St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-12-05
EATING THE OYSTER.

CAx 4NO 0G VX04 G1As
fhere Are Many Ways Of Preparing
Them to suit the yaFying
Tastes Of People.
How to eat oysters is problem that
has been the lifetime study Of the pro
prietor of an avenue hostelry. says the
Washington Star Nowhere In the city
is this burning problem more fully
threshed out than in this oyster head
quarters, where have gathered earnest
worshipers at the Shrine oysterial for
60 long time that mems regulations
nj connoisseurs are proved only by
years. When they die and are forgot
ten in other walks Of life You can still
hear them spoken of admiringly II their
ability was established and depreciat-
ingly II their oyster choices were not
worthy of the quiet. constant patrons q
the place.
"Strange," said the host the other day.
for he is more host than the proprietor,
1.-The difference in taste shown by low
ers of oysters in the matter Of serving
their favorite bivalye. My patrons
might almost say clients show especial
difference in the matter Of the raw oys-
ter
Don't be surprised when tell you
that horseradish, tobasco. Worcester
shire, vinegar, catsup. celery, salt
lemon, cayenne and black pepper. salt,
melted butter, sugar and even olive oil
are used individually. and in wonder
full variety of combinations as qondi-
ments of raw oysters.
"Horseradish and lemon have sup
planted the old-fashioned vinegar. salt
and pepper combination, and might
say fully Is per cent. Of oyster lovers use
them, and them alone, to give zest to
their oysters But imagine prepara-
ton of powdered sugar and sweet oil
on raw oyster. have seen II scores
Of times. Worse than that, mixture
of French mustard and tomato catsup
or melted butter and sugar, or horse
radish, Worcestershire. tobasco and cell
cry salt, or lemon, vinegar and sugar
with sprinkling Of cayenne. These
are no more unusual with those who
eat oysters six days in q week than u
the practice of subm crying an innocent
oyster in a red bath Of tomato catsup.
'.This gave rise to the question one
day by one of party Of four to another:
What sort of oysters do you usually eat
with your catsup?'
"Olive oil has become fad with some
In oyster service. Requests for oysters
fried in olive oil or olive oil IN stew
and roast are frequent. The several
condiments have named are used ex-
tensively In fancy staws and roasts.
"A lawyer whose name for many
years was most celebrated In the list
OF criminal lawyers at the local bar used
to have his oysters brought to- him 81 !
the pan, SO that he might prepare
sauce Of horseradish, Worcestershire.
tobasco and mustard. In which the BIZ
valves were stewed. Another, also
jurist OF note, insisted upon eener-
Gus 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 III
seaweed and dark sea growth removed:
another insists upon those bearing the
most barnacles.
"a peculiar fallacy 4 the matter Of
color Of the oyster itself. Now, "a oyH-
ter takes its color from Ito shell. Il
the shell be dark. 30 Is the oyster, and
If light the same rule holds good. Few
persons know that II the darkest oyster
Is rubbed gently with Q piece 81 linen
It soon becomes white and clear. There
is absolutely no difference, a. far -
taste and wholesomeness are concerned,
between light and 3 dark oyster. popu-
lar opinion to the contrary notwith-
standing.
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. boils, broils
on toast, Baltimore broils and many
others. clear to the line Of oyster cock-
tails and oyster omelets ind tho real
oyster lover. however. the connoisseur,
takes his oysters mere or less straight,
and principally in two styles. The nrSt
Is raw. with the tiniest dash 81 lemon
Juice or horseradish, and the second. and
to my mind the very best best Of MI, tho
shell roast, with little melted butter
and little salt and pepper.
Zone who has Z fondness for oys-
tiers to begin with never tires Of the
savory delights of shell roast. With
impunity and without fear 81 ever
growing satedeor tired one can eat oys-
tiers raw or oysters roasted In the she'll
365 days out of every year, with the:
added day In leap year.