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Jon Parker
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I love raw oysters, and I'm willing to take the risk.

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8 replies
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YouDidWhatNow?
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker:


Like smoking, you should be able to eat raw oysters if you think the chances of a horrific death are worth taking that risk.


...but seriously, I can't think of many things more gross than raw oysters. Yuck.

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korybing
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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@YouDidWhatNow?: Yeah exactly. Oysters are an acquired taste for the vast majority of oyster eaters, and I have yet to meet a single person who isn't aware that raw oysters have the potential to cause illness. Same with eating raw eggs or eating undercooked meat.

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sonneillon
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker: I do like raw oysters but gulf oysters are just not as good as east coast and west coast oysters. And it is funny when an oyster recall comes when I worked as a seafood wholesaler we got a recall notice a month after we had gotten rid of the oysters we had recalled. If we had not have sold the oysters we would have thrown them out for being too old anyways. Although Vibrio is not something you want to get

Raw oysters are good, but I prefer fried oysters in butter.

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nova3930
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker: Seriously. I'm originally from the gulf coast and I'd be damn surprised if anybody who eats raw oysters is unaware of the fact they can kill you....

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WonderKatGoBoom
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker: I have eaten oysters for nearly all of my 27 years, and- knock on wood, cross chest- never fallen ill.
I just ate 5 dozen-plus Saturday. It easily was one of my top 5 happiest days all year.


I know the risks. Now where's my other dozen?

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coffeeculture
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker: I'm tired of the government (county health depts, FDA) going overboard with these regulations. So long as there's ample warning about a specific product -- in this case, oysters -- it should be legal.

Chinese restaurants are getting shut down over violations from their 2000 year old processes; and now you can't even get a grilled hot dog with bacon in LA due to overzealous health departments.

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winshape
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@coffeeculture: Bacon on Hot Dogs?

How in the world have I not tried that yet?

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@winshape: try this...bacon and salsa on your hot dog.

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willystyle
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@The Porkchop Express: @winshape: Or bacon IN hot dogs...called the Texas Tommy when they serve it in our cafeteria at work...

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lovemypets00
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@willystyle: I gotta jump on this bandwagon - before my Mom became a health nut, she would split hot dogs down the middle, fill them with cheddar cheese, wrap them in bacon & hold the whole thing together with toothpicks...into the broiler and YUMMMM!!! They were awesome.

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HogwartsAlum
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@lovemypets00: My mom used to make pigs in blankets with hot dogs and refrigerator biscuits. Om nom nom nom...now I want one really bad.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@coffeeculture: Wait, someone was putting bacon on grilled hot dogs? And that got banned? Why on earth would the government do that? It's bacon! On hot dogs! Two of my favorite foods!


/glad she doesn't live in LA.

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trujunglist
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265:

it's pretty popular in the southwest in general, but until recently, the only place i really saw it frequently was in mexico. now i see them on the street corners, and especially near bars so the drunk-n-hungry crowd can get their munch on.

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cash_da_pibble
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@trujunglist:
Or at my house- where we started doing it AFTER SEEING VENDORS IN LA DO IT.


Wow, full circle, huh?

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ReaveT
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Mais oui. We cajuns eat lots of odd things. The FDA needs to leave us be - if we die by what we eat, then God bless us, maybe he just wants the recipe.

I meant, this is the place that saw a crawfish crawling out of the mud, tossed it in a pot, and started adding pepper until it tasted good.

Hmm, actually... that's how we do all of our cooking.

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magic8ball
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Eh, just slap a label on 'em. \"Warning: consuming this oyster may cause loss of skin, kidney failure, amputations, excruciating pain, and death.\" If people want to eat them badly enough to ignore that possibility, you'd have trouble regulating them anyway.

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YouDidWhatNow?
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@magic8ball:


I see no evidence that even the most radical warnings on products make any difference to consumers.


Look at the highly disturbing warnings, with photos, on cigarettes in Canada.


Doesn't do dick.

