Talk:Oyster

message: I have found a brand of canned smoked oysters on a store shelf that has a warning on the label that the oysters contain lead and cadmium.  Three other brands on the same shelf do not have the warning. Is it that they all contain the metals but only one brand has a warning for whatever reason?  There is nothing in the article about this so it would be helpful if someone knowledgeable about it could add some information.   Troother (talk) 20:35, 28 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Toxic metals in canned smoked oysters? 

message: i was rather surprised to come across this section. it isn't informative as much as it is not NPOV. the sustainability of oysters isn't something readers need to concern themselves with. wiki serves its constituents well enough without trying to sway opinion. Spellbook (talk) 11:19, 29 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  sustainable sources  ? 

message: I have removed the following line from the article:
:Researchers in Oregon have invented a self-shucking oyster.
I believe that this sentence refers to this report: 
These aren't oysters that shell themselves.  What they invented (AFAICT from a brief skim of the article) was a process to sterilise the meat without cooking it, and this happened to make the meat come away from the shell.
Almost got this spectacularly wrong in a report from reading the article, so thank goodness I checked on Google.  --Suitov 14:35, 7 May 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Line removed 

message: Here's an external image of editable oysters, probably of the Ostrea genus.  :zh-min-nan:Image:Chhinn-o-a.jpg  A-giau 06:24, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Image 

message: The following needs to be cross-checked and NPOVed:
Most of Europe's supply of oysters comes from France. Oysters are popular among most countries in Europe with the possible exception of the UK. Between the World Wars, a plague ruined most of the oyster farms in the English Channel, infecting them with TB, and so consuming these oysters would cause illness to humans; so French scientists wanted to find a new type of oyster which was resistant to the TB bug, and came up with a type of oyster from China, which is what most of today's oysters are. However, the Brits seem to be still angry about the French poisoning them back in the between-wars period, so import very little amounts of French oysters
Oyster farms are well-protected in the north of France, and the French government enforces strict anti-pollutian laws on the shores of Normandy and Brittany, where oyster farming is most prolific. Examples of towns which have oyster farms are Concarneau and St. Malo
I have added necessary information about Sergius Orata, probably the best farmer of oysters in History. --KesheR 00:19, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I think some of that may be now recognized as apochryphal. I put a citation request on the paragraph, and I'll see what I can find. Tom Harrison Talk 00:29, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm sorry, I quoted that from Rubicon by Tom Holland (a book about Roman Republic). It's an excellent book, so it must be true. --KesheR 01:18, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Oyster farming

message: Oyster comes from the Latin word Ostrea (as you know) and the oyster-season is from September till April. These are eight months with an "R".
Some people say that therefore the French word for oyster, "huitre", comes from huit "eight" - re "R", so eight months with an R, the oysterseason.
:There's a hidden missing "s" in huîtres that makes that "huit" unlikely. I'm  generally skeptical of "Some" as a citation, anyway. --Wetman 07:25, 24 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Huitre 

message: "In the United States today, oysters are usually cooked before consumption" Middle America is still not all America. More interestingly, it's a matter of location and social class; not the kind of information Wikipedia permits, however. The only highty-tighty cooked oyster is in oyster stew, a misnomer as the oysters are never quite simmered. Oysters were a workingman's lunch in the 19th century, eaten standing up from barrows in the street or in saloons. Smart Gold Coast and Newport driveways were paved with oystershells that wheeled traffic crushed to a fine gravel. Pearl Street in New York City was similarly "gravelled". Fresh spread, oystershell has an odor that lingers for a few weeks. In winter, barrels of oysters were shipped as far as Chicago on railroads without spoiling, though I don't see how they did it. --Wetman 07:25, 24 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: 'Mercans jus' fryin' up them ersters

message: The article claims that it is based on when the oysters spawn, then denies it regarding  the Gulf of Mexico. What about the 'red tide'? "Some red tides produce large quantities of toxins, which kill fish and are accumulated by filter feeders. This bioaccumulation of toxins causes bivalves – like oysters and clams – collected in areas affected by algal blooms to be potentially dangerous for human consumption." (from the page on red tide). 
The article states that the oysters filter their food, but makes no mention of the implications of it being a filter-feeder, with respect to accumulating large quantities of toxins. It seems to me there should at least be a link to the red tide.
:::To quote the article itself: "In the United Kingdom, the native variety is still held to be the finest, taking five years to mature and protected by an Act of Parliament during the May-August spawning season."
:::The Pacific or Rock oyster can be eaten all year round, due to the difference in spawning. Gretnagod 15:10, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Months with R

message: Do oysters have heads? 75.4.241.193 03:22, 6 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: What is this, Animal Planet?  No, no heads.  None of the bivalves has a head.  This is part of how they were once classified, as Acephela, literally "those without a head".  KDS4444Talk 16:59, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Heads? 

