Raw Clams on the Half Shell

Joe said:

One of my favorite things in the world is eating
shellfish, especially raw littleneck clams and oysters.
I've heard so much about the dangers of eating clams raw,
but I see many restaurants selling them on the menu.

I realize that there is a danger in doing anything
including driving to work, but does anyone have a
realistic and rational assessment of just how dangerous it
is to eat one of my favorite foods?

There is no rational and realistic assessment. The
liklihoods will vary with where they came from, what the
water was like that day and the day before and the day
before, whether a low-flying airplane dumped fuel, who threw
garbage off his boat, what medical wastes were discarded
nearby, your state of health, how clean the restaurant is,
how cleanly they were shucked, the bacteriological state of
your fork...

Check out what HACCP is about. Google.

Pastorio

Quoted message said:

Of course I'm talking about clams that are alive, closed
and well refrigerated, and don't smell bad.

"Bob (this one)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Joe said:

One of my favorite things in the world is eating
shellfish, especially raw littleneck clams and
oysters. I've heard so much about the dangers of
eating clams raw, but I see many restaurants selling
them on the menu.

I realize that there is a danger in doing anything
including driving to work, but does anyone have a
realistic and rational assessment of just how dangerous
it is to eat one of my favorite foods?

There is no rational and realistic assessment. The
liklihoods will vary with where they came from, what the
water was like that day and the day before and the day
before, whether a low-flying airplane dumped fuel, who
threw garbage off his boat, what medical wastes were
discarded nearby, your state of health, how clean the
restaurant is, how cleanly they were shucked, the
bacteriological state of your fork...

Agreed - even when I gather my own (mussels, in this case)
from a source I know to be clean, there is no way of knowing
whether one of the little morsels is tainted in some way -
it's just a matter of probabilities. In over 20 years of
eating raw shellfish, I've not yet had any nasty effects -
but the risk is part of the pleasure 😉 A bit like skydiving
for the sedentary!

Jo (seafood fan)

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Years ago, I enjoyed raw shellfish on the beach at
Manzanillo, Mexico with no ill effects. About a year
later, there was a cholera epidemic in South and Central
America, reaching Mexico. The epidemic was attributed to
Peruvian ceviche.

You never know, but I did avoid the sushi bars in
Mexico City.

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Louis Cohen Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8'
42.8"

"Bob (this one)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Joe said:

One of my favorite things in the world is eating
shellfish, especially raw littleneck clams and
oysters. I've heard so much about the dangers of
eating clams raw, but I see many restaurants selling
them on the menu.

I realize that there is a danger in doing anything
including driving to work, but does anyone have a
realistic and rational assessment of just how dangerous
it is to eat one of my favorite foods?

There is no rational and realistic assessment. The
liklihoods will vary with where they came from, what the
water was like that day and the day before and the day
before, whether a low-flying airplane dumped fuel, who
threw garbage off his boat, what medical wastes were
discarded nearby, your state of health, how clean the
restaurant is, how cleanly they were shucked, the
bacteriological state of your fork...

Check out what HACCP is about. Google.

Pastorio

Quoted message said:

Of course I'm talking about clams that are alive, closed
and well refrigerated, and don't smell bad.