<![CDATA[The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell]]>

false <![CDATA[The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163357142m/3342.jpg 3342 9 “Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.” –The New York Times “A small pearl of a book . . . a great tale of the growth of a modern city as seen through the rise and fall of the lowly oyster.” –Rocky Mountain News Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants–the oyster. For centuries New York was famous for this particular shellfish, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city’s life that the abundant bivalves were Gotham’s most celebrated export, a staple food for all classes, and a natural filtration system for the city’s congested waterways. Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight–along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos–this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the seventeenth-century founding of New York to the death of its oyster beds and the rise of America’s environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan’s Gilded Age dining chambers. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious. “Suffused with [Kurlansky’s] pleasure in exploring the city across ground that hasn’t already been covered with other writers’ footprints.” –Los Angeles Times Book Review “Fascinating stuff . . . [Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.” –The Wall Street Journal “Kurlansky packs his breezy book with terrific anecdotes.” –Entertainment Weekly “Magnificent . . . a towering accomplishment.” –Associated Press 1167849 2006 The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell total:482|5:89|4:221|3:142|2:27|1:3| 482 1812 767 113 2 1 false false Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 18 21:46:13 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 21:46:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 10:48:05 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 10:46:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 08:17:13 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 09:21:39 -0800 2008 Salt and this book satisfied me much the same way. It's a big-picture look at the history of NYC, told through the lens of the rise and fall of the oyster trade. I love books that make me look at the ground beneath my feet in a whole new way, and this one made me long ...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:45:45 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:45:45 -0800 2009 Where Cod and Salt focused on individual ingredients and their place in world history, The Big Oyster constricts its focus to the role of oysters in the history of New York. For many reviewers, the narrowing of the subject makes his well-researched digressions seem out of place. Critics celebrate hi...

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What a great read! Kurlansky examines the gen...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 18:02:40 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 18:02:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Feb 16 08:29:23 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 29 08:45:10 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 16 08:29:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 11 19:28:57 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 13:43:05 -0700 2008
the fact that oysters are about the only food eaten alive is part of what makes them a unique gastronomic experience, that and the sense that no other food brings us closer to the sea.

i appreciated the thorough research about the oy...more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Mar 05 12:05:20 -0800 2007 Sun May 13 17:27:33 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 10 14:27:36 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 14:27:36 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Sep 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 15:19:14 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 14:20:43 -0700 2008 Cod, I knew pretty much what to expect with The Big Oyster, and in fact he took pretty much the same tack: take a little-sung culinary object and use it as a lens to look at a larger canvas, with plenty of trivia en route.

That this book is as much a paean ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 16:04:12 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 16:06:20 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Mar 01 08:01:24 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 08:02:40 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 12:22:50 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 12:22:50 -0800 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 15:50:08 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 15:52:19 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 14:02:52 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 14:07:59 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Dec 03 17:44:57 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 21:13:30 -0800 2007 Salt: A World History; Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World; and A Basque History of the World (which has recipes at the end of every chapter and, like the Basques, is devoted in many ways to food). He has his schtick down, and he's sticking to it. Fortunately, it's ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 12 10:33:08 -0800 2007 Fri Jan 04 08:53:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 07:16:21 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 01 16:56:23 -0800 2009
I wouldn't recommend it, although it wasn't a bad read either. I just didn't learn enough about either topic to make it a Must Read.

The book in 30 words or less:

1. New York harbor ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 14:05:10 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 14:05:57 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3342