http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/dining/22oyst.html

February 22, 2006

At Lunch With Mark Kurlansky

A New York Story on the Half Shell

By FLORENCE FABRICANT

"Before it had hot dogs or bagels, New York had oysters. And, as Mark
Kurlansky explains in "The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell"
(Ballantine Books, $23.95), these were not just any oysters.

For more than a century, the oysters pulled from New York waters, especially
from the East River and around Staten Island, were prized by connoisseurs as
the finest in the world. They were shipped to top restaurants in Paris and
London, and once the Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and railroad links
were established soon after, they were sent to western destinations in the
expanding territory of the United States.

Demand would soon outstrip supply, and the beds were exhausted. Pollution
eventually took its toll, and what oysters were left in New York waters were
no longer safe to eat. The Big Oyster became the Big Apple.

In a previous book, "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"
(Walker & Company, 1997), Mr. Kurlansky examined the history of cod as a
paradigm for the depletion of the oceans. Now he is using New York's oysters
to illustrate not just overfishing but the consequences of urbanization and
the pollution that goes with it.

"Examining the oyster is an accessible way to take on the issue of urban
development," Mr. Kurlansky, 57, said. "Even though I'm from New England, I
never wanted to eat cod that much. Oysters are much better."

As he was talking about oysters last week, he was making short work of an
assorted dozen on the half shell - none from New York - at Aquagrill in
SoHo, slurping the bivalves from their shells without the benefit of
silverware or sauces. When it comes to oysters on a personal level, Mr.
Kurlansky is a purist. His book, which will be available next week, does not
even mention cocktail sauce. "There are lots of things in this book that I
wouldn't do to an oyster, like roasting them," he said, adding that he also
likes clams. "But clams don't have the same taste of the sea as oysters, and
none of the romance and wildness."

A native of Hartford who now lives in Manhattan, he went to Butler
University in Indianapolis, where he was a theater major.

"I wanted college to be a real American adventure for me," he said. He tried
writing plays but, dissatisfied with his progress, went into journalism. He
said he always had an interest in food. "When you're in theater you
inevitably wind up working in restaurants," he said. "I made pastry."

Even before writing a book on cod, he had written food articles for various
publications. The oyster book grew out of an article he wrote for The New
York Times's City section in 2001. His next book, a nonfood volume called
"Nonviolence: 25 Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea," is scheduled
to be published in October by Modern Library. Then he will start work on a
book of the food writings commissioned before World War II for the Works
Progress Administration.

Through the oyster, Mr. Kurlansky's current book traces the social, economic
and environmental history of New York City and its waterways, starting even
before the Europeans came on the scene, with the oyster-loving Lenape
Indians. From the shells in the middens, or refuse heaps, archaeologists
have concluded that the Lenape ate tons of oysters. With the Dutch, then the
English and eventually every other group that arrived, the abundant oysters
in the harbor and the rivers contributed to the city's economy.

The Dutch did just fine shipping oysters to Europe, though they were
disappointed that the city's oysters could not revive their pearl industry -
they are the ones who named Pearl Street - but Eastern American oysters,
Crassostrea virginica, do not make gem-quality pearls. All the native
oysters on the East Coast, from Louisiana to Newfoundland, are C. virginica,
a different species from many West Coast varieties and from European
oysters.

Mr. Kurlansky's book explains oyster taxonomy, biology and history, and not
just as these subjects relate to New York.

He marvels at the human taste for oysters. "They take work, and they are not
terribly nutritious," he said. "And a hundred or more years ago oysters were
a food that was consumed in more or less the same form by every social
class. Throughout most of New York's history, oysters were incredibly cheap.
You could get all you could eat for 6 cents, an entire plate for less than
what a hot dog cost, at a time when a single out-of-season strawberry cost
50 cents."

Mr. Kurlansky was particularly struck by the extent to which New York was
identified by oysters at that time.

"People came here to eat them, like having grilled sardines in Portugal," he
said. "Europeans loved the taste of them. As with wine, geography affects
the flavor. Oysters are usually named for a locale."

Mr. Kurlansky's book also documents the ways people liked to eat oysters.
Some recipes, mostly from 19th-century cookbooks, are included "for their
historic interest," he said. A few of them are worth trying.

Cooking oysters on grills or in stews was the norm until the middle of the
19th century, when fancy restaurants, following French tastes, started
serving them raw. It was not just Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Russell who
would tuck into platters bearing dozens of oysters to start a dinner.

The hoi polloi would frequent bawdy oyster cellars, some owned by
African-Americans, where oysters were served raw and cooked, with plenty of
strong drink. And once Charles Dickens discovered them, the oyster cellars
became everyone's destination.

Around that time the story takes an ugly, polluted turn. Starting in the
mid- to late-1800's, many of New York's oyster beds, in the Harlem River,
for example, and in Jamaica Bay, were abandoned because of the pollution
from increased industrialization and improper waste disposal.

If the natural oyster beds were being wiped out, not only in New York's
harbor and rivers, but also in New Jersey and Long Island waters, oysters
could be cultivated. Spat, or small oysters, mainly from Chesapeake Bay,
were introduced. "With cultivation, the New York oyster industry thought it
had beaten nature," Mr. Kurlansky said. "But the city still didn't take care
of its water. London, where oysters once came from the Thames, has a similar
story."

He said that by the 1970's water conditions had started to improve, but it
was still too toxic to make the cultivation of oysters, which constantly
filter water through their bodies, safe in New York Harbor. As he was
finishing the last of the oysters on his plate at lunch, Mr. Kurlansky
paused. "I only wish I could taste a real New York oyster," he said. "But
that's impossible."



Copyright 2006The New York Times Company

"Gregory Morrow"
<gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
message nk.net...
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/dining/22oyst.html
>
> February 22, 2006
>
> At Lunch With Mark Kurlansky
>
> A New York Story on the Half Shell
>
> By FLORENCE FABRICANT
>
> "Before it had hot dogs or bagels, New York had oysters. And, as Mark
> Kurlansky explains in "The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell"
> (Ballantine Books, $23.95), these were not just any oysters.
>
> For more than a century, the oysters pulled from New York waters,
> especially
> from the East River and around Staten Island, were prized by connoisseurs
> as
> the finest in the world. They were shipped to top restaurants in Paris and
> London, and once the Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and railroad links
> were established soon after, they were sent to western destinations in the
> expanding territory of the United States.
>
> Demand would soon outstrip supply, and the beds were exhausted. Pollution
> eventually took its toll, and what oysters were left in New York waters
> were
> no longer safe to eat. The Big Oyster became the Big Apple.
>
> In a previous book, "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"
> (Walker & Company, 1997), Mr. Kurlansky examined the history of cod as a
> paradigm for the depletion of the oceans. Now he is using New York's
> oysters
> to illustrate not just overfishing but the consequences of urbanization
> and
> the pollution that goes with it.
>
> "Examining the oyster is an accessible way to take on the issue of urban
> development," Mr. Kurlansky, 57, said. "Even though I'm from New England,
> I
> never wanted to eat cod that much. Oysters are much better."
>
> As he was talking about oysters last week, he was making short work of an
> assorted dozen on the half shell - none from New York - at Aquagrill in
> SoHo, slurping the bivalves from their shells without the benefit of
> silverware or sauces. When it comes to oysters on a personal level, Mr.
> Kurlansky is a purist. His book, which will be available next week, does
> not
> even mention cocktail sauce. "There are lots of things in this book that I
> wouldn't do to an oyster, like roasting them," he said, adding that he
> also
> likes clams. "But clams don't have the same taste of the sea as oysters,
> and
> none of the romance and wildness."
>
> A native of Hartford who now lives in Manhattan, he went to Butler
> University in Indianapolis, where he was a theater major.
>
> "I wanted college to be a real American adventure for me," he said. He
> tried
> writing plays but, dissatisfied with his progress, went into journalism.
> He
> said he always had an interest in food. "When you're in theater you
> inevitably wind up working in restaurants," he said. "I made pastry."
>
> Even before writing a book on cod, he had written food articles for
> various
> publications. The oyster book grew out of an article he wrote for The New
> York Times's City section in 2001. His next book, a nonfood volume called
> "Nonviolence: 25 Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea," is
> scheduled
> to be published in October by Modern Library. Then he will start work on a
> book of the food writings commissioned before World War II for the Works
> Progress Administration.
>
> Through the oyster, Mr. Kurlansky's current book traces the social,
> economic
> and environmental history of New York City and its waterways, starting
> even
> before the Europeans came on the scene, with the oyster-loving Lenape
> Indians. From the shells in the middens, or refuse heaps, archaeologists
> have concluded that the Lenape ate tons of oysters. With the Dutch, then
> the
> English and eventually every other group that arrived, the abundant
> oysters
> in the harbor and the rivers contributed to the city's economy.
>
> The Dutch did just fine shipping oysters to Europe, though they were
> disappointed that the city's oysters could not revive their pearl
> industry -
> they are the ones who named Pearl Street - but Eastern American oysters,
> Crassostrea virginica, do not make gem-quality pearls. All the native
> oysters on the East Coast, from Louisiana to Newfoundland, are C.
> virginica,
> a different species from many West Coast varieties and from European
> oysters.
>
> Mr. Kurlansky's book explains oyster taxonomy, biology and history, and
> not
> just as these subjects relate to New York.
>
> He marvels at the human taste for oysters. "They take work, and they are
> not
> terribly nutritious," he said. "And a hundred or more years ago oysters
> were
> a food that was consumed in more or less the same form by every social
> class. Throughout most of New York's history, oysters were incredibly
> cheap.
> You could get all you could eat for 6 cents, an entire plate for less than
> what a hot dog cost, at a time when a single out-of-season strawberry cost
> 50 cents."
>
> Mr. Kurlansky was particularly struck by the extent to which New York was
> identified by oysters at that time.
>
> "People came here to eat them, like having grilled sardines in Portugal,"
> he
> said. "Europeans loved the taste of them. As with wine, geography affects
> the flavor. Oysters are usually named for a locale."
>
> Mr. Kurlansky's book also documents the ways people liked to eat oysters.
> Some recipes, mostly from 19th-century cookbooks, are included "for their
> historic interest," he said. A few of them are worth trying.
>
> Cooking oysters on grills or in stews was the norm until the middle of the
> 19th century, when fancy restaurants, following French tastes, started
> serving them raw. It was not just Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Russell
> who
> would tuck into platters bearing dozens of oysters to start a dinner.
>
> The hoi polloi would frequent bawdy oyster cellars, some owned by
> African-Americans, where oysters were served raw and cooked, with plenty
> of
> strong drink. And once Charles Dickens discovered them, the oyster cellars
> became everyone's destination.
>
> Around that time the story takes an ugly, polluted turn. Starting in the
> mid- to late-1800's, many of New York's oyster beds, in the Harlem River,
> for example, and in Jamaica Bay, were abandoned because of the pollution
> from increased industrialization and improper waste disposal.
>
> If the natural oyster beds were being wiped out, not only in New York's
> harbor and rivers, but also in New Jersey and Long Island waters, oysters
> could be cultivated. Spat, or small oysters, mainly from Chesapeake Bay,
> were introduced. "With cultivation, the New York oyster industry thought
> it
> had beaten nature," Mr. Kurlansky said. "But the city still didn't take
> care
> of its water. London, where oysters once came from the Thames, has a
> similar
> story."
>
> He said that by the 1970's water conditions had started to improve, but it
> was still too toxic to make the cultivation of oysters, which constantly
> filter water through their bodies, safe in New York Harbor. As he was
> finishing the last of the oysters on his plate at lunch, Mr. Kurlansky
> paused. "I only wish I could taste a real New York oyster," he said. "But
> that's impossible."
>
>
>
> Copyright 2006The New York Times Company
>
>

