Steve Gilbert: ‘What’s this compulsive ‘fork‘ behavior all about? You wash forks every time you use them? I don’t think that a REAL GUY would be so picky. I mean, if you’re already eating something that might kill you, why worry about the next guy who’s going to use the fork? I’d at least wait a few hours to see if the oysters were fatal before I’d bother washing the fork.’
☞ Point taken.
Mike Koltak: ‘For recipe #1, I would add a shot of vodka. Dip the oysters into the vodka before dipping them into the cocktail sauce, or add vodka to the sauce. It is supposed to help kill the bacteria – probably not true but it is a good excuse to have a nip and it does taste great.’
☞ So that’s why they call it cocktail sauce. Who knew?
Alan Caroe, M.D.: ‘Cholera (epidemic diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerea bacteria) is the disease most closely associated with raw oyster consumption. Death from this infection is uncommon (less than 1 in 100) if adequate nursing and oral rehydration is provided. (Chicken soup and Gatorade, in sufficient quantities, are live-saving.) Cholera epidemics appear to arise only in warm, salty water containing untreated human feces. This is the historic reason to avoid unrefrigerated oysters in the summertime. American oysters harvested outside of the Gulf of Mexico may be safer. Hepatitis A is also associated with ingestion of raw shellfish. It may be avoided by a commercially available Hepatitis A vaccine. It may be wise for any individual with immune deficiency or pre-existing liver disease (especially Hepatitis C) to talk to their health care provider about Hepatitis A immunization before eating raw oysters. P.S.: Cooked oysters do taste good. Ten minutes in boiling water should kill the most likely pathogens.’
Jim Summers: ‘No self respecting guy would eat oysters without first putting the oyster on a saltine with a spoonful of horseradish along with the cocktail sauce. A squeeze of lemon is also critical. This has extra shock value as it allows the guy to eat it in two bites, with a swig of beer in between, while the uninitiated gag at the sight of oyster liquor dripping from the soggy cracker between bites. Judging from the size of the Hilton oysters, it would appear that this would be a two-bite delicacy. If you don’t have horseradish, then a couple of shakes of hot sauce will do. As no cooking or measuring is involved, and it is eaten with fingers, it still qualifies as a guy recipe.’
Brooks Hilliard: ‘What? You can cook oysters?’
