Not really a contest, but a comparison. On the right, an example of ostrea virginica grown in the cold waters of Puget Sound. On the left, another virginica from the colder waters off Prince Edward Island. Their joint appearance last month at the Taylor Shellfish oyster bar in Pioneer Square had a lot to do with the Seattle Sounders soccer team, which played against Toronto in the MLS finals last year. Stay with me now as I introduce our narrator and host, Jon Rowley.
"Just before Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders met in Toronto for the Major League Soccer champtionship game, Rodeny Clark of Rodney's Oyster House in Toronto proposed a friendly wager with Taylor Shellfish farms on the outcome of the game--200 of his finest vs 200 of Taylor's Totten Inlet Virginicas. Rodney has his own oyster lease on the south side of Prince Edward Island where he grows the fine oyster he calls the Prince. The Sounders won the game in a dramatic sudden death shootout. I'm posting this article from the Globe and Mail for the benefit of those who attended the Sounder and Oyster wager victory at Taylor's Pioneer Square Oyster Bar so they can appreciate what Rodney went through to pay off his bet. The oysters were excellent and a good time was has by all."Indeed. The colder waters of the Atlantic seem to toughen the shells of the oysters, making the meat inside slightly sweeter. Not easy to say, but like all these tastings, "a good time." And a reminder that we are blessed, in these parts, to enjoy the fruits of a thriving oyster industry.
Leave a comment