1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Saber production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: I'm Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today we 3 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: have a classic episode for you about oysters, one of 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: my very very favorite foods. Oh me too, Me too, Annie. 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: Have you gotten to eat any oysters since this entire 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: shutdown thing? Oh? Yes, I have. And I actually I 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: was very concerned about it because it is one of 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: my favorites and I just thought, you know, there's no 9 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: way I can get delivery oysters, so I don't think 10 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: that would work. But I was discussing it with our 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: good friend and co worker Ramsey, who's been on this show, 12 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: and he made sure he went and bought some at 13 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: your decap farmer's market, okay, And we had a socially 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: distanced oyster hang out and it was lovely and I 15 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: loved it so much that I had a socially distance 16 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: bachelate party, which was very interesting a couple of weeks ago, 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: and I got some oysters and they were so impressed 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: with me because I had to check them myself, which 19 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 1: is varying degrees of difficult, but it's not really that impressive, 20 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: but they were very impressed. They've never seen it before 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: and I was like, yeah, but then some of them 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: were so hard I had to look up a YouTube 23 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: tutorial about what to do with a difficult oyster. Surprisingly, 24 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: they are a lot of tips. So oh no, I 25 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: I bet. I mean people enjoy an oyster um. They 26 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: come in their own protective casing. So yeah, sometimes you 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: have to sometimes you need help. It's okay to need help, 28 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: It's true. Oh yeah, and I I know I've said 29 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: it before, but I do feel that chucking can be 30 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: a very dangerous activity, especially for someone clumsy like me. 31 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: There's an alcohol involved. Yeah. Yeah, we we go into 32 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: that a little bit towards the end of this of 33 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: this art classic oyster episode UM, because I still have 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: to this day, or shocked one myself, because I always 35 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: feel like I'm like, by the time, yeah, by the 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: time oysters come out, I'm like, I'm like, I have 37 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: had at least one alcoholic unity and you're giving me 38 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: like a knife. No, and not only that, oysters can have, 39 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: you know, like barnacle they yes, but that is one 40 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: tip I found is to use like a rag or 41 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: something to hold. Yeah, so you know, I'm stepping up 42 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: in the world of oyster checking. Slowly, but I'm actually 43 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: planning on getting some more soon again. Cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 44 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: I was. I was reading there's all of these like 45 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: oyster mail order services, um, a bunch of places here 46 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: in Atlanta anyway that do serve oysters are doing like 47 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: like we'll just we'll just deliver you a bucket of oysters, 48 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: like you figure out what to do with it kind 49 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: of situations. Yeah, um, I recommend it. I mean it 50 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: is endeavor. Maybe maybe this will be the thing that 51 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: gets me to check my own oysters. Maybe this is 52 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: time for you lining yes, yes, we could do a 53 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: socially distanced oyster hang out. Oh can we go? I 54 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: want that so much? Okay, all right, we need some oysters. 55 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: We need some absentthe and hot sauce and oh yeah 56 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: yeah lemon juice. Yeah okay, oh no, now I want 57 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: this right now. I know. But Annie, it is only 58 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: eleven am. That's perfect oyster time, it is, you know, 59 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: you're right? Um? And yes, so speaking of we did 60 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: we did this oyster episode back in September of um, which, 61 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: by our current reckoning is like nine years ago. Yeah, 62 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: no one was even alive then. Um. As the old 63 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: answer joke goes yeah, the episode was called The World 64 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: Is Your Oyster. We really need to catalog all these 65 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: all the titles that were never were I don't know. 66 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: I'm always like, oh, yeah, I bet I had fifty 67 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: seven title ideas for this. I still have an archive 68 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: of all of our old email chains, so I mean 69 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: I would have to go searching to find it. But hmm, yeah, yes, 70 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: I mean there is time. I don't know if that's 71 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: the best way to spend it, but I don't know 72 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: that I'm spending it the best I can anyway. So oh, 73 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: true enough, yes, well, yes, so we are going to 74 00:04:45,400 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: let former Annie and Lauren take it away. Hello, and well, 75 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: come to food stuff. I'm Annie Reeves and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, 76 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: and today we are talking about oysters. Shucks, oh, right away, 77 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: And there's so much to talk about, so we're going 78 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: to dive right in. So an article I read on 79 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: MPR called oysters the sea's version of fine wine. And 80 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: that's partially because the flavor of them is kind of 81 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: determined by the water they're in. And it's called m 82 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: are Wow, like there are for wine, but with water 83 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: and oysters. Yeah, the flavors that you get from oysters 84 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: come from the the salts and minerals in the water 85 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: where they grow, and from what they eat. But oysters, 86 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: what are they? I don't know. Why don't you tell me? 87 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna so. Yeah, oysters are bi valve that means 88 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: two shelled mollusk and they live in shallow salt water. 89 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: They are related to the oysters that make pearls that 90 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: are used in jewelry and other decorations and food. Oysters 91 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: can make pearls. But but they're too they're two different species. 92 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 1: I see. And oysters are filter feeders That means that 93 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: they suck in water and strain out like plankton and 94 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: algae and bacteria and and we particles of planted animal 95 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: matter for consumption. They grow their shells by taking in 96 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: calcium carbonate from the water around them and kind of 97 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: forming it up into micro structures that they add layers too. 98 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: Over time, calcium carbonate particles get into water when certain 99 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: types of rock or old oyster shells erode. Those shells 100 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: a k. A valves, the by valve by shell thing. Yeah, 101 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: the shell where the oyster sits, it's called the left valve. 102 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: I don't know why that's it is Um, it's the 103 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: longer and rounder of the two, and the right valve 104 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: and contrast is shorter and flatter and acts sort of 105 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: like a lid. Um. They're hinged with a ligament, and 106 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: the oyster can keep the shell closed with it with 107 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,239 Speaker 1: a a ductor muscle, which which is a really strong 108 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: little muscle. It's like they're one single muscle that they've 109 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: got basically, uh for for stuff other than like pumping 110 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: their blood, which is an important thing to do as well, 111 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: I suppose. Um. But yeah, this adductor muscle. Um, if 112 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: you've ever seen an oyster in its shell, the deductor 113 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: muscle is the is the tough circular bit that's more 114 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: firmly attached to the shell than the rest of the oyster. 