An FDA decision of great interest to those who like Oysters

[BOSSHOG]

The FDA to ban the sale of raw oysters during warm months if they are not pasteurized.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-27/1256677592121090.xml&storylist=louisiana

The Gulf of Mexico supplies most of the Oysters in the country. This news is not going over very well in New Orleans.

[Lasher]

1. “'Twere a brave man who first et oyster”.

Jonathan Swift

[BOSSHOG]

5. When it comes to raw oysters

I'm not brave at all but I do like them charbroiled. Arrrgh Matey, Jonathan didn't have charbroiling available in his day.

[epiphany]

8. I'm pretty sure charcoal has been around since long before Mr. Swift

:-)

[BOSSHOG]

10. Arrrgh! Welcome to DU Epiphany

But Drago's in New Orleans with its mouthwatering and delightfully tangy Charbroiled Ersters was not available to Mr Swift and his mates.

[Lasher]

12. Avast! Crawldads, a tankard of ale, and a feisty wench me hearty!

Pity the poor souls what was born and died before the french quarter came to be!

[Warpy]

2. Looks like they'll just have to follow the seasons

Fried oysters in summer, on the half shell in winter.

[BOSSHOG]

3. If I read the story right

that might not be true. Per Tommy Cvitanovich, owner of Drago's restaurant (which knows Oysters) "Its not only going to include raw oysters, You can't fry oysters for a po-boy, you can't put oysters in a gumbo and you can't charbroil oysters unless they're <post-harvest processed.> That's ludicrous." I'm not sure exactly what that means but one of the experts is pissed about it.

There are a couple of places in NOLA that do an outstanding job with charbroiled oysters.

[Warpy]

6. Pasteurized oysters wouldn't be any good on the half shell

since pasteurization denatures the protein and alters the texture. However, they'd be fine in cooked products.

That was my point.

Unpasteurized oysters could still be sold in cool months, the only time of the year when they'd be available on the half shell.

It beats the hell out of warm weather diseases.

[epiphany]

7. It looks like they are talking about irradiating them not parboiling

I think that can be done without ruining the texture. If so, I'd gladly accept that treatment.

[Hekate]

4. The Gulf of Mexico is pretty polluted, isn't it? That might have something to do with it. nt

[blindpig]

9. Blasphemy

Oysters on the half shell are the finest food on earth(after steamed crabs). I have eaten bushels of Apalachicola oysters while there in June-July, they are mighty fine.

This regulation will put a lot of small operators out of business in favor of the big guys that can afford the equipment. As usual.

[BOSSHOG]

11. Agreed blindpig

The "little guy" is up in arms in the Big Easy right now. I heard on NPR this afternoon exactly what you say, a little guy whose family has been harvesting oysters for a 130+ years and servicing the French Quarter can not AFFORD THE EQUIPMENT.

I doubt this is the end of this story.