Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-05-03
THE DELUDED OYSTER.
The Old Superstition About the Letter
''R" Exploded.

TALK WITH Mr.. HoLDEN-No OYSTERS FROM
THE STEAM OYSTER WAS DISCOVERED, ETC.
The last month with an "r, In ii having let
loose its hold the beseiged oyster peeps eau
tiously out of his shell and takes in the situa-
tion with some degree of satisfaction, contem-
plating the approaching moment when he may let
loose his reserved store of cramps and revenge
himself upon the carniverous destroyers of his
solitary happiness. But this is all mistake.
says Mr.. Holden, of Harvey & Holden. The oys-
ter is deluded; he is as good without as with
the 81" He is no safer in May and June, or
even July aud August, than he would have been
had there been enough "r" to 60 round. But
as those who practice eating as science will
not recognize that venerable tradition which
gives the oyster holiday in the summer months,
Maryland and Virginia have passed a concurrent
law suoJecting to severe penalty any fisher
man who disturbs him during his summer yaca-
ton.
1--WE shall have to get all our oysters from
Cape May and the northern waters this season :"
said Mr.. Holden to STAR reporter 1.-THE Viz
gina law went into effect last week and that of
Maryland on the lst of May; SO we can't get any
more oysters from the Chesapeake this season
lie VIII be the first summer We have been with
prejudice against eating them in the summer ia
wearing away, and folks eat them all the year
round Yes, we serve oysters in the summer
time in every style We do in the winter except
steamed. The steamed won't do in hot weather
You can have them on the half-sheli stewed
fried, broiled. roasted escallOped, chaflnp dish
or In pies, and all kinds and sizes OYSTERS are
PROBABLY more universally eaten than any other
article of food. and [ have the opinion of some
OF the best physicians in the District that they
are as good in the summer as any other time.
A big fat oyster. taken from under lump of ice,
Is just delicious In the summer. The only trou-
Die Is that they are hard to keep in warm wea-
Their. and sometimes people eat them when they
are warm and not ht to be eaten. The LYNN
haven or CherrystOne are particularly nice to
eat raw, lemon juice and horseradsh being the
only sauce required for them; and then there's
tine famous Saddle Rock The oysters gotten
In the Maryland and Virginia waters are about
the best. and the beds are convenient for SUM-
mer trade"
DO you serve as many oysters In the summer
as in the winter?' asked The STAR.
mo, not more than halt as many. Every
body has not yet gotten over the old tradition,
and they associate summer oysters with cramps.
But it's wearing away rapidly now Another
thing that cuts down our trade in warm
weather Ia that We don't serve steamed oysters
then. Many people don't eat them in any other
STYLE"
HOW TIE STEAMED OYSTER WAS DISCOVERED.
sit is said that Mr.. Harvey discovered the
steamed OYSTER" intimated the scribe.
''Yes. he did. There are great many stories
concerning how 1t was done. One Is that he
used to have many small oysters that could not
be opened readily and were not In demand when
opened, and he got to putting them In hot
water to make them open their mouths and to
swell them up, making them look fat Another
theory Is that the steamed oyster was discov-
cred BY accident during fire. You know they
kaoy> tara in vvir hoc lafc Urll
that before they had the present good iire de-
partment-when hand pumps were In use and
the citizens used to volunteer to haul the hose
carriage-the back building Of Haryey's re
staurant took fire one night and was burned
nearly to the ground. The volunteer fremen
had been working hard and had begun to CRY
for coffee, when one of them espied the baskets
of oysters steaming and tempting, with their
mouths wide open. He turned his hose on
them, so the story goes, and succeeded In get
ting one basket. After he got the prize he
looked at it for some time and was afraid to
eat. But the savory favor assaied mis- nose
and he was very hungry; 90 after making
few faces at the dish he picked out one
oyster and tasted 1t very cautiously. Then
strange expression Of happiness and surprise
The expression became more intense. Then,
suddenly, he seized upon the basket and dsap-
pcared. The next morning Mr.. Harvey found
man, sound asleep, In one Of the back sheds,
his feet In an empty BASKET. For sometime after
he was aroused he could not do anything but
smile and whisper steamed Oysters' Then ne
told how he had discovered q heavenly dish In
the shape OF steamed oysters.
But all these stories are little doubt
ful. The true manner Of making the dis
covery was this. We use to scaid oysters,
and they were very popular that way, but,
being very busy we could not change the
water rs frequently as was necessary. and
fho ia rflf tha yUQa la