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ubermex
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@magic8ball: They already have these MASSIVE signs all over the menus at every place that sells these. The risks are very well publicized.

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dpeters11
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ubermex: Most menus I've seen just say something to the effect of \"adverse reactions.\" They skip the details about the pain, death etc.

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2 replies
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@dpeters11: Most if not all menus with raw fish & meat (hell, even steakhouses have them for steak) say something to the effect of
\"consuming raw or undercooked food may increase susceptibility to food-borne illness\"

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ARP
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@2 replies by: I think that may be a little weak. It implies typical food poisoning. It reminds me of the overly-technical language on cigs. They need to be more clear. \"Eating Raw Seafood can make you sick or even kill you.\"

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ubermex: I see tons of signs everywhere about the risk in eating these. you can also get Hepititis from them I guess.

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howie_in_az
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ubermex: Menus?!? There are warnings about eating paint.

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VidaBlueBalls
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Awwww shucks.

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5 replies
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zentex
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@VidaBlueBalls: we're being oystercized because of the way we like to eat our shellfish

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@VidaBlueBalls: if they would just shell out the money to fis this problem.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@The Porkchop Express: At least they'e not clamming up about the problem.

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: there may be a pearl of wisdom in there somwhere.

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FatLynn
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I think I have to go with \"buyer beware\" on this one. If you know you have a compromised immune system, don't take the risk. For the rest of us...slurp, slurp.

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ZoeSchizzel
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Actually oysters are largely harvested in the bays, not the Gulf of Mexico. I love our local oysters and have many great memories of my dad shucking them for me as fast as I could eat them. I ate them in my highchair, one in each fist. But I do not eat them anymore, even in cold months. The bays are filthy and heavily polluted in a lot of areas. I just don't feel the taste is worth the risk.

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Snowblind
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ZoeSchizzel:

Hog Island/Tomalas Bay north of SF is 3 hrs away, 4 by scenic route through Napa.

Nice, crispy, cucumbery!

Oh, and sustainable, clean... forget Mexican oysters. Likely only good for BBQ, and then what is the issue?

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hypnotik_jello
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Gulf of Mexico oysters? blargh.

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alangryphon
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Wow. 15 people per year. Maybe the Feds could start by banning lightning, that kills 58 people per year, and then work their way down to less lethal risks.

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8 replies
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yagisencho
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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@alangryphon:


Chances are good that the deaths are the tip of the pyramid, as it were. The rest of the infected eaters merely had excruciating pain and/or loss of skin.

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smiling1809
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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@alangryphon: Texting and talking on the cell phone kill far more per year than that and those have yet to be banned. Why oysters? Don't 5 gallon buckets kill that many kids or more per year???

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Stephmo
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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@smiling1809: 5 out of every 100,000 children drown in a 5 gallon bucket every year.

[www.faqs.org]

Clearly, the 5 gallon buckets are out to get us.

But not as much as TYLENOL - over 450 deaths a year!

[www.medicalnewstoday.com]

But in reality, I'm guessing that the dry cleaning bag people are putting this news out to obscure the fact that 15 children a year die from their bags. I think that the coincidence is no coincidence!

[findarticles.com]

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mac-phisto
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@alangryphon: yeah, no kidding. e coli is spreading into our veggies, there are massive recalls quarterly (it seems anyway) on beef & we're worried about a dozen people getting sick from oysters.

way to keep the focus, FDA!

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bobloblawsblog
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@alangryphon: i think IDS kills more people per yr than this....

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ubermex
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@alangryphon: Fried oysters, which don't have any of the same risks, probably contribute enough to heart disease to be responsible for more than 15 deaths, so even in the oyster game they picked the wrong one.

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floraposte
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ubermex: There's a difference between \"contribute to\" and \"are the cause of,\" though.

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halcyondays
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@alangryphon: Yep, they should just legislate it out of existence.

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ubermex
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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The gulf coast of North Florida really relies on oyster farming. A partial ban on raw ones only during a certain season wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be some serious damage to a group of fisherman who already get shafted by Georgia and Alabama's water management policies.

