Oysters: How to Shuck 'Em

There is a long stomach wrenching story that goes along with this video. I'm not sure if I should tell you, but I will anyway.

First, watch the video (4 minutes). It's the first part of two videos (the second on how to beignet oysters coming next week). I filmed it myself so you'll have to excuse the low lighting and the unintentional body shots. I got a little carried away with the Brittney Spears opening too. No regrets, oysters are an aphrodisiac after all... or are they?

I bought a box of 50 oysters on Sunday (my day off) for this video and throughout the evening while I shucked them and dipped them in batter to beignet, I ate about half raw and deep fried.

Monday rolled around and I met some friends that were visiting from San Francisco and the whole day I just felt groggy. I kept thinking it must be fatigue from cooking double shifts each day day. I felt so sleepy that I had to cut our date short.

Tuesday morning I returned to work at 8AM and felt like a tractor had run over me. Looking for a shred of sympathy, I told another cook: "You know I feel really tired, I don't feel so good". He responded: "You don't come to cook at a restaurant like this to be tired."

Well, no shit sherlock.

Right before our afternoon service I could feel my intestines rolling around and I knew something was wrong. Then came the sensation that I was being knifed repeatedly in the lower gut. It came and went throughout the lunch service but I managed to withstand it.

I should say, I managed to withstand it while totally messing up every order on the planet. I heard more than my fair share of, "Ah Amy, c'est quoi ça?" (Ah Amy, what is that?) It's really hard to hear all the long menus coming in when you're doubled over in pain. And you know we do everything verbally. Everything has to be memorized – no point of sale system – so you've got to listen and be sharp. I made it through the dinner service, but just barely.

I came home and slept and returned Thursday morning to work. This time the knifing in my stomach returned accompanied with some terrible side effects. Everything started coming out of me. I mean everything and everywhere. I felt like some one was taking my intestines and tying them in knots.

Now you have to understand that when you cook in a restaurant you don't get sick. It just doesn't happen. If you are truly sick then you better have pnemonia or the plague or something incurable. So I was back and forth to the toliet praying that my body would soon finish evacuating itself before the lunch service began trying not to make to big an issue of it.

Of course no one even asked if I was okay. They just kind of looked at me like maybe I drank too much or something the night before. I know I'm older, a woman, and American but, if some one is really sick don't you think you're going to ask if the obvious: Are you alright?

Thankfully one of the excutive chefs took interest in my well-being and asked if I was okay and offered to get me some medecin. I explained in my best French/American sign language that everything was coming out of me. "Tu as le Gatro" he told me.

I find this name for malady Gastrointestinal really funny because in Paris gastronomical restaurants are nicknamed "Gastros" as opposed to "Bistros". So yes, I had le Gastro while I was working at un Gastro. (no fault but my own though, they were my oysters)

The ever-kind chef, brought me back pills to stop me up and they worked. I managed to pull off another day of two services, lunch and dinner, thanks to the pills and basically slogged my way through Friday. However, I found out later that when you have "gastro" you're not supposed to take these pills while you're body is trying to rid itself of problem. It only prolongs the pain. Which it did. Enough said.

So now I'm okay. And what I've come to conclude is that I think I must be allergic to oysters. I always seem get sick when I eat more than three or four.

But honestly, I do love them. And I love to pop them open and eat them raw straight from the ocean with just a squeeze of lemon. I only wish that my stomach would be more supportive of this habit.

Technorati Tags: how to shuck oysters, oysters, video

Comments

[Stu "El Inglés" Harris]

The sauce is called 'sauce mignonette', r?

[Buck]

Oysters and cleavage...some of my favorite things.

[Ms. Glaze]

Stu – thanks! I couldn't remember the name of it when I was making the video.

Buck – Yes well, oysters are off my list for awhile I think ;-)

[beth]

don't forget you were just sick w the flu and your resistance is down; eating raw oysters not a good idea with the possible bacteria/viruses in them. beth

[JD]

No need to apologize for the close-ups, it can only help your ratings ;-)

I've always found mussels to be a more convenient and less potentially harmful bivalve. Mmmmm, moules et frites.

[Adele]

Oh dear.

That sounds like an absolutely hellish experience. Glad you're alive and recovered!

[Amir]

Oysters are delicious. and I can definitely feel your pain about working life in a restaurant when you are sick. I was sick for a whole week but it is an unspoken rule that unless you are at the hospital, you show up to work. Those are the times that i see how different our profession is. My roomate works in an office and if it just snows a little too much he takes a day off, haha.

My favorite sauces to eat with oysters are mignonette, salsa verte made with oregano, parsley, olive oil, capers, parmesan... or a nice spicy crayfish remoulade. yum.

[Robyn Vickers]

Oh, you poor dear, you've had a bit of a run, lately, non? Sorry for the bad pun, completely unintentional. I know the feeling when life seems to have taken a dead fish and repeatedly slapped you in the face with it. But you do inspire us all to greater things, so I'm sending a big hug and a hot cup of tea. Feel better.

[Parisbreakfasts]

OD-I-BILE
You can buy it over the counter in France and it's just charcole tablets and filters out the bad stuff - best when you've downed a round of greasy yummy escargots.
But raw oysters are tricky. You only need one bad one to lay you low.
And 50 oysters! girl.
Lordie
Glad you are better. You ARE better right?

[Stu "El Inglés" Harris]

I was up at Tomales Bay a week ago, munching the famous oysters there. One sauce that was served was rice vinegar + jalapeño (easy does it). Surprisingly good -- I recreated it at home for serving with seared ahi.

[Mad William]

I just had a few bad oysters lay me out too. I love those slimy little buggers but the bad ones are deadly.

Hope you're better.

[Johnny Zone]

Love the video, and that is such a beautiful glove you have. I wish I had that when I started out working in restaurants. My only protection was a white towel that I wrapped around the oyster+my hand, and also to have the right shucker that works properly was such a key factor, people would steal it and I always got the crappy one.

[nathalie]

Hmmm a few comments :
- no one says "le gastro" but "une gastro" when referring to a disease called "gastro enterite".

- only people whose mother tongue is english would nickname restaurants gastronomiques "gastros" :-)
Parisians would call them "les étoilés" (from Michelin red guide stars) or would use their whole name : i.e restaurants gastronomiques.

[Ms. Glaze]

Nathalie – The chef said "le gastro" and all the cooks in the restaurants call classy restaurants "gastros". It's their nickname for Michelin restaurants. The same way we don't say a restaurant with "etoiles" but with "Macarons". Don't ask me why, but I don't make these things up.

[costas]

Yes i think Ms Glaze is right.I hope to be now on your feet!!
See ya!

[SAS]

50? YOu ate FIFTY oysters? Fried and raw? It's no surprise you had "le gastro," but it's a miracle you're alive. I don't care if you're Kobayashi, eating 50 oysters is insane. But I'm glad you made it through. Must have been a nightmarish experience...

[Online Pharmacy no Prescription]

The online pharmacy no prescription phrase works on two distinct planes; the internet and non prescription medication. But, we are fusing the phrase so that it means something and we can use the constituent parts of the phrase to create an idea. The concept of “online pharmacy no prescription” is designed for the purpose of providing medication over the internet (online) for all those people all over the world who are in dire need of suitable medication at reasonable prices, which is exactly the reason behind generic meds.

[Online Pharmacy]

Well, no shit sherlock.