Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-10-02
THE OYSTER
Seme of the Ways In Which 1t is Eaten


The oyster season is now open ano
the luscious bivalves are on the mark
ct in goodly numbers. How to eat
oysters is a problem that has been the
lifetime study of the proprietor OF an
avenue hosiery. Nowhere in the city
is this burning problem more fully
threshed out than in this oyster head
quarters, where have gathered earnest
worsbippers at the shrine oysterlai Tor
SO long time that mems regulations
as connoisseurs are proved only by
years. When they die you can still
hear them spoken of admiringly If their
ability was established and depreciat-
ingly il their oyster choices were not
worthy of the quiet. constant patrons
of the place.
STRANGE said the host the other
day, for he is more the host than the
proprietor, "the difference in taste
shown by lovers of oysters in the mat
ter Of serving their favorite blvalve.
Ny patrons-I might.almost say clients
show especial difference III the mat
ter of the raw oyster.
Don't be surprised when l tell you
tlat horseradsh, tobasco, Worcester
SHIRE, vinegar, catsup, celery salt,
lemon, cayenne and black pepper, salt.
melted better. sugar and even olive oil
are used Individually and in wonder
full variety of combinations as condi-
ments Of raw oysters.
"Horseradish and lemon have sup
planted the old fashioned vinegar, salt
and pepper combination, and l might
say fully IS per cent. of oyster lovers
use them, and them alone, to give zest
to their oysters. But imagine a prep
aration of powdered sugar and sweet
oil on q raw oyster. I have seen it
scores of times. Worse than that, a
mixture of French mustard and tomato
catsup or melted butter and sugar, or
horseradish, Worcestershire, tobasco
and celery salt, or lemon, vinegar and
sugar, with sprinkling of cayenne.
These are no more unusual with those
who eat oysters six days in week than
is the practice OF submerging an lnno-
cent oyster in red bath of tomato
catsup.
This gave rise to the question one
day by one of a party of four to anoth-
er. What sort of oysters do you usual
ly eat with your catsup?'
"OIiye oil has become fad with
some IN oyster service. Requests for
oy sters fried in olive oil or olive oil in
stew aud roast are frequent. The sew
er. ii condiments have named are used
ex xtensively in fancy stews and roasts.
"a lawyer whose name for many
years was most celebrated in the list
of criminal lawyers at the local bar
us ID to have his oysters brought to
him in the pan, SO that he might pre-
pa g a sauce OF horseradish, Worcester
shire, tobasco and mustard, in which
the bivalves were stewed. Another,
ais a jurist of note, insisted upon a
generous addition of sugar to every
stew. The color of an oyster and even
the appearance of Its shell are made
points of preference. One insists that
each oyster shell shall be scrubbed and
ali seaweed ala dark ses. growth re
moved, anJohar insists upon those bear
ing the must Oi.lnacles.
"a p culiar fallacy is the matter of
color of the oyster itself. Now, an oys-
ter takes its color from its shell. If
une she'll be dark, so is the oyster, and
If light the same rule holds good. Few
persons know that if the darkest oyster
is rubbed gently with piece of linen
it soon becomes white and clear. There
is absolutely no difference, as far as
fa3le and wholesomeness are concern
ID, between light and d dark oyster,
pee ,liar opinion to the contrary not
witiistandlpg.
when you depart from the realm
of oysters raw you enter into problem
of plain milk, Boston and box stews,
shell roasts. roasts on toast, broils,
bro;ls on toast, Baltimore broils and
many others, clear to the line of oys.
ter cocktails and oyster omelets. l
find the real oyster lover, however, the
con aoisseur, takes his oysters more
or I-.ss straight, and principally in two
styles. The nrst is raw, with the tint
est dash of lemon juice or horseradish,
and the second, and to my mind the
very best of all, the shell roast, with a
little melted butter and little salt
and pepper.
zone who has fondness for oysters
to begin with never tires of the savory
delights of shell roast. With i'm
purity and without a fear of ever grow.
ing sated or tried one can eat oysters
raw or oysters roasted in the shell 365
days out of every year, with the added
day iu leap year. - Washington Star.