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Pinget
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ubermex: Yes, this is the actual point here. This ban would have put entire communities out of work. The main concern is preserving these jobs.

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ClutchDude
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Man. I was in Apalachicola, FL this past weekend and ate them in a bisque and, of course, fried in a poboy. I'd rather them be more worried about me eating too many fried oysters than raw.

Or figure out new ways to produce them without the fear of them having these problems.

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CyGuy
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ClutchDude: I had an Oyster Po'Boy at Papa Joe's in Apalachicola in February along with sharing a dozen and a half on the half shell with my wife. But don't worry, the bacteria isn't a problem in the cooler months, you're fine if you don't have a compromised immune system and you follow the old saw \"Never eat shellfish in a month that doesn't have an \"R\" in it\"

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ClutchDude
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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@CyGuy: Wow. Just read this.

I meant more worried about the number of fried s than raw s. The amount of fried food we eat has got to be of more concern than raw oysters.

BTW, I went to Boss Oyster. Definitely enjoyed them.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ClutchDude: They have, it's just that it's expensive and makes the oysters taste funny.

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henrygates
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Seems like a poor focus to me. Far more people die each year from salmonella and e coli, although the death rate for infections is much, much higher for v vulnificus. But people can easily avoid oysters if they know they have poor immune systems. On the other hand, salmonella and e coli have been turning up in EVERYTHING lately.

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Ananelle
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@henrygates: Have you read fast food nation?

If short, Salmonella and E Coli are showing up everywhere because there are basically 5 main meat processing plants and they make everything from \"high grade\" beef to cheap hot dogs with the same equipment. The people are highly untrained and they are fired/rewarded on the amount of meat they process, so they often put terrible rotting beef in with other meat just so they can have more meat all go at once. They fudge the cleaning books for the inspectors, and the inspectors know it. There's a bunch more to it, but basically, the plants aren't clean, which is why there's so much disease in our food.

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FoxCMK
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Don't worry, everyone; we're from the government, and we're here to ruin your...I mean, help!

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SkokieGuy
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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If the ban goes through, maybe raw oyster lovers can console themselves with a legal cigarette.

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1 replies
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WonderKatGoBoom
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@SkokieGuy: +2.


I shake my tiny fork at the government. Get away from my oysters!

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JediJohn82
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Maybe they should ban cigarettes first since that kills way more people...no wait, the loss in tax revenues would bankrupt America...I guess the FDA doesn't care about your health that much.

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MostlyHarmless
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@JediJohn82: They do are about our health... as long as it does not hurt the profits.

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@JediJohn82: Maybe they could tax oysters? God I hope they don't though.

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Suaveydavey
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Aren't we supposed to forgo oysters in any month that doesn't have an r in it anyway?

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lacubsfan
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Go ahead and eat em! It's called survival of the fittest.... natural selection.... Darwinism.


Poison food is yummy!


That's 15 less idiots in the world a year :)

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subtlefrog
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@lacubsfan: Yeah, that's not natural selection. Read a book. Or even a website.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@lacubsfan: It's aggravating when people point to 'natural selection' when that's not what it was supposed to mean at all. Natural selection refers to genetic and heritable traits that predispose certain peoples to be better off genetically. Natural selection (or survival of the fittest) doesn't refer to the people who are in the best shape or the most physically strong.


For that matter, oysters aren't bad for you - it's the bacteria that's bad for you. So 15 people who die in the year aren't idiots - they're just unfortunate.

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frodolives35
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Ah Pie I think you missed the point. Some of us find raw oysters pretty gross and although only 15 oyster lovers won't effect the gene pool much the process of weeding out those who like the taste and tecture of oysters does start with those 15. But hey whatever floats your boat. I saw people eat balute in the PI ( the egg with legs) now thats gross.

