Behold the Oyster

In spite of the fact that I am a New Englander, born but not quite raised in Connecticut (my Dad was military and we moved around - a lot), I am not what one would call a seafood fanatic. Generally when I say that people look at me with one eyebrow-raised and say, "you're kidding, right?" Nope. Not kidding. Not a seafood fan and will readily admit to never having sat down to a lobster dinner at any point in my life. That's not to say that I wouldn't want to if the right guy invited me but it hasn't happened so ... nope, no lobster!

I do eat some seafood such as clam cakes, clam chowder, the occasional shrimp, and I'm a big fan of tuna fish (hey, it's seafood!) but when it comes to things like scallops, crab, oysters and the like then count me out! When I was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi way back in the mid 70's I had the opportunity to go to one of the local restaurants and try some of their famous Gulf oysters but I passed on that, too. They could have been served on the entire shell, never mind just the half shell and I still wouldn't have been interested!

Of course, if one was guaranteed a pearl with every oyster then it might be worth it to sit down and order up a platter. Better yet, if sapphires (which are my birthstones and so much prettier than a pearl) came out of oysters I might be more likely to order them and try my luck at finding a precious gem inside!

I'm probably missing a lot by not wanting to eat any of the lovely little mollusks considering they provide a low calorie protein and are an excellent source of zinc, vitamin B-12, and omega-3 fatty acids but I just don't know. Maybe I just need to do some more research (I do love to do research!) and I'll change my mind. I did find one place on the internet that gave some great information on oysters, particularly those in the Louisiana area - BeOysterAware.com where they are dedicated to educating the oyster consuming public. Maybe I need some education of my own when it comes to oysters ... I am, after a New Englander and we're supposed to eat seafood!