Posted on 09/29/2006 2:55:11 PM PDT by Dysart
MCKINNEY, Texas -- The Collin County Health Department on Friday reported that a Dallas resident died earlier this week after consuming raw oysters at a restaurant in Plano.
Oysters can be contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus. This bacterium is naturally present in marine environments and does not alter the appearance, taste, or odor of oysters.
Among healthy people, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbc5i.com ...
I did that in my late teens. I had heard that raw oysters help your sexual prowess, so I ate a dozen raw oysters before the date.....but three of the darn things didn't even work.
Never heard of this. Recently I tried Habanero Tabasco sauce..... oh my! That stuff made my whole body warm in seconds.
That argument loses all its steam when you realize our local waters (Florida Panhandle) do NOT get cold enough to kill off bacteria even during the hardest winters.
Here is some info easily found on Google:
SHOULD OYSTERS BE EATEN ONLY IN THE MONTHS WITH AN "R"? Oysters may be eaten safely during any time of the year. However, oysters are highly perishable and can spoil quickly in the hot summer months if they are not properly refrigerated. Oysters can be kept fresh longer by utilizing today’s improved temperature controls and distribution capabilities.
This info is widely available from many sources and I can't figure out how so many miss it.
Good tips. The NVA tried to kill me - they failed. The Serbs tried to kill me - they failed. I'm willing to give the oysters a fair chance
That's my main reason for eating raw oysters....something to put the hot pepper sauce on.
I also like the sauce with rare steak and a little bit of it is good with oyster stew (which is otherwise inedible). By the way, if you're making oyster stew, one of the most important ingredients is celery salt. It really gives it a good taste. I like to use a full teaspoon of it in a batch of oyster stew.
It's always worked for me!
What happen to the guy?
They need to use irradiation on oysters.
I wonder how common this is??? Sincerely, I did this once too...more on a dare than to impress, but I think it qualifies!
Years after refrigeration became common at all levels of food processing and distribution, the oystermen still went out in their small boats and gathered the oysters in whatever heat was out there and they had no refrigeration on their boats. In hot months, the oysters would spoil before they even made it to shore.
The little oyster boats (oysters abound mostly in shallow waters) still don't have refrigerators on them but hey now have an abundant supply of cheap ice to keep the oysters chilled even in the hottest weather.
The state monitors bacteria levels constantly and we do have occasional closures of some areas (hasn't happened in this area this year) due to bacteria "blooms". The closures only affect the shellfish which are eaten whole (guts and all) but the flesh is not affected unless otherwise contaminated.
Coincidentally, the oyster capitol of Florida is Apalachicola and it happens to be the home of the late Dr. John Gorrie who invented refrigeration/ice making as we know it today. He used it to help ease the suffering of patients being treated for yellow fever. In 1851 he was granted the first U.S. patent for artificial refrigeration and he now has a museum and a large bridge in Apalachicola named after him.
Really good recipe for habanero picante.
While wearing glasses, a dust mask and rubber gloves, run through a meat grinder (reduces aerosol) 30 de-stemmed habaneros and a large white onion. Put in quart sized glass jar. Add 2 pints boiling vinegar with 2 tsp sea salt.
Let sit in cool, dark place for at least two weeks.
Add 3/4 cup Everclear grain alcohol (98%), then liquify in a blender. Do not strain.
To test: dip 1 cm of a flat toothpick in the mixture. Daub the wet toothpick on a facial tissue. Briefly touch toothpick to tip of tongue. Look in mirror to insure tongue not burned in half.
Air has been contaminated if you suddenly develop a repeated, dry cough.
Do not begin using sauce in amounts greater than 1 drop. It will be more than adequate until you build tolerance. After a few months, some people will put a tablespoon or two on their food.
Raw seafood also has a higher risk of allergic reaction than when it's cooked, as with a lot of foods. Some people can eat foods cooked that they are allergic to raw. Cooking changes the protiens. (As per my allergist)
Post #17: You're supposed to eat oysters only in months with Rs. September is a month with an R. So this shouldn't be a problem.
My head hurts.
If you're ever in Mobile, Alabama a good place to eat is Wintzells' Oyster House. They've been a tradition since 1938 and Wintzell, himself, was always a colorful character.
There's an old (unproven) story that Wintzell once had a huge oyster on the half-shell sitting atop a bowl of ice next to the cash register. A customer, while paying his tab, asked why the oyster was on display.
He was told that the oyster was so large that he was putting up $20 to anyone who could swallow it in one gulp and keep it down.
The customer picked up the oyster, slurped it down and says "where's my $20.
Wintzell pulls a twenty dollar bill out of the cash register and hands it to him.
The customer says "That was really easy. What made you think I couldn't do it?"
Wintzell replies "Six other guys tried the oyster but they could keep it down....came right back up every time".
I eat oysters anytime, except for the days with a "y" in them.
I never eat raw oysters in months with an "R"
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