115 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: Oh yes, yeah, I mean I've eaten many an oyster 116 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: in my day, so I know exactly what you're talking about. Um. 117 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: Oh h well, while we're here, Um, oysters are basically 118 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: still alive when the when we eat them raw or 119 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: when we start cooking them. Uh, go ahead and take 120 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: a second to feel bad about that if you weren't aware. 121 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: I know I did. That's heavy stuff because I also 122 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: have eaten a lot of oysters in my time, and 123 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: suddenly the Walverus and the Carpenter's just it's thrown into 124 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: a whole new horrific light. It was already bad, but 125 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: this is like the gritty d C reboot, like exactly 126 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: when you know that they're still alive. But okay, um, 127 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: the reason that we do this is not that humans 128 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: are terrible monsters. Um, well we might be, but not 129 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: about this. It's a Oysters can harbor some really pretty 130 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: nasty bacteria after they die, so you walk to eat 131 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: them as fresh as possible, which in this case means 132 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: as close to living as possible. And I mentioned this 133 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: here because you can tell a healthy, live oyster from 134 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,239 Speaker 1: a sick or a dead one because that a ductor 135 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: muscle stops working and their shell will crack up an 136 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: all on its own. If it makes you feel any better. 137 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: They don't have like a central nervous system or anything 138 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: like that. So oh yeah, I mean, I guess, I 139 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: guess a tiny bit. Uh. They're they're real tasty though, 140 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: but so um. In order for oysters to grow to 141 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,839 Speaker 1: a point where you can eat them and feel bad 142 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: about it later, first an adult oyster has to reproduce 143 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: by sending their their sperm or their eggs out into 144 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: the water to find each other. Oh romantic, is it? No? No, 145 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: not at all. Um. And then the wee baby oyster 146 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: larva that that result from from those watery unions, um, 147 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: spend a few weeks swimming around and eating stuff, um, 148 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: which seems like a pretty good life. H. Eventually, the 149 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: weight of their developing shell makes them sink down to 150 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: the sea floor, upon which they kind of find a 151 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:09,679 Speaker 1: place to settle down. Um. Meanwhile, they've grown a foot 152 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: to help them crawl to a good spot, which they 153 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: do um and and and a good spot is someplace 154 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: it's hard and solid with a good water current running 155 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: across it. And then they anchor to that reabsorbed their foot, 156 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: and and move into and move into their kind of 157 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: teenage stage what we're upon. They are called spats since 158 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,319 Speaker 1: they have different organs at all of these different stages. 159 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: Oysters growth to maturity is considered a metamorphosis, like like 160 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: a butterfly in reverse. Sure, yeah, I have to say 161 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: it was not expecting the phrase reabsorbed their foot. It's 162 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: a good one, it is. Yeah. At this point they 163 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 1: take another three or four years to reach maturity. They're 164 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 1: considered tastiest when they're eaten before the age of five, 165 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: specifically right before winter, when they've stored up some fat 166 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,960 Speaker 1: for the cold months, so like October September kind of 167 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: kind of area. But they can live up to thirty 168 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: to fifty years in the wild. Yeah, stuff, man, I 169 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 1: this this is an episode where I learned a lot 170 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: and I'm really excited about most of it in slightly 171 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: horrifying ways. So all of this definitely happens on its 172 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: own in nature. And you can harvest wild oysters depending 173 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: on the laws in your area and whether or not 174 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: you have a hammer that you feel like going out 175 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: into the water and you know, pounding off some oysters with. 176 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: But you can also farm them, and oyster farmers all 177 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: work a little bit differently depending on their local conditions, 178 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: but but generally the process is, you know, you select 179 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: a few oysters with good looking shells as breeders, set 180 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: up tanks that are ideal for spawning, move the resulting 181 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: dust sized like dust particle sized larva into hatchery tanks. 182 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: Then in a couple of weeks, move the pepper flake 183 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: sized babies into these screened in boxes and open water 184 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: called upwellers. Then move the spat ready quarter inch kiddos 185 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: into nursery cages. And then finally, when when when the 186 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: little buggers are a couple inches long, you just scatter 187 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,079 Speaker 1: them free range a little bit out from the shoreline 188 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: and let them let them settle in. And moving them 189 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,319 Speaker 1: around like this at all of their different growth stages 190 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: lets you control that the temperature, the salinity, the flow 191 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,439 Speaker 1: of water, and exposure to to all kinds of different 192 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: nutrients at their various stages of growth. It also encourages 193 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: them to develop the ideal shell shape, which is that 194 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: the left valve should be should be deep and very 195 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: rounded to allow for a good bodily growth. And and 196 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 1: also these methods make it easier to harvest the oysters later. 197 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: They're not going to be as firmly attached to the 198 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: bottom of the of the water surface or the bottom 199 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: of the stuff that the water is on top of. 200 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: A wild oysters, by the way, usually root themselves to 201 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: the shells of other oysters because that's a really easy 202 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: way to get calcium carbonate out of the water. Over time, 203 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: this winds up creating these vast reefs of oyster shells 204 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: that are really great for the environment. They provide structures 205 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: for other aquatic critters to to live in and around. Uh. 206 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: They filter and clarify the water, like one to eight 207 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: gallons of water per hour per oyster. Yeah um. As 208 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: they suck it into, you know, breathe and find food. 209 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: And they even prevent shoreline erosion by acting as wave breakers. 