neon epiphany

Shucking oysters is about ten times easier given a real, honest-to-goodness shucking knife and with the confidence instilled by protective, steel-meshed gloves. Then again, most things tend to go more easily without the specter of potential impalation and amputation hovering over one’s conscience.

Enjoyed a tasty wine to accompany, Wagner’s Delaware varietal, a gift from Sooch on a recent visit. Very sweet, almost shockingly so, “like Welch’s [white grape juice] with alcohol.” Among the other excesses of what was eventually christened Oyster Night II: wilted spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette, bruschetta, grilled lamb chops, roasted rosemary potatoes, dolmades, and orange Jell-O cake.

Completely excessive, and definitely delicious.

• The Jell-O Exhibit at James Lileks’s Gallery of Regrettable Food.
• The Dolmades Route, an anthropological history of dolmades (the original site seems to be down, so for now that link points to a Google cache).
• “I am food! I am food! I am food!” at Caterina.net. O wonderful!

Happy Birthday, Jet!