Legend has it that the illustrious lover, Giacomo Casanova, would routinely slurp down 50 oysters for breakfast. If Casanova’s memoirs, an 18th-century precursor to Fifty Shades of Grey, are to be believed, credit aphrodisiacal oysters for his storied virility.
Today, as you satiate yourself with these briny turn-ons, we ask you to think of the bayman. These stalwart hunters and gatherers work our local waters year-round just to put seduction on your plates. Much like the postman, neither snow nor rain … stays these workers from diving or digging for wild oysters.
A wonderfully named film production company, Show Love, ventured out into the waters off Port Jefferson to produce a short documentary, The Oyster Divers. Show Love does just that, it shows love by telling the passionate stories of makers and doers through film. On our north shore, we are blessed with a flourishing natural set of plump tasty bivalves. This 10-minute documentary features several oyster divers doing their wild diving thing and is a tribute to this near-ancient method of shellfish harvesting. The film premiered at the New York City Food Film Festival this past autumn.
The Oyster Divers was clearly filmed in some rather nice weather conditions. Know that the oysters you are gormandizing on now were harvested on a day much like this. Show your local bayman some much-need love.