message: Wasn't the months-with-Rs warning a legacy/vestige of the pre-refrigeration era? June, July, and August are hot summer months, of course, and consumers of oysters far from a coast took their chances with higher rates of spoilage during shipping--or so it was explained to me way back when. 172.134.45.227 06:26, 2 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I always heard that it was because they spawned during those months, and this affects the texture. The warmer temperatures promote spawning.96.54.32.44 (talk) 01:07, 25 March 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Months with 'R' 

message: How much zinc is in the average oyster?
How many oysters should we eat to be good for us?
Can we eat too many oysters?
How many is bad for us?
How do the levels of Zinc differ in different types of oysters?
--24.123.188.12 18:35, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: as known some people like tro eat oysters and some dont. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.238.118.34 (talk • contribs) 17:10, 7 October 2007
If you use Oyster as source of Zinc, please check also amounts heavy metals like Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead... Manufacturers often do not tell amounts of these, at least if you don't ask for certificate of analysis!
ee1518 (talk) 12:58, 4 December 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Zinc

message: how come it doesnt give its scientific name? im doing a project on the mangrove swamps and have to include a food chain and food web and i need to use thier fomal name. if anyone knows what it is please add it on here.
thanks, *Albeanie* (the x's dont mean kisses!)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.196.238.77 (talk) 00:38, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I think this very problem needs addressing and is much overdue.  The problem is that there are several different animals that we call "oysters", and they are not all closely related the way you might expect.  But that needs to be made clearer earlier in the article, with some scientific information to take you where you would want to go.  By now you have probably finished high school, so it will be too late for you, but there will always be another.  KDS4444Talk 17:02, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Scientific name 

message: hello can any one tell me if this is true or not?? i have heard that the reasons people eat oysters raw and whole is so the oyster eats the bacteria of our stomach lining....thank you Sharon.mc (talk) 21:34, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: This is very interesting. I have never heard of such a thing. But, judging by the way oysters are usually eaten, they do not survive down to our stomach, but this thing you heard could be maybe an enzimatic reaction between enzymes in the (dead) oyster and the bacteria lying in our stomach lining. Either way, this is not "the" reason they are eaten raw, but it might be an advantage of not cooking them.--79.177.128.27 (talk) 09:06, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bacteria 

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thread_title: [[WP:FOOD|WikiProject Food and drink]] Tagging

message: Someone has written, at the head of the article, "oysters are doing bad."  This looks like vandalism to me.  i was going to remove it, but I couldn't figure out how to edit that portion of the article.--Digthepast (talk) 03:51, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vandalism at head of article 

message: The bivalve page states that bivalves have an open circulatory system and hemolymph. This page states that oysters have veins and a heart and blood. Could someone clear up this apparent contradiction? Craig Pemberton (talk) 06:43, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Heart and blood vessels? 

message: What are ostreoliths? Drutt (talk) 15:02, 22 March 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: The word means literally "oyster-stone" in Ancient Greek.  My guess is that any fossilized member of the Ostrioidea is considered an ostreolith. KDS4444Talk 17:04, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: Ostreolith

