Jan 2, 2009: Dudes Love Oysters

From a Dudes on Food review of Seattle-based Elliot's Oyster House:

My favorites were the Kushi (tiny and sweet), hama hama (medium sized and great flavor), totten virginica (ridiculously large, but huge flavor kicks in after a couple of seconds), and my favorite - the Humboldt Bay Kumamotos (crispy, insanely creamy, and great flavor). What I learned was although I was craving Washington Oysters, the only one that really stood out for me were the Hama Hama's. All the others were from Vancouver Island or Cali?

And as much as we love being singled out, honesty requires us to admit that Totten Inlet Virginicas are also farmed in Washington State. Another thing: frequently people characterize Hama Hamas as being a particular size. But, like any other creature, our oysters start out small and then grow large. There are some species of oyster, such as the native Olympia, that stay small even when fully mature...  and occasionally a branded oyster, such as the Totten Inlet Virginica, will be marketed as a specific size (in the T.E. Virginica's case, large). But Hama Hamas are extremely accomodating, and can be any size you want them to be. Oyster stories get strange pretty quickly. For the more basic question - what are oysters, exactly? - start here. Oyster lore is full of broad claims; actual types of oysters are a little more interesting and a lot more specific. Folklore has plenty to say about oysters. For something more measurable, here's the scoop on oyster calories and nutrition.