210 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: So giant reefs of oysters. If you've never seen an 211 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: image of this, go stop what you're doing. I mean, 212 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 1: unless you're like driving or something, don't do that. Go 213 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: go look it up and then come back. Yes, it's 214 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:30,200 Speaker 1: pretty incredible. I feel like we've become a marine biology 215 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: podcast all of a sudden. It's it's okay. But bring 216 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: us back to to say us back to some kind 217 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: of financial number. Okay, here we go. In the US 218 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: produced an estimated forty four million pounds of oyster meat, 219 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: with Louisiana being the largest producer. That same year, the 220 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: U s oyster industry made something like one point six 221 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: million a year hoof yeah um. And in the US 222 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 1: we ate about two point five billion oysters. Eighty five 223 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: percent of those came from the Atlantic coast. Yeah. So 224 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: that's kind of the state of where we are and 225 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: what oysters are so let's look at how we got here. 226 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: But first let's take a quick break for a word 227 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, and we're back. Thank you sponsor. Yes, oh, 228 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: and I wanted to mention before we get deep into 229 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: this history here that uh, most of most of our 230 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,079 Speaker 1: our research was based in European and American uh culture 231 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: and a history of oysters, because that's where we live 232 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: and that's what we were able to find. Perhaps in 233 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: the future will have an opportunity to to go into 234 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: some of the history from the the Asian side of things, 235 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: the Eastern side of things, But but for now, let's 236 00:13:55,240 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: hear mostly about the West. So eighteen century satirist Jonathan 237 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,559 Speaker 1: Swift wrote he was a bold man that first ate 238 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,319 Speaker 1: an oyster. True, but actually, according to food timeline dot org, 239 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: people have been eating oysters since the dawn of humanity forwards. 240 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: That's a quote. Food historians think this is because oysters 241 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: are relatively easy to collect and preserve, they're versatile, and 242 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: they're nurshing. I'm sure the fact that you could eat 243 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 1: them raw was a big selling point in the earliest 244 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: days of eating things as well. Yeah, and also you 245 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: could use the shells for spoons, so practical, Yeah, good tools. 246 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: We can't pin down exactly when ancient humans first started 247 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: cultivating oysters, but in two thousand seven, a group of 248 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: scientists found one seventy four thousand year old evidence of 249 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: humans enjoying shellfish dinners in South Africa. Shell fish is 250 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: such a fun word to shell shellfish. Archaeologists have discovered 251 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: ancient middens and these are like big shell heaps dating 252 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: back to two thousand BC along the coast of Japan, 253 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: and ten thousand year old mi's have been found along 254 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: Australia's coastline. Yeah, middens dating back to one thousand years 255 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: can be found along the east and west coast of 256 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: North America. Yes, and going back to thousand years we 257 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: have evidence of the Romans, who were like huge oyster 258 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: fans called big into It oh Many, collecting oyster seed 259 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: growth near the mouth of the Adriatic Sea and bringing 260 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: them back to Italy for growth. They did this by 261 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: um moving tiny little oysters with twigs and placing them 262 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: somewhere calmer with higher salinity, and this resulted in a 263 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: fatter taste you're in product. And the Romans weren't the 264 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: only ones doing this either. The Japanese used bamboo to 265 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: do the same thing, and the Greeks used pieces of pottery. Uh. 266 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: Side note here about the Greeks and oysters that the 267 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: Greeks used oyster shells and part of their democratic process 268 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: for for for a little while in ancient athens Um 269 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: circa Fo b c. If there's like someone that you 270 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: thought was really detrimental to society hanging out, you could 271 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 1: write their name on on a flat piece of oyster 272 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: shell called an ostracon, and if that person's name turned 273 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: up often enough on these ostracons, then then they'd be 274 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 1: kicked out of town for ten years. Ten years, ted years. 275 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, baby, nice to or fellow neighbors. This 276 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: is where we get the word ostracized from. That's so great. 277 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: Eventually they switched from shells to bits of pottery for 278 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: ease of use, but the name stuck. I love it. 279 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: They're so useful, these oyster shells, they really are. The 280 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: Romans getting back to them. They imported oysters from all 281 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: over the Mediterranean and the European coast wherever they could 282 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 1: find them. Really, they just were so in love um. 283 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 1: And there's evidence of the Romans importing British oysters from Kent, 284 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: which means they must have been preserving are brining them 285 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: so that they'd survived the journey. Yeah. I think pickled 286 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 1: oysters were a really big thing for a very long time. 287 00:16:55,880 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: I've never had one pickled. I haven't either. It's also 288 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: probably important to note that these they were eating um 289 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 1: much thinner. The oysters they were eating were much thinner 290 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,959 Speaker 1: than the ones we know now, just because uh, they 291 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:12,920 Speaker 1: didn't have all the they didn't have all the knowledge 292 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: of the techniques of how to get them to be 293 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: so plump and fat. Anyway, it was around this time 294 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: that writers like Pliny Are Good Buddy and the poet 295 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: Assnios wrote just tons and tons about different oysters from 296 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: different regions, comparing and contrasting their their qualities and their flavors. 297 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: And it was also around us this time that the 298 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 1: whole oysters are an aphrodisiac thing popped up in Greek mythology. 299 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: The goddess of love, Aphrodite, sprung out of an oyster 300 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: shell and moments later gave birth to arrows that startling moments. 301 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: Thus the word aphrodisiac. Yeah, and people believed it to 302 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: Casanova famous eighteenth century Love or movers Shaker allegedly would 303 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: eat around fifty for breakfast with the oysters. Uh, to 304 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: talk about the breakfast of champions, and we're going to 305 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: talk about more of the actual science of that or 306 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,479 Speaker 1: lack thereof the aphrodisa thing, not the goddess of love thing. 