Miyagis, Blue Points, Duxbury, oh my! I absolutely dread those ice breaker questions that make you think of something personal. Where would you live if you could live anywhere? Who's your favorite superhero? What's your favorite food? I used to never know what to say mostly because I'm ever changing like a 5-year old in a grocery store. Should I tell people that I love the decadent, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth taste of Nutella? Or a warm, gooey, cuddle-on-the-couch bowl of mac and cheese? Or even a simple, mouthwatering, cheesy slice of pizza? But as I've grown and changed over the years, I've developed an obsession with these beautiful gems of the bay: oysters.
Being from San Francisco, I've been blessed with the lush blue saltwater crashing down onto the shores of my backyard. From Tomales Bay to Hog Island, I've been spoiled with farms upon farms of these royal shellfish. As Seamus Heaney wrote in his poem Oysters,
"Our shells clacked on the plates.
My tongue was a filling estuary,
My palate hung with starlight:
As I tasted the salty Pleiades
Orion dipped his foot into the water."
These rock-like creatures glistening in the bay are truly the food of gods. Nothing is more elegant than shucking a Kumamoto and slurping up this sweet, plump, delight. Just me, the saltwater infused air, and stretches of glistening shells for me to pry open and explore the wondrous gifts of the bay.
What's your favorite food? Do you eat oysters? If so, how do you usually like it prepared? Comment your answers below.
And if you're all wondering where this delicious looking photo came from, I spoiled myself last summer with a feast at Hog Island Oyster Company.
