Oyster Myths Demythed

Several visitors were in town last weekend, including friends from Toronto as well as my brother who was here helping us paint and set up our new condo (thank you again!).

Although crazed and exhausted by the flurry of moving activity, we gathered for dinner at Angelo & Maxie's.

Now, I'll be honest, this is not my favourite spot in New York and I don't highly recommend it. But, somehow, we've found ourselves here many times.

So, what's the problem? Well, first off, the food is, for lack of a better word, so-so. The menu is pedestrian and populated with standard steakhouse fare with little flare.

Second, the ambiance is just a disappointment. Located just a short walk from Union Square, the restaurant does little to reflect the trendiness of the area. Instead, once walking through the doors of Angelo & Maxie's, you wouldn't know you were in Manhattan as the place resonates more closely to the countless other restaurants housed in suburban strip malls.

But, the company and the wine made up for the difference.

We started our meal with a serving of oysters on the half-shell. Varied in size and shape they were fleshy and fresh. With them came some standard dressings - Tabasco, soya-based and tartar sauces, as well as lemon wedges.

The oysters were tasty and refreshing. As we enjoyed the exquisite sea creatures, the table debated the oyster and wondered if any of it were true.

Do pearls really come from oysters?
True oysters do not produce gem-quality pearls. All shelled fish (clams, mussels, oysters) secrete pearl-like balls, but the ones you'd want to string around your neck mostly come from pearl oysters that are actually saltwater clams.

Are oysters aphrodisiacs?
Sadly, no. Science has proven this a fallacy based purely on myth. The Ancient Greek story of Aphrodite tells us the goddess of love was born from the womb of an oyster (see Botticelli's painting below). Ever since, it has been believed that Aphrodite's infectious powers of love, lust and beauty are harvested in the oyster and by consuming these you, too, will be injected with these powers. Now, wouldn't that be lovely?

Botticelli's Birth of Venus (Greek: Aphrodite)