Good Eats: Shell Game

Oysters – folks seem to either love ‘em, or hate ‘em. Here, Alton sets out to explain a little about the history of these edible bivalves, giving viewers the knowhow to turn them into seriously Good Eats. He shares recipes for a Horseradish Cream Sauce and tempts oyster epicurean Martin Moonstone III with a version of of oysters Rockefeller (the original chef took his secret to the grave) called Baked Oysters Browefeller. Finally, he shows how a little cooking and a little blending can make a delicious Oyster Soup.

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Episode Info

Episode number: 8x2
Production Number: EA1H02
Airdate: Wednesday June 23rd, 2004

Writer: Alton Brown, Rob DeBorde

Uncredited

Daniel Pettrow As Chuck (Oyster Seller) Recurring	Vickie Eng As W Recurring
Bart Hansard As Martin Moonstone III Recurring

Recap

The oyster generates passion... and revulsion. Fans say there’s nothing finer than slurping down an oyster plucked fresh from the sea, while detractors regard them as mysteries at best, or slimy mud slugs worthy only of a grimace and a hasty retreat. Even Alton suggests that the first oyster was doubtless downed on a dare, but adds that the second, third, fourth, and all since have gone down with a smile. Raw or cooked, oysters can deliver the goodness of the sea like no other critter can. With the tools and know how Alton will share, anyone can turn these humble bivalves into... Good Eats!..

Read the full recap

Episode Notes

Cards

It’s not uncommon for oysters to change gender several times in their lives.
By 1877 New York’s Fulton Fish Market was selling 50,000 pounds of oysters a day.
True pearls don’t come from oysters. They come from a type of mussel.
Since they contain so much calcium, oyster shells are often fed to chickens to strengthen their eggshells.
Casanova was said to have eaten 50 oysters daily with his evening aperitif.
In coastal areas, oyster shells are often used to pave roads and parking lots.

A shell game is a street level confidence game that employs legerdemain to separate contestants (marks) from their money. Typically a pea is slipped under one of three walnut shells and these are then shuffled at high speed. The contestant wins if he can guess which shell contains the pea. Usually he cannot because the pea was slipped out of the shell. The mark never gets to see where the pea was if he guesses incorrectly, so he never realizes he's been scammed. Alton's series within a series is about various shellfish.

Alton receives oyster advice from fishmonger John Bowler.

Doctor Totten’s name likely comes from either Totten oysters or Totten Inlet, a source of these oysters. Similarly, Fanny Bay, British Columbia, a source of various sorts of oysters lends its name to Nurse Fanny Bay.

Episode Quotes

Alton: Ah, oysters. Few foods generate such passion, devotion, and downright revulsion. If you’re a fan there’s nothing finer than slurping down one plucked fresh from the sea, all on a half shell. Nice. If you’re not a fan, however, the oyster is at best a mystery. And at worst it’s a slimy mudslug enjoyed only by epicurean Evel Knievels.

Alton: I don’t doubt that the first oyster was downed on a dare, but I do feel certain that the second, third, fourth – and every one since has gone down with a smile.

Alton: Breaking into an oyster might be easier than breaking into a bank vault – but not by much!

W: (handing Alton a glove) Elasticized cotton with a rubberized palm. That’ll help you grip the oyster.
Alton: Are you saying I need to get a grip?
W: I’ve been telling you that for years...
Alton: Ha ha ha...

Alton: The world is mine oyster, which I, with sword, will open
W: Try not to mutilate that oyster the way you do Shakespeare.

Lever Man: (finally opening the vault) Got it!
W: (as alarms blare) The world’s just not his oyster, is it?
Alton: He’s not the sharpest lever in the drawer, you know?

Alton: Traditional wisdom says you should not eat oysters in months without and R in them – that is, summertime. The issue? Spawning. Summer is spawning season, and when an oyster’s thoughts turn to love, well, the meat gets kind of milky and soft and yucky. Now, we’ve overcome this to some degree with the introduction of genetically modified oysters which never spawn. Never spawn? What kind of fun is that?

Alton: (eyeing Nurse Fanny Bay) Say, doc, is it true what they say about oysters being...?
Doctor Totten: Aphrodisiacs? Uh, no. But, uh... if you’re having some problems? I can write you a prescription for something...
Nurse Bay: So don’t give up hope...
Alton: Oh, bother!

Alton: Take for instance a classic application like oysters Rockefeller, which was developed about a hundred years ago by a New Orleans chef named Jules Alciatore. Now, ol’ Jules decided to take that recipe to his grave, but I think that we’ve concocted a version of that dish that will placate the palettes of even the richest of food snobs.

(Alton utters one of his stock phrases.)
Alton: There we go. Golden brown and delicious.

Martin Moonstone III: By Jove! Those oysters could certainly Rock-A-Fella!

Alton: So, fifth serving, then?
Martin Moonstone III: Oh, no, no! I’m stuffed! I couldn’t hold another bite!
Alton: (imitating a snooty accent) Not even a wafer thin mint???
Martin Moonstone III: Well, if it’s wafer thin...

Alton: I hope we’ve given you oyster lovers a few tips to help you get more pleasure out of your bivalve experience. And if you’ve never tried oysters, well then I hope we’ve given you the courage to come out of your culinary shell and give these versatile mollusks a chance to become truly... Good Eats!

Cultural References

Alton notes that to some, oyster eaters are “epicurean Evel Knievels.” Evel Knievel, born October 17, 1938, is an American stunt motorcyclist whose succession of jumps has earned him fame and an impressive collection of broken bones and damaged organs. Evel’s name is now synonymous with any kind of daredevil act.

Charles Dickens was an English novelist of great skill who lived in the 19th century. None of his works have gone out of print; many have been adapted in various ways to other media. He is probably best known as the writer of “A Christmas Carol” and the creator of Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name has since become synonymous with miserliness and greed. A Christmas Carol has been adapted and retold many times.

Equipment specialist W drops into the scene (literally) to help Alton with the tools he’ll need to open an oyster. She’s a send-up of the James Bond character Q, and when she appears, one can hear a version of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme playing in the background.

Brandishing an oyster knife, Alton says that “the world is mine oyster, which I with sword will open.” He’s quoting a line uttered by the character Pistol in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. When W tiredly suggests he not mangle the oyster as he does Shakespeare, he replies that “the lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Queen Gertrude spoke that line to her son Prince Hamlet in Hamlet.

Alton proffers a “wafer thin mint” to Martin Moonstone III following Moonstone’s prodigious consumption of oysters. He’s recalling a scene from Monty Python’s 1983 film “The Meaning of Life.” In the film, Pythoner Terry Jones portrayed an enormously fat diner, Mr. Creosote, who ate everything the restaurant had to offer until he was stuffed full. John Cleese’s waiter finished the meal (and the diner) by offering him a wafer thin mint – so very small, but enough to end Mr. Creosote’s meals forever.

Episode References

First in a series about cooking shellfish. The next episode is Shell Game IV (Scallops). Shell Game II and Shell Game III do not exist.

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