What did they serve @ Martha's Market this year?

What DIDN'T they serve?

Martha's Market is an annual tradition for my friends and I. Last night we attended the preview party to get the first glance of everything, a head start for the serious shoppers. But I was with some serious Foodies and FOOD is what we wanted to see!

As we walk down the levels, you can see the festive energy below getting us all worked up in anticiption. Once down, we headed straight for the bar. Open bars everywhere!

Then we tried to organize so that we could cover all the rows of vendors inan orderly fashion. But when we came across the food tables, it was chaos! We got right down to tasting, shooting, sipping, serving each other...in other words. We got Excited!

My favorite was the gazpacho in martini glass garnished with shrimp and chunks of avocado. It was nice and cool with a little kick to it and the avocado blened well with that kick.

Another impressive presentation was the oyster shooters. It was stacked up on ice shelves lined with oyster shells. Served in shot glasses, they had pureed celery at the bottom, layered with tomato sauce poured over the oyster. I only wish it was a bit more spicy. If they had a side of tobasco and horseradish sauce next to it, it would have been perfect.

All in all, who can complain about an evening filled with friends, shopping galore and gourmet food?-Thanks Kathy Morris!!! (she was in charge of the preview party.)

Health benefits of oysters:

I love raw oysters! The soft, fleshy texture with sweet and salty flavor when paired with cocktail and tobasco sauce is irresistible to me. And to boot, they are packed with vitamins and minerals, and is a high-protein, low-fat, low-cholesterol , rich in zinc treats in your mouth. Did I tell you that they are also considered aphrodisiacs?...slide it down!

But sometimes there are those horror stories about eating bad oysters. Many suggest thoroughly cooking them but I like them raw!

Commercial shellfish is normally inspected by the government so the risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning is extremely minimal... but one can never be too sure.

Dangers of Oyster:

There are the saying that it's safe to eat shellfish in any months that has an "r" in the name, like January, February, March, but not June, July or August. I'm not sure if this holds true all the time. The problem is this bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus which thrive in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of Florida. You can 't see, taste or smell Vibrio so it's hard to tell whether the oyster you're about to eat is infested with it.

This bacteria can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps and even death. The only way to safe guard against it is to cook the oyster well done.

Let's see, it's October (has "r" in it) and I ate it raw...Man! I'm living dangerously!