307 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah later. Yes, by the time of their 308 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: heyday and Roman civilization, you showed off just how much 309 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 1: money you had by stuffing as many oysters in your 310 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: face as quickly as possible. This was especially the case 311 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: for the inland elete, since the cost of transport drove 312 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,680 Speaker 1: up the cost of oysters. Yeah. But in places coast 313 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: of water like London, oysters were plentiful, very popular, and 314 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: on the whole inexpensive. Yes. To prevent spoilage, oysters were 315 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: often fried and enjoyed immediately after harvest. Oh that sounds 316 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:45,959 Speaker 1: so good. I'm so glad that people have been frying 317 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: them forever to that's that's terrific. I know. Roman entrepreneur 318 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 1: Sergius Rata looked to profit off of his countryman's love 319 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: of oysters, and he did so by making local oyster 320 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: beds that were fed into by these animals and dams 321 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: he created so you can control the flow of seawater, 322 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 1: and he then touted his water source as home to 323 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 1: the tastiest oysters. Folks were blown away by this, like 324 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,959 Speaker 1: people came to study it, and then he went on 325 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 1: to invent heated swimming pools. So, yeah, we have this 326 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: fellow and oysters to thank for that. Oh my goodness. Okay, yeah, yeah, 327 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:26,920 Speaker 1: that's that's one of the that's basically the first time 328 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: in in a in western civilization anyway that we have 329 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 1: a solid record of someone really doing the oyster farming 330 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,639 Speaker 1: thing and doing it successfully. Right. The French were also 331 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: in on this oyster game, and their coastline boasted many 332 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: natural oyster beds. Yeah, by the time of the Roman 333 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: occupation in fourth century CE, poet Osnos his description of 334 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: the technical aspect of oyster farming in France, which is 335 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: not exactly what we have to David similar, it was 336 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: so detailed and advanced for the time at least that 337 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 1: it most likely had been practiced for quite a while. 338 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: And like, like we kind of mentioned earlier, oyster shells 339 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: had a lot of uses because they have lime, they 340 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: were ground up and used in cement or as fertilizer. 341 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,159 Speaker 1: Some of the limestone used to build towns along the 342 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: south coast of France existed thanks to millennia oyster populations, 343 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,359 Speaker 1: fossilizing and jumping way ahead. In Australia around about the 344 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties, the use of oyster shells and cement production 345 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 1: led to a major depletion of the oyster beds, so 346 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: that the government had to step in and set up 347 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: cultivation practices based off what the French were doing. Yeah, 348 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:39,360 Speaker 1: oysters enjoyed this huge popularity in Paris during the sixteen hundreds. 349 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: There may have been over two thousand oyster sellers there 350 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:47,199 Speaker 1: during the reign of Louis. As they are today, Folks 351 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: ate oysters either cooked or raw, and when eating raw, 352 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: usually with a bit of lemon, juice or vinegar. However, 353 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: Alexandre duma Uh, famous author of Count of Monte Cristo 354 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: and other other things, wrote that quote the re connoisseurs 355 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: swallow them without lemon, vinegar, pepper, or anything else, just 356 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: straight up, straight up. Recipes for cooked oysters around that 357 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: time in France included oyster stews and fritters and broth 358 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: made by not quite boiling oysters to be used in 359 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: basically anything and or everything which sounds delicious. Um. Our 360 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: buddy Francois Pierre Lavarenne wrote in his book Liquis ineur 361 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,400 Speaker 1: Francois that you should open up your oysters and save 362 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: the nicest to be eaten raw, and then take the rest, 363 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: add a butter, bread crumbs and a sprinkle of nutmeg, 364 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:35,439 Speaker 1: and then roast them in their shells on an iron griddle. 365 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,159 Speaker 1: And now that I've read that, I really can't stop 366 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: thinking about it. I want it so much. That sounds 367 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: so good. Oh um. There's a legend that a steward 368 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: to the Royal House of Conde, a man by the 369 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,920 Speaker 1: name of Attel, was once in charge of feeding Louis 370 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: the fourteenth and his traveling party, And by traveling party, 371 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 1: I mean like five thousand people. And the pressure was 372 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,159 Speaker 1: so great that when a mint of oysters from the 373 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 1: coast failed to arrive on time, Attel committed suicide by 374 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: falling on his own sword rather than face the wrath 375 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: of the bougie aristocracy. They were serious about their oysters, 376 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:21,880 Speaker 1: very very serious. Okay, wow. Moving on to North America. 377 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: Before Columbus arrived, Columbus again, Native American women harvested and 378 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: prepared oysters, sometimes preserving them to last through the winter. 379 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: And when the Dutch first colonized what was then New 380 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,639 Speaker 1: Amsterdam what we know today as New York City in 381 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: the six hundreds, they discovered just so many oyster vs. 382 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. Some biologists estimate that over half of the 383 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 1: world's oyster population may have once lived in New York Harbard, 384 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: covering twenty two thousand acres over half. And this meant 385 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: that they were cheaper than pretty much all other livestock, 386 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: and that meant that people ate a lot of them. 387 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: You could get them from street vendors. The oyster shells 388 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: were used to pay pearl street and the foundations of 389 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: buildings um To prevent over harvesting, there were rules put 390 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: in place about when and where you could harvest oysters, 391 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 1: but at one point in the eighteenth century, the diet 392 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 1: of the poor living in cities was pretty much just 393 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: bread and oysters. The average New Yorker had two oyster 394 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: based meals a week. Wow, I'll ask. Those regulations they 395 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: put in place didn't work, and today they're pretty much 396 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 1: extinct from New York Harbor. But there is a pretty serious, 397 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 1: concerted effort to bring them back to boost the oyster population. Yeah, 398 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: perhaps not as big as it once was, no, Yeah, 399 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: but yeah, revitalize it a bit. And New York is 400 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 1: also thought to be where the first oysters were canned 401 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: in eighteen nineteen, and it is also also most likely 402 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: the birthplace of the oyster alcohol pairing. Yeah. From New 403 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:03,439 Speaker 1: York taverns pairing oysters with booze spread eventually arriving to 404 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: New Orleans, which was home to much of America's absentthe 405 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,959 Speaker 1: yes and the discovery of the absent oyster combo followed 406 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: soon after, and of course that the French immigrants to 407 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 1: New Orleans would have brought with them their their appreciation 408 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:22,880 Speaker 1: for oysters. Yes. Um. And Charles McKay's book Life Liberty 409 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: in America, he wrote, the rich consume oysters and champagne. 410 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: The poorer classes consume oysters and large beer. And that 411 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,479 Speaker 1: is one of the principal social differences between the two 412 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:40,359 Speaker 1: sections of the community, which I kind of love. Yeah, 413 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: but I mean today we still like, there's a restaurant 414 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:48,480 Speaker 1: indicator near Atlanta that does oysters and absencee and oysters 415 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: and champagne. Oysters and beer still do it? I think 416 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: I've had all of those combinations. In fact, I believe 417 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: I have as well. None of them would none of 418 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: them suck. No, They're all pretty pretty solid. Oysters weren't 419 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: just big in New York. The U s went through 420 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: something called the oyster craze in the mid to late 421 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds. During peak production from eighteen eighty to nineteen ten, 422 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,160 Speaker 1: the US produced one hundred sixty million pounds a year, 423 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: more than all other countries put together. By the nineteenth century, 424 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 1: these things called oyster saloon started popping up where you 425 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: could indulge on some fresh oysters, like real quick. And 426 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: these might have been some of America's first restaurants, like 427 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 1: outside of inns. Yeah, And they were marked by these 428 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,359 Speaker 1: big circular red and white signs and you could get 429 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 1: It was a go to lunch option for working men 430 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: in coastal cities, but it was also frequented by politicians. 