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subtlefrog
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Yes and no. It's how a set of genes (genotype) manifests (phenotype) and interacts with an environment. What may be adaptive in one environment may be very bad in another. For example, white fur may help you camouflage in the snow, but in a tropical forest, you stand right out. People are less so - we've become so panmictic that it is hard to find populations with clear advantages, though there are some. Darker skin, e.g., is less prone to skin cancer.

Still, @lacubsfan was misusing the term.

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dadelus
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I beg to differ. If those 15 people know they have a disease that compromises their immune system and continue to eat foods that are known to be risky even for folks with uncompromised immune systems then I think they qualify as idiots. Unfortunate idiots at that.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@dadelus: \"Compromised immune system\" doesn't mean you have a disease. It can also refer to the fact that you're 80 years old and old age has made you more susceptible to a common cold.


It's when your body's immune system is not working at its optimal - it doesn't mean you've got a disease.


People who have a week of poor sleep potentially have a compromised immune system, a person recovering from the flu has a compromised immune system, sometimes people whose allergies are acting up can have a compromised immune system.


Compromised immune system is not the same as an underlying condition.

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rockasocky
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@lacubsfan: The patient on House the other week had hemachromatosis and was going dying from the vibrio-infected oysters she ate. She was a 15 year old girl and therefore was stupid. But because she had a genius diagnostician around, she lived.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, I'm just surprised nobody mentioned House yet,

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dadelus
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Sorry, I was thinking back to this article on the subject that I read a few weeks ago.


[www.nola.com]


In it, they state that most folks affected have a condition such as AIDS, Kidney Disease or Alcholism.


To be clear, I'm not picking on folks cause they have a disease of some type. I just think that if you know you have a problem of this nature and still make the decision to eat foods that are risky even for healthy folks then you are making an informed decision and the government shouldn't have much involvement.


All things considered, the FDAs efforts could be better focused on issues that effect larger populations.

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mazzic1083
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I recall talking about a subsection of natural selection / sexual selection which talked about how being in the best shape would actually help you win in evolutionary terms.


Of course thousands of years ago good shape meant better hunter, women were attracted to better hunters as it meant they could provide for her and her baby, thus being in good shaspe = more sexually attractive and better equipped to pass on your genes. Though we do far less hunting htese days the mind is still pre-disposed to pick out healthy and youthful mates for a better chance of procreating

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halcyondays
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I'm so tired of the Nanny-State mentality of the government. Why not just mandate wearing helmets all the time? If safety is the issue, far more than 15 people die due to falling and hitting their heads each year.

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gerrycomo
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I don't think the oysters pictured are of the \"choice\" category.

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treimel
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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300 million people total
deaths from oysrers: 15 people annually--most with *compromised immune systems*.


Note to FDA: please get some training in (take your pick): epidemiology, statistics, actuarial science, heck, any science for that matter. Now find a real risk out there.

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Coelacanth
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@treimel: I think your statistics are flawed. How many people in the US eat oysters in a given year?

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treimel
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Coelacanth:


Not all of them, or even most of them, but all of them are *capable* of consuming a raw oyster--the point is, the total population is always an appropriate metric to use in that it doesn't matter (from a global risk-asessment view) if some of the reduced risk comes from the population's behavior.
Moreover, there's only one stat I really am basing my argument on: 15 people. That's simply not a meaningful number.

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Coelacanth: hell of a lot more than 15. Shit, I know 15 people that I know for a fact eat oysters a couple of times a year. and I do too so, 16 people. now, if I know 100 people, 16 of which I KNOW eat oysters, I can assume that probably 20 of them actually eat the things.


I'm not saying everybody in the US eats oysters, but you see where the numbers would be large enough that 15 ain't that big a number.

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Coelacanth
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@The Porkchop Express: @treimel: I certainly agree with you there, but I don't really believe the proportion of people who eat raw oysters in the US is very high to begin with...


Now, if it became a cultural phenomenon, depending on what that rate happens to be, those numbers could skyrocket tremendously. Perhaps nitpicking, but simply stating that by sampling your acquaintances, you know 15-16% eat raw oysters is subject to strong selection bias.