message: Two common ethical objections to the consumption of animals is that they feel pain (and that causing pain is wrong), and that their cultivation is environmentally harmful. On both of these, oysters are significantly closer to plants than animals.
The above bolded sentence is problematic. Logically it doesn't make sense that an aspect of of an animal species is "closer to plants than animals" when, simply by being an animal, that aspect is also an animal one. Since capacity to feel pain and environmental impact have nothing to do with classification in Animalia or Plantae, it doesn't follow that oysters are significantly closer to plants in these particular aspects. If we want to keep this misleading wording, we'll need to cite a reliable source. Currently there is no source there, so I suggest we change it to something more defensible, like "On both of these, oysters are considered less objectionable than other animals." or "On both of these, oysters have been compared to certain plants."
Regarding pain, oysters lack a central nervous system, and are not believed to experience pain in the same way as humans do, with they and other bivalves being closer to mobile plants than to plant perception.
This sentence is sort of confusing. I think what is meant is oysters have a similar sensory experience to mobile plants and plants that have been shown to have plant perception. This comparison probably stems from a misunderstanding that nervous systems that are not centralized (like ours) are all basically the same in their capacity for senses. However, oysters' nervous systems are merely divided into ganglia, and no plants have been shown to have ganglia (or even actual neurons). So it doesn't make sense to claim they're closer to plants than other animals in this regard, nor does it make sense to extrapolate that their sensory experience must be more similar to plants. This, too, needs a reliable source cited if we wish it to stay. -kotra (talk) 19:32, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: I will confirm that it is reasonable to say they have no central nervous system.  They do, however, have a diffuse nervous system centered around several sets of nerve ganglia which control the limited movement of their musculature, and we have every reason to believe that this nervous system is sensitive to vibrations, heat, and certainly pain.  But then maybe your question is really a request to have that put in the article somewhere (?).   KDS4444Talk 17:10, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oysters compared to plants 

message: The use of bricks at Comalcalco was unique among Maya sites, the city's buildings were made from fired-clay bricks held together with mortar made from oyster shells.
 
I think this should be added in "Human history"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alex gnpi (talk • contribs) 00:21, 2 June 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Great!  Be BOLD, find a citation for this claim, and enter the information as you like. KDS4444Talk 17:12, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  OYSTER USE BY MAYAS 

message: I have recently had reason to research the old canard about not eating oysters or other shellfish which do not open after they have been steamed or otherwise cooked.  While it is certainly the most often repeated advice, there seems little clear science to support it (for example:  oyster fisheries tell you that you can store oysters in the refrigerator for several days under specific conditions.  At that point following their advice, you would eat raw any oysters with tightly closed shells, or shells that close when tapped.  However, an oyster with a shell that is still closed after cooking, is now advised to be discarded.  Why, when you would have eaten it raw?)  Looking into the matter, I found this article from ABC Science in Australia:  http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/10/29/2404364.htm  
A marine biologist who questioned the "conventional wisdom" regarding mussels did his own research, and found that over 10% of mussels didn't open during cooking, but were thoroughly cooked and safe to eat.
I question the objectivity of the link to "I Love the Blue Sea" which is a seafood wholesaler/reseller in San Francisco.  They may know a great deal about oysters, but they also have financial incentive to tell customers to discard unopened shellfish, to promote over-buying and waste.  At a minimum I would prefer to see the link changed to a more objective one (for example an extension office or food safety board) but I have to wonder whether there is any actual research on the "other side?"  In any case, I presented the alternative perspective and tried to objectively summarize the research presented in the source, which I hope is sufficiently objective as it is a mainstream news media outlet.
76.218.68.67 (talk) 05:58, 21 April 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Done.  Replaced with link to safeoysters.org, a project of University of Georgia Marine Extension Service, California Sea Grant Extension Program, Georgia Sea Grant, and University of Georgia Public Service and Outreach. 24.252.90.73 (talk) 02:34, 14 June 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cooking safety 

message: Why does this article contain no section on oysters as an aphrodisiac? It's well known... War Pooter (talk) 20:57, 24 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Maybe because no one can find a citation to support the claim.  Although it should be relatively easy to find citations to prove that the belief exists, and that would be enough for the information to be included in the article.  Feel like finding some sources?  Welcome to Wikipedia, the encyclopedia that anyone can edit! (Really!).  KDS4444Talk 17:14, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oysters as an aphrodisiac? 

message: Can someone with better taxonomy skills than me create the taxonomy infobox for oysters? Not sure where the cutoff would be to be all-inclusive.--☾Loriendrew☽ ☏(talk) 03:48, 8 December 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Taxobox request 

message: I think the anatomy section is weak. I'm trying to find out what exactly the beard is and whether it is edible. For example look at the tentacle page and the picture of the abalone. This clearly has a "beard" comprising tentacles which look edible. Perhaps there is a general bivalve anatomy page which could be linked (if there isn't already. Or if there is I can't see it) 
I was once very ill on raw oysters, yet I've never had a problem with stewed or smoked oysters. I'd like to know more about whether oyster allergy is only for the raw shellfish, or were the raw oysters I ate off? Vince Calegon 11:26, 15 January 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Anatomy and Allergy 