that is a very sad story, and one repeated waaaaay to often around the globw

chris

"Dancing Queen" > wrote:
> that is a very sad story, and one repeated waaaaay to often around the
> globw

Oysters are essentially gone from the Chesapeake Bay, once perhaps the
largest oyster source on the planet - the harvest is down to under 1% of
historic levels, with a collapse about 20 years ago:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/i...04hseason.html

They are trying to do something about it, as discussed in the following
link, but I don't hold too much hope for it:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/infocus/oysters.asp

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )

wff_ng_7 wrote:
> "Dancing Queen" > wrote:
> > that is a very sad story, and one repeated waaaaay to often around the
> > globw
>
> Oysters are essentially gone from the Chesapeake Bay, once perhaps the
> largest oyster source on the planet - the harvest is down to under 1% of
> historic levels, with a collapse about 20 years ago:
>
> http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/i...04hseason.html
>
> They are trying to do something about it, as discussed in the following
> link, but I don't hold too much hope for it:
>
> http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/infocus/oysters.asp


Here in the Hampton Roads, VA area, they are trying HARD to bring back
oysters. The Lynnhaven Oyster Project is trying to repopulate the
Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach, using artificial reefs. They have
several schools supporting their efforts; students go out and check
water conditions with their science classes. Eventually there's a hope
that local native oysters can flourish once again.

Look he

http://www.lynnhavenriver2007.org/

"Jude" > wrote:
> Here in the Hampton Roads, VA area, they are trying HARD to bring back
> oysters. The Lynnhaven Oyster Project is trying to repopulate the
> Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach, using artificial reefs. They have
> several schools supporting their efforts; students go out and check
> water conditions with their science classes. Eventually there's a hope
> that local native oysters can flourish once again.
>
> Look he
>
> http://www.lynnhavenriver2007.org/

There are some truly valiant efforts being made to bring back the native
oyster, but I think it's basically a losing battle. Probably the biggest
problem is the rampant suburbanization of the Chesapeake Bay watershed over
the last 30-40 years. Many years ago the pollution problems were caused by
point sources from industry and sewage treatment plants. Those were
reasonably easy to fix. Now it's surface water runoff from farms, lawns,
driveways, parking lots and roads. The dispersed nature of the pollution is
very difficult to address. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of
local governments, in addition to the state and federal governments that
will have to come on board to fix the problem, and I don't see that
happening. The watershed includes parts of NY, PA, WV, MD, DE, DC, and VA.
It's hard to get a community that may be a couple hundred miles away from
the actual bay (like upstate NY) to tackle issues such as land use planning
that affect surface water runoff.

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )