What Lies Inside

It is a month that ends in ‘ber or bre’ (depending on the language you speak), indicating that oysters are at their prime to eating.

It wasn’t so long ago that I got into oysters. Everyone goes through a phase when they just don’t find oysters appealing.  Some grow out of it like Brussels sprouts; others just keep a distance forever. I thought I would be in the second camp but a few years ago I chose the alternative path. If I could isolate what made me look at the grey-white-sandy living organism with the hairy ends and slimy texture and then have the idea to put it in my mouth, I would let the world know. It seems like I took a very silly risk to do something completely against human nature but I’ve never regretted it.

Now that I live in France, I have access to some of the best oysters in the world. Coming from Canada, I’ve tasted some of the sweetest as well. My first oysters were Malpeque from Prince Edward Island. I then had some Fine de Claires from France. Last October I went to the centre of town and bought a lot of Gillardeaus and enjoyed them with a line up of Chenin Blanc and Savagnin based wines – a very interesting exercise. Last March I sampled some oysters from the Alaskan coast, some from Japan, and some from Virginia in the USA, all sold by a Normand fisherman living in Montreal. This summer I had briny oysters in Cancale that were as large as my hand and tiny flat oysters at Prat-Ar-Coum on the Western tip of Brittany where they make some of the best converted oysters. This summer I also learned why oysters are not at their best in the non-ber months. They are in their reproduction cycle and at times, very, very milky and bitter…

What I like about oysters, other then their gustative properties, is their strong character and precocious nature. Once an oyster tenses its muscle, getting it open is not the easiest thing to do. I had to use both hands to pry open the monsters we ate in Cancale. And even once you open it up, you have to know where to slice the muscle and how to hold it so the liquor doesn’t run out of the shell. Careful handling and attention will result in a delectable experience. Once open, oysters lend themselves wonderfully to a panoply of situations. They will sing when eaten raw, warm, and cooked, on the shell or in a stuffing, and which ever way you like them. 

Tough and rugged on the outside but soft and fragile on the inside… I know people who share the same profile. And just like oysters, these are also the people that I have the fondest affinity for and an ever growing desire to be with and around. If everyone was like a mussel, it would take but a brisk tap to break their shell and paralyse them, a day or two in uncomfortable situations and they would turn, and put them in a heated situation? They open up almost instantly, spilling all their secrets. Oysters may be harder to approach, and more complicated to loosen up, but once they show what’s inside, there is simply no contest and only a willingness to know more. And if you’re lucky like me, the main oyster in your life is all that and a pearl…