message: There is no section detailing how long oysters have been around or how they evolved. In fact, the word 'evolution'doesn't even appear once in the article! Fig (talk) 19:03, 27 November 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Evolution 

message: Do I detect snobbery here?  I'm sure that those who like cooked oysters consider them a delicacy.  They wouldn't cook them or have them cooked otherwise.  Delicacy is in the palate of the eater.  (Incidentally, I like them either way.)  What about Oysters Bienville, Kirkpatrick or Rockefeller or Angels on Horseback?  Real plebeian stuff, right?  Kostaki mou (talk) 22:24, 13 April 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Some kinds of oysters are commonly consumed by humans, cooked or raw, the latter being a delicacy." 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Can anyone find a Pubmed study is oyster consumption associated with health benefits or risks?
I searched quickly and only found case reports of risks. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27645757
And oysters contain a lot of heavy metals. They only claim safe levels because they assume people eat very low quantities per year. If one eats oysters every day, one gets huge amounts of arsenic. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00128-015-1534-4
I was thinking about consuming canned boiled South Korean oysters imported to USA, but I will not do that daily unless anyone will find any benefits that are greater than risks.
ee1518 (talk) 13:48, 4 December 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Health benefits vs harms 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: In the section "Opening Oysters" there is a claim stating "Fresh oysters must be alive just before consumption or cooking."  However, many grocery stores, (at least in Virginia in the United States) sell jarred, refrigerated raw oysters that have already been removed from the shell and are very obviously dead, and usually have expiration dates that are at least a week or so away from when they are sold.  I know because I've been eating them all my life, as have other people in my family.  I'm not talking about canned smoked oysters that are already cooked.  These jarred oysters are clearly not intended to be eaten raw, but are meant to be cooked. This seems to be in direct contradiction to the claim that oysters must be alive before cooking them.  I added the "citation needed" tag to the statement.  Vontheri (talk) 22:30, 22 December 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, that's fine; the claim is disputed, so it should be cited. However I'm deeply sceptical that your jarred raw oysters with a 1-week expiration date are really raw. The process of bottling food involves heating it to a high-enough temperature to kill all pathogens - i.e. cooking it. Were your 'jarred raw' claim to be added to the article  it would be OR, unless you were to provide a citation. MrDemeanour (talk) 08:25, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
replies: text:  I know not to add original research to an article.  The jar has a warning on it saying something like "consuming raw shellfish increases risk of foodborne illness", so I would assume that would indicate that they are indeed raw.  They certainly don't seem cooked, they look and feel exactly like raw oysters I've eaten in restaurants before, just they aren't in a shell.  They aren't sealed like foods that are canned in a jar, either.  Just a plastic lid and a paper-like seal similar to what you'd find on an over-the-counter medicine bottle.  I'll try to do some research and find a citation regarding them if I can find the time.  A quick google search came up with this reddit discussion regarding them: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/32aayt/is_it_safe_to_eat_fresh_jarred_oysters_without/ as well as a page on "ehow" which I can't link to because it says the website has been blocked from wikipedia, but it can be easily found by a google search for "jarred oysters".  Neither webpage specifically states that they are indeed raw, but it seems to be the assumption.  (Of course neither of those webpages are of the quality to cite in an article.)  Vontheri (talk) 20:56, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Cool. I'd be interested to see your citation(s). I wonder if the explanation is that these oysters have been radiation-treated to kill pathogens? On the other hand you say you've been eating them 'all your life' - of course I don't know how old you are, but I believe the use of radiation to sterilise food is not much older than 20 years. MrDemeanour (talk) 09:01, 24 December 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  citation needed for claim "Fresh oysters must be alive just before consumption or cooking." 

message: Should this article include a mention of and/or link to Tabby Concrete, Lime (material), Concrete, etc? It is in reference to the shell specifically, but provides an interesting bit of insight into the nature of its physical structure and strength. Johnalexjay (talk) 06:48, 26 August 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Use of oyster shells in the manufacture of concrete 

message: — Assignment last updated by Josantosusf (talk) 21:53, 13 April 2023 (UTC)
thread_title: Wiki Education assignment: BSC 4052 Conservation Biology

message: There are varous references to places being French, which are in Breizh, Brittany. Breizh/Brittany, things with origins there are Breton. Politically France (illegally) annexed Breizh, so very much like things from Scotland are Scottish not English, it is te same for things Breton 85.94.248.27 (talk) 14:20, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Breizh v French