On the otherhand, the odds of getting other catastrophes - car crashes, lightning strikes, dying from some infectious / inherited disease - are far more universal, as it'd be very, very difficult to avoid the personal risk entirely and still be a member of society.

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Coelacanth: In the entire country there may be a small percentage of oyster eaters, but in those states on the water the percentage goes up. I would say we can all assume that at least 100,000 people eat them once a year (pretty small number really) and if only 15 of those die, that would be a very small percentage still.

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rosvicl
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I'm no fan of raw oysters (just don't like the things), but if a risk of \"loss of skin\" is a reason for banning things, why are suntan parlors still legal?

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4 replies
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dadelus
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@rosvicl: There's a local fakebake shop near me that calls itself a \"Tannery\" I always have to chuckle. After all, a Tannery is a place where you historically took skins to turn them into leather.


Appropriate maybe, but I don't think that's the image they want associated with their product. :)

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pecan 3.14159265
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@rosvicl: You forgot the \"excruiciating pain\" and \"death\" parts.

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mazzic1083
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@rosvicl: Because those valley girls and pre-teens need somewhere to make themselves look amazing, damnit!

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Coelacanth
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Increased risk of skin cancer.


Death, check!

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pinecone99
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Gulf Coast oysters pretty much suck anyway.

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Preppy6917
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@pinecone99: Um...more oysters are produced in Louisiana than any other state.

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H3ion
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Offer an antibiotic with each oyster. The FDA must have better things to do.

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Jabberkaty
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Grr. I hate over regulation. As long as people know (and I think many people DO know that consuming raw or undercooked anything is risky) then let them assume the risk.

Jeez, between nannies and lawyers there's going to be nothing fun to do or yummy to eat really soon.

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Xeos
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Raw oysters are some of my favorite food, but the best comes from the Pacific Northwest and Japan. Gulf Oysters are sort of trashy ones you need to cook anyway, its far too warm down there for good, buttery, rich oysters.

Kumamoto oysters are less likely to kill you!

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The Porkchop Express
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Xeos: I don't know about the japanese ones after taking the trip over to here though. Sure over there, but I want mine to travel a bit less.

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ElizabethD
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I think Vibrio vulnificus sounds more like a spell from Hogwarts. Just sayin.

Oh, and I adore raw oysters and also raw littlenecks (hardshell coldwater clams). It makes me sad that they can be dangerous.

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floraposte
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@ElizabethD: I'm a Midwesterner. Seafood frightens me. I stick to nice, safe, rare beef.

What?

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ElizabethD
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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@floraposte:

Oh, you got nothin on me bb. When I actually bought steak to cook at home, back in the Dark Ages, I would slice off nice little hunks of raw meat, add salt/pepper, and chomp away. YUM.

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Quake 'n' Shake
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Vibrio vulnificus,...kills about 15 people a year. Most of the cases are people with compromised immune systems.

Clearly these are people who would otherwise run up large medical expenses due tot their condition, very likely costing the taxpayers dearly. Oysters are just doing their patriotic duty.

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dumpsterj
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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wait wait wait . Oysters kill 15 people a year and they want to ban them ? all they could come up to help all the thousands of people who die from smoking is to ban strawberry ciggs ? wtf ? damn greedy oyster industry !!!! (sarcasm)

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2 replies
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Can the FDA just take the f'in stance that YES it's a preventable cause, but that it should only take measures to INFORM, not ENFORCE.

The sun also causes melanoma, but we shouldn't HAVE to wear sunscreen or carry parasols or stay indoors.
(Yes I know it's the FDA we're talking about and that the sun is not a foodstuff, but this is just an example.)

We do NOT need a new law for every stupid person that burns themselves or every sickly/weak person who dies because they couldn't handle a food-borne illness.
The government has enough power as it is.
(And in some cases, TOO much. ...thanks W. >_< )

I'm glad someone is telling a government agency to STFU.
We should be able to tell other agencies the same, more often.

