Nothing Better Than Freshly Shucked Oysters!
I love fresh oysters! The look, the briny freshness of the ocean, and of course, the icy cold sensation as they slide down your throat…and they are incredibly good for you as well!
So why am I sharing this with you? Because this “Wednesday Bookmobile” is telling the romantic story of these bivalves!
“Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover’s World Tour” by Robb Walsh!
With Valentine’s Day just behind us, here’s a question: are Oysters really an Aphrodisiac?
Whether it’s fact or fiction, it is beyond a doubt that oysters do encourage romance. The sensuality of the eating experience titillates the brain, which in turn releases feel-good hormones that mimic the powers of an aphrodisiac.
Also, Oysters improve dopamine levels which boosts libido in men and women. Oysters are also high in zinc which is vital for testosterone production…and this terrific book uses Oysters as the beginning of a real life mystery!
Did you know there is such a thing as a”counterfeit” Oyster? Yes, this is a real-life mystery that involves “Sex, Death & Oysters!”
When award-winning Texas food writer Robb Walsh discovers that the local Galveston Bay oysters are being passed off as Blue Points and Chincoteagues in other parts of the country, he decides to look into the matter.
Thus begins a five-year journey into the culture of one of the world’s oldest delicacies. Walsh’s through-the-looking-glass adventure takes him from oyster reefs to oyster bars and from corporate boardrooms to hotel bedrooms in a quest for the truth about the world’s most profitable aphrodisiac.
You’ll find out a ton of great information, including why there is a big underground business in counterfeit Oysters!
On the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Gulf coasts of the U.S., as well as the Canadian Maritimes, Ireland, England, and France, the author ingests thousands of oysters—raw, roasted, barbecued, and baked—all for the sake of making a fair comparison. He also considers the merits of a wide variety of accompanying libations, including tart white wines in Paris, Guinness in Galway, martinis in London, microbrews in the Pacific Northwest, and tequila in Texas.
“Sex, Death and Oysters” is a record of a gastronomic adventure with illustrations and recipes— a fascinating collection of the most exciting, instructive, poignant, and just plain weird experiences on a trip into the world of the most beloved and feared of all seafoods.
Here is the Amazon Best of the Month, January 2009 Review:
Once called “the Indiana Jones of food writers,” Texan Robb Walsh has developed a cult of devoted readers who have ridden shotgun with him on his obsessive culinary adventures–from the quest for the perfect cup of coffee, to barbecue battles, to Dr. Pepper bootleggers.
Who better then to take a five-year quest in search of the perfect oyster, “the world’s most profitable aphrodisiac,” than the James Beard Award-winning author, who hangs his hat as the restaurant critic for The Houston Press and has written several books, including Are You Really Going to Eat That? and The Tex-Mex Cookbook. Sex, Death, and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover’s World Tour chronicles a global culinary road trip that takes Walsh from his local Galveston Bay to the coasts of North America, and off to Ireland, England, and France.
Fact-filled and laced throughout with his wry humor, Walsh recounts the hundreds of oysters shucked and prepared in myriad ways, and offers a fascinating history that goes beyond the expected, revealing coastal rivalries, recipes, shucking tips, and what to drink with your oyster.
It’s everything you need to know to enjoy one of these!
I hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Bookmobile – I love books about food – from cookbooks filled with great recipes or stories about the origins of food…and I also like to find out more about our food, where it comes from and how it is sold to us – and so does Food Author Michael Ruhlman:
Ruhlman’s “Grocery” book is essential reading for food lovers – you may never look at your local supermarket the same way again!
See my review here:
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Leave a comment and let me know if you love Oyster Stew, Fried Oysters, or you enjoy them raw right out of the shell!
Categories: Books / Media, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Memoirs, nature, Pop Culture, Recipes, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Wacky Food
I will happily eat oysters, though preferably by the sea, where they have been freshly harvested. I prefer them raw, with a little lemon juice. The best I ever had were in a restaurant at the harbour in Honfleur, Normandy. Still tasting of the sea, they were so different to the ones in London restaurants.
This was the place, though I was there in 1999.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187189-d1518993-Reviews-Le_Bistro_du_Port-Honfleur_Calvados_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks for sharing this Pete! My wife and I love to go to Hog Island Oyster Company just north of San Francisco, located on an inlet next to the Pacific Ocean!
I love our history of oysters in the Pacific Northwest. And I have tried to like them, but so far without success! 😉
I LOVE THEM! We will keep working on you!
😁🍽
this looks like a fascinating read, John. I plan to read it, thanks. I only recently, in the last few years, tried my first oysters, very fresh, and I loved them
I love them and this book is great – recipes too!
This is such great information John. I’m definitely going to check out that book. I haven’t yet mustered the courage to try oysters yet, but maybe someday.
They are a bite of the sea and very good for you!
This sounds like an interesting and fun book, John. The picture of the oyster looks like a woman’s profile. It has a face, neck and hat – aren’t I fanciful – no wonder I don’t eat oysters.
And, of course, there are these oysters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00WCEbKM_SE
[Wink!!!]
I took that photo and was intrigued by the lighting on it…never saw the woman’s profile until now…thanks for sharing that link!
My pleasure, I have rather a vivid imagination, John.
That is hilarious by the way…it reminds me that the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane is currently being used by a cruise ship line in an ad…perhaps they don’t care that it’s a DRUG SONG! Alice had quite the adventure, right?
For sure, John, and there are parts of it that make you think the author must have been tripping at the time [caterpillar and mock turtle scenes are so weird]. I know the Jefferson Airplane song and think it is terrific.
Grace Slick is all but forgotten but was the wild Queen of Rock at the time!