Food firsts

The other day I convinced someone to eat their first fresh oyster at Sardine. They weren't very excited about eating an oyster. They had heard about the "texture". But being up for anything they tried it, loved it, and had another.

I wish I could go back to the first time I ever tasted a raw oyster, and savor that moment again.

A screamingly fresh oyster is buttery, light, and wet, almost like eating a cloud. It starts off with a high salinity which is matched with a little squeeze of lemon or a dash of mignonette (a mixture of acidic vinegar, shallots and black pepper) which is usually provided with raw oysters in a restaurant. The buttery, rich notes burst into your mouth at the first bite and the unique flavor of where that oyster grew up fills your mouth. Each cove and inlet which an oyster can live in gives it a unique oceanic terroir. Maybe oysters aren't for everyone... but that just leaves more for you and me!




The first time I really discovered the power of food was in high school, when I somehow convinced this girl I was deeply in "puppy" love with to come over and cooked her a multi-course Japanese meal. At the time this girl didn't belong to the same species as me, let alone the same league.

I don't think I even liked Japanese food at the time. I recall making some miso soup, veggie tempura, rice, maybe some teriyaki beef? It was probably hackneyed and clumsy, but so was I in High School. Yet there I was cooking dinner for "The Girl". I don't think I even attempted to make sushi, and that was likely for the best. I didn't end up getting the girl, or really any girl in high school, but I did throw some great dinner parties...

-NOM!