431 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,880 Speaker 1: New York City had eight dt and some even had 432 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: curtain boots for women. The ladies get some oysters. I know, 433 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: women in public. Oh my goodness, La La. You could 434 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,239 Speaker 1: get oysters pretty much anyway you wanted. You could get 435 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: them stewed, scout fried in a pie, and soup and 436 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: patties in the fall, and I love this. Some people 437 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: would mix some damp sea sand with some corn meal 438 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: in a corner in their cellar and barry oysters in 439 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 1: there so they wouldn't run out in the winter, and 440 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: they'd water this little oyster bed twice a week or 441 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: so like a plant. And when you wanted some oysters, 442 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: you just went digging in there. And they were called 443 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 1: cellar oysters. They were popular and things like oyster pie 444 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 1: or stew. Since they weren't as fresh and no host 445 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: worked their salt would neglect to have these luscious bivalves, 446 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: as they were called, and you could serve them. Around 447 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:49,920 Speaker 1: this time, ultra fancy oyster plates started coming out purchase. Yeah. 448 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 1: The hundreds is also where we get oyster crackers from 449 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: um and no they are not made with oysters. They 450 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 1: were They were served with oyster stews in New England. 451 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,880 Speaker 1: And you know they slightly resemble oyster with their kind 452 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,680 Speaker 1: of circular shape that consists of two rounded sides top 453 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,360 Speaker 1: and bottom that can crack apart from one another. Yeah, 454 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:10,679 Speaker 1: I see it. Yeah. This crazy demand for oysters also 455 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:15,240 Speaker 1: resulted in the Oyster Wars, a series of violent skirmishes 456 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: between oyster pirates and oystermen operating in the Chesapeake Bay 457 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: and Potomac River from sixty five to nineteen fifty nine. 458 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: What that is pretty recent. That's almost a hundred years 459 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: of oyster piracy. Also oyster piracy. I know, there's so 460 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:39,199 Speaker 1: many exclamation points in that outline the well deserved the 461 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: oysters from this area. They grew to be up to 462 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 1: a foot long. Yeah, they were very plentiful. Ships would 463 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,479 Speaker 1: sometimes run a ground on them, goodness, and records exist 464 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,959 Speaker 1: of them being enjoyed by John Smith, and they were 465 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,719 Speaker 1: a favorite of George Washington. As the early eighteen hundreds 466 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:00,719 Speaker 1: saw depletion of New England's oysters, boats from north started 467 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: coming further and further south looking for some oysters, and 468 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:09,160 Speaker 1: the locals didn't like that. Both Virginia and Maryland passed 469 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: laws that made oyster fishing illegal for non residents. Baltimore 470 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,159 Speaker 1: became the hub of oyster canning and shipping. And I 471 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: think we've said before just canning in general. Um, first 472 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: with the oyster line that's what it was called, to Ohio, 473 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: and then expanding out so that Chesapeake Bay oysters could 474 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:32,440 Speaker 1: be enjoyed pretty much anywhere in the US. As technology develops, 475 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: and it was discovered that if you steamed them, um, 476 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: it's sped up the shucking process, more and more were 477 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: canned and shipped. Seventeen million bushels of Chesapeake oysters had 478 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: been harvested by eighteen seventy five, and by the production 479 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: peak of the eighteen eighties, twenty million bushels of Chesapeake 480 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 1: oysters were being harvested a year. Yeah, and there were 481 00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: two main ways used to harvest oysters, be hand using 482 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:02,960 Speaker 1: wooden tongs to lift the catch out of the water, 483 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 1: or by dredging. Maryland only permitted dredging in deep waters, 484 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 1: but of course the dredgers didn't always abide, and this 485 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: sometimes resulted in gunfights. Oh you know, oyster gunfights. Absolutely, 486 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: that seems like the best way to resolve the situation. 487 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 1: Not helping things at all was the not so well 488 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: defined border between Maryland and Virginia. So Virginia oorshermen would 489 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: come into Maryland's waters looking for oysters, yeah, thinking they 490 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: had a claim to them, and Maryland oystermen were not 491 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 1: cool with that. Things got so bad that in eighteen 492 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 1: sixty eight, the Maryland Oyster Police Force was formed Oyster 493 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: Police Force. They only had one steamboat for that whole area, though, 494 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 1: so they were they were pretty limited in what they 495 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: could accomplish. By the nineteen twenties, oyster production in the 496 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: area dropped to three million bushels a year, which is 497 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: pretty substantial um and the discovery of a new oyster 498 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: bed and the Potomac in the nineteen forties reunited the 499 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: Oyster Wars. Yeah, with Virginia oyster pirates and dredgers called 500 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: the Mosquito Fleet getting into chases and gunfights with the 501 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: oryster police. Why have I never seen a big action 502 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 1: movie about this? I mean, come on, Hollywood, get on it. Yeah, 503 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,040 Speaker 1: Like you could do special screenings and in places with 504 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: oysters for dinner. It would be It would be such 505 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 1: a hit. Get it together, Come on. All of this 506 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 1: came to a head in n when Virginian Berkeley muse 507 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: what a name, went dredging for some Maryland oysters was 508 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: spotted by the oyster police and shot while attempting to flee. 509 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 1: He led to death on his boat, and the two 510 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: states involved past some legislation that finally brought an end 511 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: to the orster Wars. Yes for further listening, our sister 512 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: podcast stuff you missed in history class as a whole 513 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 1: episode on this. Yeah. Meanwhile, over in Europe there were 514 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 1: other oyster troubles to contend with. Native oysters, called flat 515 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: or European oysters were susceptible to a lot of parasites 516 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: and and other species would become invasive, particularly Portuguese oysters, 517 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: which had actually stowed away from India as barnacles on 518 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: trading ships. You know, the Portuguese ships would arrive home 519 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: and they would shuck the barnacles off, which were oysters, 520 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 1: and then the oysters would just be like, Oh, this 521 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: is chill to set up shop here, this is our 522 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: new home. Yeah. Um. A series of laws and livestock 523 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: diseases affected oyster populations of both types, though, and eventually 524 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: a whole other species had to be imported from Japan 525 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: in order to keep numbers up. And apart from you know, 526 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:53,320 Speaker 1: the wars, in the US did suffer some other setbacks, 527 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: the first being related to the pure food hysteria of 528 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,479 Speaker 1: the early nineteen hundreds. That's it was called. People started 529 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: to link outbreaks of typhoid and g I disorders to oysters. 530 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: Newspapers ran sensationalist headlines and stories about this connection pretty frequently, 531 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:17,560 Speaker 1: so people started switching to more expensive beef. Yeah, and 532 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 1: kind of side note. In nineteen o seven, oyster grower 533 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: Henry c Row formed the Oyster Growers and Dealers of 534 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: North America to help better the oyster's image, with little success. 535 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 1: But this organization later renamed itself the Shellfish Institute of 536 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: North America and is one of America's oldest trade associations. Yeah. Anyway, 537 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 1: getting back to the pure food hysteria, tougher oyster packing 538 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: and handling rules were introduced in nineteen o nine, which 539 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: increased operating cost. Several people, mostly in Chicago, got typhoid 540 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: after eating oysters, and some of them died. Um, and 541 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: the oyster demand dropped fifty to eighty per cent. What Yeah, 542 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: it was called quote the greatest disaster, which ever befell 543 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 1: the industry. Goodness, very dark times for oysters, and speaking 544 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: of prohibition didn't help either, since alcohol and oysters go 545 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: together like birds of a feather, and a lot of 546 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: places where oysters were enjoyed got shut down because they 547 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: had alcohol. Yeah. And then in the nineteen fifties, a 548 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 1: new disease called ms X decimated oyster beds and Delaware 549 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: and Chesapeake Bay. We're talking loss. Yeah, these problems persisted, 550 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: not quite on that scale, all the way up to 551 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen nineties. Yeah. And another problem. I just 552 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: found this very surprising starfish our oyster predators. Yeah, they 553 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 1: love an oyster. Yeah. Some fishermen you see things called 554 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 1: oyster mops to collect starfish and drop them into a 555 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,960 Speaker 1: tub of boiling water to kill the Yeah. That's a 556 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: that's a very ultimate answer to that problem. Okay. Starfish, 557 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,799 Speaker 1: by the way, are such good oyster predators. Uh, they 558 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: produce a paralyzing agent that once they've pride opened the 559 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: oyster's shell with their with their thick media arms, they 560 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,600 Speaker 1: squirt this paralyzing agent in at the oyster so that 561 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:22,799 Speaker 1: it can't use it's it's a ductor muscle to close 562 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: the shell up again. And then they then they squirt 563 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 1: their their stomach, their their stomach out through their mouth 564 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 1: and they digest the oyster in its shell. I saw 565 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: some videos of this on YouTube, and it was both 566 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:43,759 Speaker 1: horrifying and impressive. As much of nature is absolutely in 567 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 1: the e p A started a clean up effort in 568 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 1: chess Peake Bay that helped restore consumer confidence in oyster 569 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: consumption safety. The program is ongoing, um, but the new 570 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: proposed budget would do away with it. Virginia sold sixteen 571 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 1: million dollars of oysters and they have a Virginia oyster 572 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:09,239 Speaker 1: trail like a wine trail. What I want to do that? Okay, 573 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:14,800 Speaker 1: al right, field trip by another problem, The Gulf oyster 574 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: industry took a huge hit in with the BP oil spill, 575 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,360 Speaker 1: but it started to bounce back. In fact, the South 576 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:24,440 Speaker 1: traditionally has been unable or they have a difficult time 577 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,720 Speaker 1: selling their oysters because they grow in these really big clusters, 578 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:32,000 Speaker 1: so you can't sell like individual oysters. Yeah, and the 579 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: adoption of aquacultures and hatcheries in the region has changed that. 580 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,120 Speaker 1: And we're hopefully going to visit one of these. It's 581 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:43,400 Speaker 1: gonna be pretty big for the Southern oyster industry. Yeah. Um. 582 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: Random fact Murder Point oysters are so named because one 583 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,839 Speaker 1: guy killed another guy in an oyster territory dispute where 584 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 1: these oysters are formed. I just thought that was interesting. Okay, 585 00:35:56,280 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: so much so much murder in this oyster episode. Who knew? Huh? Well, 586 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 1: that is oyster history in the shell, some kind of 587 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: pun there. Yeah, so let's talk about some oyster science. 588 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:14,319 Speaker 1: But first let's pause for another quick break for a 589 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:27,759 Speaker 1: word from our sponsor, and we're back, Thank you sponsor. Yes, okay, So, 590 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: so science and health and weather. Oysters are an aphrodisiac h. First, nutrition, 591 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: oysters are high in protein, good fats, iron, calcium, a 592 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 1: few other vitamins and minerals, and they're really pretty good 593 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 1: for you. They're feeling without being too heavy. Uh, eat 594 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:47,440 Speaker 1: more oysters? Yeah? Okay. However, if you're immunocompromised or have 595 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 1: a liver disease, you probably shouldn't eat them raw due 596 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: to danger of infection with a few types of bacteria 597 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: that can cause serious problems in humans. Um that they're 598 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,439 Speaker 1: in the same genus as A as a cholera. Um, 599 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: it's the Vibrio genus. Yes. Uh, Well, related to that, 600 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:07,279 Speaker 1: is it actually dangerous to eat oysters in month that 601 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:09,880 Speaker 1: don't contain the letter are in their name. I have 602 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,399 Speaker 1: never heard this before, and now I'm seeing it all 603 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: over like just randomly. Yeah, it's probably because I've been 604 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: researching oysters. That could be that could be absolutely what 605 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,359 Speaker 1: it is. Yes, it's an old saying and there is 606 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:23,320 Speaker 1: a little bit of truth to it in the northern 607 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 1: hemisphere at any rate, because months without the letter are 608 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 1: are May, June, July, and August, which are the height 609 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: of summer, and these potentially dangerous Fibrio bacteria thrive in 610 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 1: warmer weather. So there is a slightly higher risk of 611 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:40,960 Speaker 1: infection when you eat raw oysters during the summer months, 612 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: especially if they're from warmer areas like the Gulf of Mexico. 