"O Oysters come and walk with us!"

So one of my goals for the new year (as I don't make "resolutions" per se) is to spend more time with friends. Another goal is to try new things. Last night, I was able to do both when I went out to The Independent in Union Square with PunkRockMom and the Niblet, and we all tried oysters on the half shell.

Even though I grew up in a family of oyster eaters, I cannot recall previously eating them. So when I saw that they had Connecticut bluepoint oysters as a special on the menu, I boldly ordered up some to try and persuaded PRM and N to join me. Shortly after I placed the order, I had a moment of doubt and considered canceling it.

When they were served, on ice with cocktail sauce and lemon, I put aside that squeamish feeling as I realized that it was too late to back out on this now. So I sucked up my courage and sucked down those oysters. And they were surprisingly good. They definitely weren't "fishy", which is what I was expecting. My mom says that they taste like the sea; I can see that, even though I added both lemon and cocktail sauce before my tasting. One thing that I didn't care for is the sand. There definitely was some grit in there.

N took his time before trying his, and I don't think that he will have another oyster anytime soon. I told him that I was impressed because I was having my first oyster at the same time he was and I am 25 years older than he is. He's a brave little trooper, even if he was making faces the whole time. :)

Clean plates all around!


Next up: steamers!