocktail sauce: ketchup, Tobasco, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, in proportions to suit your taste. Nothing else, that's already a lot! And what about fried oysters? I'm still looking for an easy way to do fried oysters. So far my attempts have yielded mushy oysters or tough, overcooked oysters. The very best fried oysters I've ever eaten are served in a Japanese restaurant in my neighborhood in Philadelphia. And what about baked oysters?

]]> Too little and too much on oysters

Those sauces sound dreadful. The French, and Europeans generally, eat raw oysters only with a squeeze of lemon, so as not to interfere with the oysters' flavor. I love capers and use it in tartar sauce but I would never use something as strong as capers in a cocktail sauce for oysters or clams or shrimp. Standard cocktail sauce: ketchup, Tobasco, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, in proportions to suit your taste. Nothing else, that's already a lot! And what about fried oysters? I'm still looking for an easy way to do fried oysters. So far my attempts have yielded mushy oysters or tough, overcooked oysters. The very best fried oysters I've ever eaten are served in a Japanese restaurant in my neighborhood in Philadelphia. And what about baked oysters?

]]> Comment #3 by isabelle28 http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/ Sat, 15 Dec 2007 09:44:55 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/3 How is this a sustainable practice?

Could someone at Grist explain how eating animals is a sustainable practice?  From everything I've seen or heard, eating animals is harmful to the environment.

Am I being too much of a "tree-hugger" for Grist or are you willing to research this and report your findings?

]]> How is this a sustainable practice?

Could someone at Grist explain how eating animals is a sustainable practice?  From everything I've seen or heard, eating animals is harmful to the environment.

Am I being too much of a "tree-hugger" for Grist or are you willing to research this and report your findings?

]]> Comment #4 by Roz Cummins http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/ Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:09:54 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/pearls-of-wisdom/4 If you read the section about Drayton Harbor...

...and the work that they are doing in terms of improving the water quality through growing oysters, you will see an example of how eating animals, in this case oysters, supports their work. (The funds raised from the sale of the oysters contributes to the cost of maintaining the program.)

The answer to the question of whether eating animals is sustainable is not a quick and easy one. Many people prefer to not to eat animals for ethical reasons, which is great. Some people who don't have any qualms about the ethics of eating animals decide that it isn't sustainable to eat them, and while this is true in many cases, it isn't true in all cases.

In order to really get at the facts, it's necessary to look at different practices individually. Huge feedlots? An obvious no. Oyster farming that actually improves the envionment? For me, that's a yes.

]]> If you read the section about Drayton Harbor...

...and the work that they are doing in terms of improving the water quality through growing oysters, you will see an example of how eating animals, in this case oysters, supports their work. (The funds raised from the sale of the oysters contributes to the cost of maintaining the program.)

The answer to the question of whether eating animals is sustainable is not a quick and easy one. Many people prefer to not to eat animals for ethical reasons, which is great. Some people who don't have any qualms about the ethics of eating animals decide that it isn't sustainable to eat them, and while this is true in many cases, it isn't true in all cases.

In order to really get at the facts, it's necessary to look at different practices individually. Huge feedlots? An obvious no. Oyster farming that actually improves the envionment? For me, that's a yes.

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