613 00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:48,320 Speaker 1: But infection is pretty rare. According to the CDC, vibe 614 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:52,080 Speaker 1: vibriosis causes about eighty thousand illnesses and a hundred deaths 615 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:55,080 Speaker 1: every year in the United States, which is nothing compared 616 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,880 Speaker 1: to like say, salmonella, which causes one point two million 617 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: illnesses and four fifty deaths every year. So don't be 618 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 1: too scared, but do do use your best judgment along 619 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,000 Speaker 1: the aphrodisiac lines. Now that I've talked about the terrifying 620 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:13,160 Speaker 1: disease lines. Um, So there's no evidence that oysters are 621 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:17,640 Speaker 1: in aphrodisia. What And I know you've heard this science 622 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:20,000 Speaker 1: news story from like a decade ago that said that 623 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: there was there was evidence along those lines, um, which 624 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 1: was a case of poor science journalism. Oh no, that 625 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,239 Speaker 1: never happens never ever, which means our jobs are done. Yeah, 626 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:32,439 Speaker 1: we can all go home, goodbye. Oh no, okay, so 627 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: so so what happened in this particular case was there 628 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: was an undergraduate study into the chemical makeup of muscles, 629 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 1: which are of course related to oysters, UM, where the 630 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:45,799 Speaker 1: researchers found this amino acid called D S partic I 631 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: think I'm saying that right, I'm going to move forward 632 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:51,080 Speaker 1: um and that amano acid has been found to increase 633 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,160 Speaker 1: the levels of sex hormones in lab rats. But they 634 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 1: did not test oysters. They did not test anything in humans. However, 635 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: the funny thing about rumored aphrodisiacs is that they're really 636 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:06,359 Speaker 1: placebo compatible, which means that if you believe that they're 637 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:08,719 Speaker 1: going to work, it's basically a coin flip of a 638 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:13,560 Speaker 1: chance that they'll totally work. I feel like, yeah, if 639 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:17,040 Speaker 1: you want something to work in that situation, they're already 640 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: kind of You're right there, you're already kind of there. Yeah. 641 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: So so much of so much of an arousal is 642 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: is in your brain that yeah, if you if you're 643 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: into it, I mean, I mean, eats some oysters and 644 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 1: have fun. Oh yeah. But the signs wise and oh, 645 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:37,480 Speaker 1: back to scary things. Okay, so so so pollution. Oysters 646 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,919 Speaker 1: are bottom feeders in shallow areas, which means that they're 647 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 1: usually right by an ocean coastline, right along with any 648 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: pollutants that dump out from local waterways or the groundwater. Plus, 649 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:49,840 Speaker 1: like lots of sea creatures, they can wind up storing 650 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:53,880 Speaker 1: harmful stuff in their bodies, and researchers have found traces 651 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:58,440 Speaker 1: of stuff like mercury, arsenic, and human medications in oysters. 652 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:02,800 Speaker 1: But but again, probably not enough to worry about unless 653 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:07,799 Speaker 1: you're either immuno compromised or eating like a lot of oysters. 654 00:40:08,719 --> 00:40:11,680 Speaker 1: How much is a lot? Which I mean I mean 655 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,759 Speaker 1: if you binge on like a couple dozen every once 656 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: in a while, I think you're fine. I've been known 657 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,520 Speaker 1: to get into some trouble at Oyster Fest if you 658 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:24,200 Speaker 1: if like Casanova, you're eating like fifty every morning, then 659 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: I might cut that out. I can't afford that. So excellent, 660 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:33,000 Speaker 1: Well good, I'm gonna be fine. Oh, back back to 661 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:38,640 Speaker 1: back to sexuality though, uh, oysters. Oysters reproductive lives are 662 00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:42,280 Speaker 1: really interesting. I mean from from a human perspective anyway, 663 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: I mean, for them, it's normal everyday kind of stuff. Uh. 664 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 1: Oysters change their sex at least once during their lifetimes, 665 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:52,000 Speaker 1: at least once they're hermaphroditic. They tend to be male 666 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 1: and produced sperm early on in their lives. Um sperm 667 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:58,680 Speaker 1: production requires fewer resources, and they're really busy bulking up 668 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 1: their shells. At that point. When they get a little 669 00:41:00,719 --> 00:41:03,080 Speaker 1: bit older, they tend to switch to female sex and 670 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,000 Speaker 1: egg production, and they can switch back and forth depending 671 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: on the conditions in their environment. So I love that 672 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:14,680 Speaker 1: you wrote bulking up the shell for the male oyster 673 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: like life. That's pretty great. Okay, let's talk about some 674 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: popular some popular oyster recipes. So the first one I 675 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: thought of as oysters Rockefeller and this is supposedly allegedly 676 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:40,560 Speaker 1: New Orleans chef Jewels AlSi a tour. I wanted to 677 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,319 Speaker 1: say it in an Italian way, but I looked up 678 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: a video and it's AlSi a tour of Antoine's restaurant. 679 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 1: Um supposedly lays claims to this recipe and the story 680 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:55,080 Speaker 1: goes he created it in the original recipe is kind 681 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:59,000 Speaker 1: of a culinary secret. Oh yeah, but it involves baking 682 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:02,840 Speaker 1: oysters with pars a shallots, Tabasco sauce in butter, and 683 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 1: they are quite delicious if you've never had them prepared 684 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 1: this way. I recommend it. Pigs in a blanket. What 685 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 1: that's a hot dog wrapped in dough. That's what I 686 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:16,440 Speaker 1: thought too, But apparently this used to refer to broiled 687 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,839 Speaker 1: oysters wrapped in bacon. Oh my goodness, I know, going 688 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:23,279 Speaker 1: all the way back to it also goes by the 689 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,879 Speaker 1: name Angels on Horseback and yeah, we should try this, 690 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:32,400 Speaker 1: yes soon. Another one. I've never heard of this oysters Kirkpatrick. 691 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 1: Have you heard of this lore? I have not, so 692 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 1: this probably first appeared on a menu sometime in the 693 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:42,560 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties at San Francisco's Palace Hotel. According to the hotel, 694 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:47,080 Speaker 1: it's broiled oysters topped with ketchup, bacon and green peppers, 695 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:52,839 Speaker 1: sometimes with cheese. Huh. It kept popping up in search results, so, 696 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:56,839 Speaker 1: I mean, I believe it's delicious because it's made with oysters. 697 00:42:57,520 --> 00:42:59,640 Speaker 1: Ketchup is kind of throwing me, and I love ketchup, 698 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,839 Speaker 1: but I would definitely give it a go. I mean, 699 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:04,840 Speaker 1: it's got a little bit of a vinegar component, so 700 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:10,399 Speaker 1: I suppose that's like cocktail sauce is yeah, sure, okay, Um, 701 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: there's the Thanksgiving tradition of using oysters and stuffing in 702 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: New England. Oh, which of course makes perfect sense. It does. 703 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:21,959 Speaker 1: I've never had this, but people still do it. I hear. 704 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:24,920 Speaker 1: It goes back pretty far to the first written recipe, 705 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:30,560 Speaker 1: appearing in a cookbook out of London called The Accomplished cook. Yeah, 706 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:32,400 Speaker 1: not not with an e D on the end of accomplished, 707 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:36,879 Speaker 1: but a T rather, just for flavor. It would make 708 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:39,280 Speaker 1: sense that it would make the journey in North America, 709 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:43,320 Speaker 1: and since oysters were so plentiful and popular in New England, 710 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:45,360 Speaker 1: it would make sense that they would be out of 711 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,760 Speaker 1: two stuffing. Yeah, I would like to try that as well. 712 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:52,279 Speaker 1: Just things I want to try. Also, we can't in 713 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:56,520 Speaker 1: this episode without mentioning oyster vending machines. This is a thing. 