Sunday, August 3, 2008

A "Peck" Of Oysters...

I can't remember how young I was when I started eating oysters but every fall my Dad always dragged me along to my Uncle Irving's (Smith Brothers) oyster warehouse in Freeland which faced out to the Conway Narrows in Lot 11. My Uncle would give us free range on the plant floor and sometimes we'd even take a skiff out to one of his many beds but the day always ended with my dad passing along a few of the shucked jewels to me. It didn't take me long to acquire a taste for these juicy Malpeque treats and not too long to go through a "half peck" box. As quick as my Dad could open them they seemed to disappear so it didn't take long for him to teach me how to open them as I was cutting into his feeding time. I can almost remember the day we shucked and ate a whole "peck" of oysters and to this day they are my absolute favourite food even ahead of those red lobster puppies. I went to Dayboat (one of PEI's restaurant jewels) with 8 friends from Ontario this week and I ordered up a half dozen "Colville Bay" treats and quickly swallowed them down. They were so good I had to order another half dozen and as I cleaned up the plate my guests were looking suspiciously at my overindulgence and I kind of chuckled to myself had they ever seem me devour a "Peck" in no time flat. Congratulations "Ian Peck" on a great feat and all the best in the World Championship and I only wish I could match you...
Cape Breton native crowned oyster shucking champion
Transcontinental Media
Ian Peck, a Cape Breton native now living in Vancouver, is the new Canadian oyster shucking champion. He was crowned Friday night at the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival. The three-time runner up was surrounded by family and friends as he hoisted the trophy after posting a time of 1:55, beating out 22 other contestants to win a trip to Galway, Ireland for the World Oyster Shucking Championships.

No comments: