Since living in the US, my oyster intake has diminished. Maybe it is because less people around me share a taste for it.
If you are oyster lovers I suggest you grab a copy of the just published "A Geography of Oysters" (subtitled: The complete guide to understanding, serving, and savoring one of North America’s original and most delicious foods) by Rowan Jacobsen (Bloomsbury USA).
The title is a mouthful but do not let that stop you.
Even if you have only a passing interest in eating oysters, you will learn a great deal about the surroundings where they grow shape them in all sense.
Rowan Jacobsen offers a passionate and erudite take on what was ‘one of the great sensual foods since the time of ancient Rome‘. The book is also valuable for its wine and beer pairing advice.
The author gives his impressions on Sake and Oysters on the companion site, The Oyster Guide.
In my native Brittany, Muscadet was the companion de rigueur.
Want to learn about geography, check Rowan Jacobsen notes on Hood Canal and Southern Puget Sound so close yet so different and the amazing variety of Oyster Appellations you find just in these two areas of the West Coast. The maps that come with it bring the subject to life (the illustration for this story, from ‘The Oyster Guide’).
Maybe I will treat myself to some oysters tonight!
Previous Oyster stories: Is there a Best Time to Eat Oysters? and More on ‘Ingredients’, a Hong Kong Restaurant
As a footnote, you might also want to read Rowan Jacobsen’s 2003 opus "Chocolate Unwrapped: The Surprising Health Benefits of America’s Favorite Passion" (Paperback)