714 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,400 Speaker 1: I need this in my life. It exists, but it 715 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 1: only existed France currently and it's twenty four seven. What 716 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,640 Speaker 1: just you know, whenever you have your oyster craving, there's 717 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:12,560 Speaker 1: a vending machine. They're kept refrigerated and restocked daily, and 718 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:16,280 Speaker 1: they're sold clothed to prevent food poisoning. And they're actually 719 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:21,120 Speaker 1: pretty inexpensive for oysters. For oysters, they cost about eight 720 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:23,440 Speaker 1: dollars for a dozen. Oh yeah, that's a totally good 721 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,600 Speaker 1: price for an oyster. So you have to shuck them yourself, 722 00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 1: like on the street. Oh that's true. What if you 723 00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 1: because I imagine if you're going it three am, say, 724 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:36,279 Speaker 1: you might be a little inebriated possibly, and then you 725 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,439 Speaker 1: get you get this, get your oyster craving, you get 726 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:44,160 Speaker 1: your oyster at the vending machine. M there's possibility for 727 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,680 Speaker 1: injury there. Chucking oysters is not the easiest thing in 728 00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:51,200 Speaker 1: the world. I've never tried it. I've watched carefully while 729 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:56,080 Speaker 1: other people do it. It's it can be very difficult. 730 00:44:56,200 --> 00:44:58,239 Speaker 1: There's a there's definitely a method to it. You want 731 00:44:58,239 --> 00:45:00,359 Speaker 1: to go in right at the knuck all. But if 732 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:04,200 Speaker 1: there's alcohol involved, that's that's the thing. Like by the 733 00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:06,400 Speaker 1: time anyone ever gets around to shucking an oyster around 734 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,840 Speaker 1: me like, yeah, I feel like my time for shucking 735 00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:14,040 Speaker 1: his path. Yes, it's a limited there's a small window 736 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:16,600 Speaker 1: when you should be doing it. Really yeah. Um oh, 737 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 1: and I wanted to mention that if you'd like to 738 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:22,480 Speaker 1: hear more about oysters, the gas Troopod podcast has a 739 00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:25,560 Speaker 1: really great episode where they interview Rowan Jacobson, who's the 740 00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 1: author of The Essential Oyster, and uh, I found it 741 00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:32,720 Speaker 1: enlightening and you might too. Yes, it was very enlightening. 742 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:38,879 Speaker 1: And that brings us to the end of this classic episode. 743 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,200 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed of what former and Annie Laura 744 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:48,319 Speaker 1: had to say. Yeah, this was this was a fun one. 745 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:51,720 Speaker 1: I was clearly hyper caffeinated, but you know that happens 746 00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:54,319 Speaker 1: to the best of us. Yeah, I mean I feel 747 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:58,759 Speaker 1: like that's any episode roll the dice, it's likely one 748 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:04,600 Speaker 1: of us is hyper caffeinated or undercaffeinated. Oh oh yeah, yeah, 749 00:46:04,600 --> 00:46:06,480 Speaker 1: and it's usually a trade off. I feel like we 750 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:08,320 Speaker 1: I feel like we do a good job of balancing 751 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: each other out like that. Yes, you know, we try, 752 00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:17,520 Speaker 1: we try, we succeed yea, so we don't. Yeah. I 753 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:21,839 Speaker 1: was also just really excited about like bivalves and murder um. 754 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: I mean, those are two things you get excited about 755 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:27,799 Speaker 1: they are. Oh and speaking of murder, um, Annie, may 756 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 1: I may I plug a new show that I'm working on. 757 00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: I mean a segue like, speaking of murder I picked 758 00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:39,760 Speaker 1: deserves a plug? Yes, all right, so um, so y'all 759 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:42,880 Speaker 1: are familiar with with Aaron minky Um and his production 760 00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 1: company Grim and Mild. They they do um Lower and 761 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,359 Speaker 1: Cabinet of Curiosities, UM, a couple other shows, Yeah, and 762 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:52,960 Speaker 1: they decided that they wanted to do a new show 763 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:59,400 Speaker 1: that focuses on these dark, true, weird stories from specifically 764 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:02,520 Speaker 1: American history. And so that is how the show American 765 00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:06,719 Speaker 1: Shadows came about. And they tapped me to narrate it 766 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,520 Speaker 1: because I don't know, I've been training all my life 767 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:16,839 Speaker 1: to be both very factual and sort of goth. I guess, yeah, 768 00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:21,399 Speaker 1: thank you. Um. Yeah. So it's uh, it's the reason 769 00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:23,880 Speaker 1: that I that I enjoy it is not just because 770 00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:27,560 Speaker 1: of you know, the the murder and dismemberment in etcetera, etcetera, 771 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:30,480 Speaker 1: but also the way that the Grim and Mild writing 772 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,880 Speaker 1: and research team is constructing these stories is to to 773 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 1: bring to light these stories where you know, it was 774 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:41,680 Speaker 1: a time and place where where stuff kind of sucked. Um, 775 00:47:41,719 --> 00:47:45,080 Speaker 1: and it probably sucked specifically for a couple of people 776 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:50,440 Speaker 1: really intensely. Um. But at the end of the proverbial day, uh, 777 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:53,799 Speaker 1: you know, truth and justice prevail, and so those are 778 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:58,920 Speaker 1: really nice stories to hear about right now, Yes, yes, true, 779 00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:02,720 Speaker 1: and if you couldn't tell listeners, we are big fans 780 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:06,120 Speaker 1: of the macawbro. You have to say it in that 781 00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:10,360 Speaker 1: specific voice. I'm pretty sure you do and overpronounced the R. Yes, 782 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:17,319 Speaker 1: that's in the dictionary. But yeah, we're big fans of 783 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:22,520 Speaker 1: that and big fans of Lauren. Obviously I'm not always 784 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:25,120 Speaker 1: a big fan of Lauren. But but but thank you, well, 785 00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:29,759 Speaker 1: I am here to fill in the gap. There you go. Yes, yes, 786 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:34,759 Speaker 1: um so highly yeah, highly recommend checking that out listeners. Yeah, yeah, 787 00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:36,520 Speaker 1: it's it's a it's fun to do and you get 788 00:48:36,560 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 1: to you get to hear my serious voice. And also 789 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:43,399 Speaker 1: it has provided a lot of very funny instances where 790 00:48:43,400 --> 00:48:45,520 Speaker 1: we into recording, Lauren will just say, Okay, I gotta 791 00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:49,759 Speaker 1: go talk about murder, and I'm like, oh, I hope 792 00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:57,960 Speaker 1: it's for work. Oh oh. And our and our dear 793 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:02,240 Speaker 1: friend Miranda, Miranda Hockey and is producing it and she's 794 00:49:02,360 --> 00:49:05,000 Speaker 1: just putting it together in really really lovely ways. Both 795 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:07,839 Speaker 1: of us are our humans, m rand and I, who 796 00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:12,239 Speaker 1: probably over associate with Marce Layne from Adventure. So we 797 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:16,080 Speaker 1: make a good we make a good duo. I think, yes, yes, 798 00:49:16,239 --> 00:49:20,759 Speaker 1: I would agree. Miranda is awesome. Oh gosh, yeah another man. 799 00:49:21,239 --> 00:49:23,839 Speaker 1: I miss all you guys. I really miss my coworkers. 800 00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:30,680 Speaker 1: I do too, coworkers and friends. Yes, um, and you 801 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:35,560 Speaker 1: know what. We We love hearing from you listeners. Yes, 802 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:39,680 Speaker 1: you can email us at hello at savor pod dot com. Yes, 803 00:49:39,719 --> 00:49:43,120 Speaker 1: because you're also our friends. We're also on social media. 804 00:49:43,200 --> 00:49:45,879 Speaker 1: You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at 805 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:47,839 Speaker 1: savor pod, and we do hope to hear from you. 806 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:50,440 Speaker 1: Savor is a production of I Heart Radio. For more 807 00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:52,560 Speaker 1: podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can visit the I 808 00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:55,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 809 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:59,000 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. Thanks, it's always towards superproducers Dylan Fagan 810 00:49:59,040 --> 00:50:01,160 Speaker 1: and Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we 811 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:03,000 Speaker 1: hope that lots more good things are coming your way. 812 00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:10,600 Speaker 1: H