2 thoughts on “OYSTERS”

1. Is there any basis for the rule that one should not eat oysters in any month lacking an “r,” or is it simply a precaution left over from the days before mechanical refrigeration?

   • It’s mostly a holdover from days before refrigeration, but there’s also an issue of toxic algae proliferating in summer months, especially in warm waters. Supposedly modern inspection routines for commercially sold oysters keep affected oysters off the market, but you probably wouldn’t want to harvest your own oysters in gulf waters during the summer. I like the discipline of denying myself oysters during months without r’s in them, just because it whets my appetite for them all the more, and for the tradition of the thing.

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