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Only eat oysters in months that have an R...

The Tradition

HR King
Apr 23, 2002
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A restaurant customer in Fort Lauderdale has died of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters.

A Pensacola man died the same way this month. Both cases involved oysters from Louisiana.

Gary Oreal, who manages the Rustic Inn, told the South Florida SunSentinel that the man who died had worked years ago at the restaurant famous for garlic crabs.

“Over the course of 60 years, we have served a couple billion oysters, and we never had anyone get sick like this guy did,” Oreal said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Vibrio bacteria doesn’t make an oyster look, smell, or taste any different. The agency said about 80,000 people get vibriosis in the U.S. each year, and about 100 people die from it.

Inspectors from the Florida Department of Health checked out the restaurant’s kitchen and examined its oyster inventory the day after the man became ill, Oreal told the newspaper.

“We passed with flying colors and we were allowed to continue to sell oysters,” he said, adding the oysters being served currently are from Louisiana. “If there was a problem with the oyster bed, we would know it because others would have gotten sick.”

 
I go a step further. I stop at Easter, and don't start up again until late October. The Gulf has been very warm the last couple of years.
Does grilling or making stew heat them enough to be safe?
My favorite oyster comes off a grill and when shucked is a leathery texture. My mom, on the other hand, was a big fan of a peppery, buttery oyster stew.
 
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A restaurant customer in Fort Lauderdale has died of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters.

A Pensacola man died the same way this month. Both cases involved oysters from Louisiana.

Gary Oreal, who manages the Rustic Inn, told the South Florida SunSentinel that the man who died had worked years ago at the restaurant famous for garlic crabs.

“Over the course of 60 years, we have served a couple billion oysters, and we never had anyone get sick like this guy did,” Oreal said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Vibrio bacteria doesn’t make an oyster look, smell, or taste any different. The agency said about 80,000 people get vibriosis in the U.S. each year, and about 100 people die from it.

Inspectors from the Florida Department of Health checked out the restaurant’s kitchen and examined its oyster inventory the day after the man became ill, Oreal told the newspaper.

“We passed with flying colors and we were allowed to continue to sell oysters,” he said, adding the oysters being served currently are from Louisiana. “If there was a problem with the oyster bed, we would know it because others would have gotten sick.”

Where did the P'cola man eat his oysters? Home or restaurant?
 
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Only eat oysters from cold water areas such as Washington or Oregon during summer months as the water is colder and less likely to have bacteria that can cause illness or death.
 
He purchased them from Maria's Seafood, a popular second-choice seafood vendor in Pensacola. ( 2nd choice because Joe Patty's is the largest vendor not because of their offerings despite Randy dying)
So he bought them but cooked them himself.

Something I'm not tracking with these stories: Were the oysters bad or was the way they were cooked bad.
 
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I tried to eat an oyster once on my honeymoon in Croatia. We were on a boat with a bunch of other dipshits and the locals hauled up a bunch of them and talked about the oyster industry…Then they gave us each one to eat and I put it in my mouth and tried to swallow it, but my body would not allow it. I spit it out into my hand and then gag reflex barfed over the side of the boat. Overall experience 4/5
 
I go a step further. I stop at Easter, and don't start up again until late October. The Gulf has been very warm the last couple of years.
Sound advice. Vibrio seems to have risen over the last few years. It’s usually Thanksgiving weekend before I have raw oysters.
 
Over the course of 60 years, we have served a couple billion oysters.”

No.
 
Soooo…assuming you were a dummy that ate a dozen raw oysters just last night...how long does this bacteria take to do its dirty work?

Guess it’s T’s & P’s time for ol’ traveler.
4-96 hours for viruses in the family. For this particular one a maximum of 72 hours, but usually within 12-24 hours.
 
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