Oysters

My family just got back from a vacation in Puerto Rico where I tasted oysters for the very first time.  Well, now I'm addicted to them!   A lot of people (especially kids) might be afraid to try them, thinking that they're slimy and gross.


I was never scared but I wasn't expecting much from oysters.  I thought they'd be gooey and that they'd have no flavor other than the lemon squirted on them. Boy was I wrong!  On the very first try, I thought I'd reached heaven.  The briny juice inside that oyster made me feel like I'd just eaten a bit of the ocean (and not in the same way as when you eat fresh fish).  It was more like tasting the "entire" ocean.  The meat is like eating the creatures that live in it and the briny juice is like tasting an ocean's waters.

After eating half a dozen I even felt energized, like I'd just gone for a 10 minute swim.  This is the stand in Boqueron, Puerto Rico where I had my first oyster experience. It has been followed by many many more :-) and I'm really looking forward to trying different varieties.  They cost $5 a dozen there!

When we got back to New York, my mom bought a dozen at our local Fairway Market.  One thing I realized is that while chomping these pieces of heaven (I like to chomp them twice before I devour them) is easy, opening them is not!

The first thing you have to do to prepare your oysters is to wash and scrub them free of any debris.  Then you have to get an adult to pry them open with a sharp knife.  Here's a cool tutorial: 

My name's Xavier, I'm 12 years old and I love oysters.  Don't be afraid to try something new.