THE OYSTER. 13 



repay to the full by the enjoyment of your society tete-a 

 Ute ? You are eaten raw and alive, cooked and scolloped, 

 in sauce and without sauce. True, true, oh oyster ! thou 

 art the best beloved of the loved !, 



The oyster, when eaten moderately, is, without con- 

 tradiction, a wholesome food, and one of the greatest 

 delicacies in the world. It contains much nutritive 

 substance, which is very digestive, and produces a pecu- 

 liar charm and an inexplicable pleasure. After having 

 eaten oysters we feel joyous, light, and agreeable — 

 yes, one might say, fabulously well. He who has eaten 

 for the fii'st time oysters is best enabled to judge of this ; 

 for, soon after having eaten them, he will experience a 

 sensation he never felt before, and never had an idea of. 

 This sensation scarcely remains with people who eat 

 oysters every day; it is more practically felt when 

 oysters are eaten for breakfast or before dinner, although 

 they are also very wholesome in the evening, when taken 

 moderately. Gourmets and epicures eat the oyster in 

 its natural state, except that the beard is taken away. 

 In England it is eaten with pepper, in Holland with 

 vinegar, in Germany frequently with lemon-juice ; but 

 I am of the opinion, and am convinced, that when taken 

 with the liquor they still contain, they are more diges- 

 tible and more tasty. The opinion that this fluid is 

 salt water, is an error ; it is the white blood of the 

 oyster itself, which it emits when injured in having its 

 upper shell broken off. If it were sea- water, it would 

 have a disagreeable bitter taste, and cause sickness ; but 

 as this does not take place, but on the contrary gives a 

 fine taste to the oyster, the error is evident. The error 



