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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Hit for Robb Walsh, January 27, 2009
Robb Walsh's latest book, "Sex, Death & Oysters," confirms my growing conviction that he is the Bill Bryson of food writers. Funny, informative, full of insight and personal adventure, the book is, as its subtitle states, a "half-shell lover's world tour." Walsh, the restaurant critic of the Houston Press and author of "The Texas Cowboy Cookbook" takes us to the great oysters regions of the world -- Galveston Bay in Texas, Apalachicola Bay in Florida, the Pacific Northwest, the coast of Louisiana, Galway Bay in Ireland, England's Thames Estuary, Cancale, France, among others.
Everywhere he travels Walsh approaches his molluscan subject in the manner of his previous work, be it Texas barbecue, cowboy cooking or Tex-Mex. That is, food in the context of a region's culture, its identity and social history, as well as the food itself and how to prepare it. He visits with restaurateurs, he talks to experts and people in the business of oyster culture, he goes to festivals, he rides on oyster boats (he was on an oyster lug in Galveston Bay when it got raided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for harvesting violations). The result is a captivating mix of biology and ecology, history, cantankerous personalities, love story and personal odyssey.
His girlfriend and later wife, Kelly, accompanies him on many of his travels. Walsh diplomatically discusses the valdity of the claim of oysters' aphrodisiac power. (Walsh tends toward the belief that they are an aphrodisiac, but concedes that further "undercover" research is needed.) Walsh skillfully captures the eccentricity, indeed, the weirdness, of people whose lives revolve around the oyster. At the world's oldest oyster festival, the Colchester Oyster Feast in Colchester, England, the festival opens with a solemnity that would rival Holy Week in the Vatican. The Festival hall, Walsh says, is the Cathedral of the Oyster Faithful and the mayor of Colchester the archbishop.
And everywhere, he dines on oysters at places fancy and otherwise, from the derelict Gilhooley's Raw Bar in San Leon, Texas, to Rules in London. He says eating raw oysters is "at once perverse and spiritual." He dines on Gulf oysters at the Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter, on Natives in Britain and on Belons in France. Oysters are like wine, Walsh explains, in how their locale affects their taste. He riffs on London martinis, the difficulty in describing the taste of oysters and on the technique of shucking. He rounds the book out with 15 recipes of classic oyster dishes (stews and soups, Oysters Bienville, pan roasts, among others)and a listing of the 25 oyster places mentioned in the book. A dozen oysters on the half-shell can set you back 60 dollars in London. Walsh is a newspaperman at heart, and he set out to tell the story of the oyster and the people around it. He succeeded admirably. The book is a pleasure to read, even if you like your oysters only fried, not raw and alive.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and Adventure on the Half Shell, September 1, 2009
If you agree with the lyrical dining philosophy put forth by the king of saltwater pursuits himself, Jimmy Buffett, "Give me oysters and beer, for dinner every day of the year, and I'll feel fine," then you will absolutely love this book. However, if you are more of the "turf" set and less of the "surf" set, Robb Walsh's dogged pursuit into the fascinating world of oysters might be lost on you. Since I am definitely of the "surf" set myself, I found myself enjoying this fun read immensely. I highly recommend picking this one up for a final summer beach read, as you will find as I did, that nothing compares with kicking back in a beach chair, listening to the ocean waves, and vicariously eating your way through the oyster universe with this passionate food journalist. He will have you laughing out loud and rooting him on as he goes from qualifying for the 15 dozen Wall of Fame at New Orleans' Acme's Oyster House, to an enlightening interview with a 9th generation Connecticut oysterman (I didn't even know "oysterman" was word), to being sequestered behind the velvet rope at the pompish parade known as the Colchester Oyster Feast (where only half of the regalia-clad guest order oysters). You will feel like an oyster eating sidekick as Walsh skillfully includes his readers in the gastronomic details of this whirlwind global half shell feast. Walsh doesn't muddle up the oyster eating experience with crackers, or cocktail sauce. He prefers his oysters straight, and he delivers this book in the same refreshing style. You will be seduced by his unabashed love for the humble Gulf Coast oyster. In his determined efforts to champion the much maligned southern crustacean, he charismatically enlightens his reader to the misnomers, and the prejudices that have arisen around the Gulf oyster bounty. This proud Texan-transplant from Connecticut isn't shy about dishing out scientific details on the water quality of the Gulf and it's often times superiority to other perceived pristine waters in the Pacific and the Northeast. He's no provincial thinker; however, one of his favorite finds is the "native" Irish oysters served up at the Galway Oyster Festival on the charming Irish coast, which his lovely blonde girlfriend describes eating as "licking the bottom of a boat". Obviously opposites attract, but if you are an oyster fan, you will definitely be attracted to this adventurous account by a true food journalist. Today marks the first day of a month with and "R" of 2009, and after reading Walsh's "Sex, Death & Oysters", my appetite for this intriguing delicacy has been more than sufficiently wet. Oysters anyone? On the half shell of course!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read for the foodie and oyster lover, June 22, 2011
This review is from: Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour (Paperback)
This book is the perfect mix of pleasure reading and scientific information. Walsh takes his readers on a world-wide oyster tasting tour. He shares his experiences meeting oyster farmers of every kind, and describes (in detail) tasting different oyster varieties in so many locations. Every time you read this book you will find your mouth watering and making reservations for your nearest raw bar!
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