(Thanks for humoring my rant)

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tsmiser
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Just eat farmed oysters. Problem solved.

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Eticus
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Here is a fun take...

If Obama is gonna have me pay for your insurance.
Then I say outlaw every food/beverage that can harm you, aka make you fat.

outlaw beer cause I don't want to pay for you to be on life support after a guardrail goes through your head.

Also I am not to keen of any vehicle other than maybe trains going over 15 miles per hour, and being made of anything that cannot be loaded into a nerf crossbow.

Alternative I want all cars loaded with 16 ounces of nitro glycerine, drum breaks, 500+ hp, no crumple zones, and a 10-gauge steel dash

Any random event that can be avoided should be taken legally as opting out of medical treatment.
\"jaywalking, climbing, contact sports,golfing with out a helmet.\"

Alternative, jaywalkers cars are now equipped with 9 inch steel barbs
climbers would tether to their necks and golfers would replace golf balls with hand grenades.

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TehWillis
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Meh, keep the nanny state off of my plate.

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RedwoodFlyer
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@Jon Parker: That's fine... as long as I'm not forced to pay for your healthcare should you get sick.

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B
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I'm all for letting people kill themselves if they want to, but why is it that raw oysters are a concern and sushi isn't? Maybe the Gulf Coast's fishing industry has to clean up their act to insure that the raw oysters aren't carrying any deadly bacteria.

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ZoeSchizzel
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Well...if any of you folks knew what was in those bays, you might not want to eat them, no matter how good they taste. Tons of raw sewage from overdevelopment run-off, inadequate waste systems, and out-and-out direct toilet dumps from EVERY recreational vessel with a toilet hold (given that finding a dock-side waste pump station is incredibly difficult). Oysters being harvested in areas where no one would dream of swimming. I mean, would you eat beef that had been swiped across the chef's ass before cooking? It won't necessarily make you sick if that happened, but it's not something anyone really wants to eat.

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Ronin-Democrat
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I'm going back to canned dog food.
I like the way it leaves my coat shiny......

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meg9
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Okay, I've never had a raw oyster because of the illness possibilities, but this seems like a fantastic place to ask:
What does a raw oyster taste like?

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HogwartsAlum
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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Well I don't have to worry about it, because I have not nor will ever eat a raw oyster. It looks like a great big booger on the half shell. Eeeyeewww!

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katia802
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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That's the trick to eating raw oysters. Never never think \"booger\" before you slurp. They're actually quite good, living in a completely landbound state now, I really miss the Oyster Bar in New Orleans. :+(

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xillip
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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I thought it was an oyster but it'snot. Love them though.

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MikeHerbst
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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And while we're at it, lay off my unpasteurized cheese too, you bastards.

People were making and eating cheese for hundreds of years before ole Louie came around, and for those of us who like cheese, especially the funky kind, it really does taste better.

Stop trying to make it illegal, just slap a warning label on it so some dipstick pregnant lady (who shouldn't be eating veined cheeses anyway) doesn't get into it. Let the rest of us take the chance if we want to. The market has already proven that there is a comfortable niche market for artisan cheese makers to sell their unpasteurized wares.

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Snullbug
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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This is called natural selection. If people are stupid enough to eat potentially bacterially contaminated oysters, let them go ahead and improve the gene pool.

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David in Brasil
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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I guess that pretty much blows my idea of a caffeinated alcoholic beverage and oysters for dinner tonight...

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starzshine
November 18, 2009 4:53 PM
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So let me get this straight... bacteria is a naturally occuring thing. There is pretty much nothing you can do about the crazy mutating bastards. Totally natural, yet we are going to worry about someone dying of it? Then there is snowboarding, surfing, etc, (which I think are all awesome) man made sports where people hurdle toward the ground at crazy speeds and this is not a problem?


Just leave well enough alone!!!

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joe1512
November 23, 2009 5:31 PM
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Maybe only 15, but I'd to be one of them...

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