The Washington herald., 1913-09-13
The Table and the Kitchen
By Ida AMES WILLIS

The gay and festive reveler in gas
tronomic delights may prefer the lobster
palaces, and TO do homage TO the car
| dinaI cloaked potentate therein. But IN
the hands of a genius for devising rare
and cunning methods OF preparing them,
and retaining and extracting the full
delight of their flavor, the American Oys-
| ter-whether 1t be the dear little dainty
Blue Point or the larger, sweet. pump
bonne bouche-is a perpetual JOY and a
rapturOus surprise.
The Question of its heartiness and its
ability to supply waste of the system, or
whether il is rich in phosphates or not,
! concerns the oyster lover much less than
the ways and means of enjoying without
stint this rare and dainty bivalve. fresh
from its native beds in the salt sea
depths. No true oyster lover fails in
appreciation of the merits of the raw
| oyster, and no epicurean taste can be
tempted TO dishonOr this gift OF the sea
god by desecratinE it with coarse vinegar
and peppery sauces. IL one must resort
! to such means TO enable them TO eat the
delicate monster unCOoked, their palate
! lacks discrimination and delicaCy requi-
site for the enjoyment that recompenses
the true epicuTean taste. For the flavor
! OF the oyster best suited for serving raw
! is ethereal and exquisite in its delicacy.
Either the oysters must be fiat, stale,
and Improbable, or else OF decidedly
strong saline and fishy flavor to excuse
Il deluge Of vinegar and condiment The
oyster. more than any other fish. flesh.
or fowl, seems to lend itself to any va
riety of moods and occasions. Most eX-
! cellent in its rawness as the introduc-
| ton of the most sumptuous feast, or as
a surprise and new sensation to give sue
cess 10 an elaborate dinner: or as a sim
pie and rest-producing repast, with no
| elaboration beyond thin buttered slices
of. brown, bread. and tender crisp celery,
and perhaps a pinch of salt hint OF cay
enne, sprinkling Of lemon juice, If the
! flavor OF the oyster seems to demand
| this concession.
The Oyster for Chafing Dish Cook
| cry.
| For ,chafing dish cookery the oyster has
no rival, not even the more pretentiOus
egg or the dream-producing cheese. For
neatness and dispatch are the most re-
quisite factors in cooking an oyster, as
neither tenderness or favored juices must
be sacrificed if one wishes to win laurels
as an oyster cook
| Because II requires no great elabora-
| ton or length Of time or innumerable
accessories, the oyster is great favor
| lite with the chatting dish artist who pre-
sides over the midnight feasts. 1t adds
| triumph to his skill to serve a deliciously
rare morsel that may be eaten amid
| jovial and congenial surroundings, and
remember next morning with lingering
! tenderness.
The Flavor Docs Not Increase with
| Size.
| The tiny Blue Point is in the patrician
! class because of its delicate and delight
| full flavor, and scarcity makes it some
what of a luxury. Many young baby
| oysters that resemble the Blue Point in
size and flavor share the honors with
the genuine, because the small oyster has
the most delicate flavor, and the near
Blue Point is near enough for most pal
ates not to suspect the deception. For
soups, stews, scallops, croquettes, salads,
and where the delicate oyster flavor is
specially desired as the predominate fea-
ture, a small, or medium-sized. oyster is
to be preferred Indeed, even for crumb-
ing and frying, the past masters in the
art. especially the old aunties and man,
mics pf Baltimore and Eastern Sho'.