Good morning, it’s Wednesday. Now that fall is looming, it feels like things are whipping along at warp speed.
One of my favorite local restaurants is a place called Hooked Market & Kitchen on Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham. If you are a fan of fresh food – especially, but not limited to, fish – unique flavor combinations and an unstuffy yet upbeat and comfortable vibe, this place is for you.
I am almost reluctant to talk about it, though, because it can be hard to get in – it’s a smallish establishment, and a growing number of people know about it. But I don’t like to gatekeep and I want them to do well. We are there at least once a week, if not more, and we have something of a standing order, which almost always includes a hot lobster roll with fries for my husband and a half dozen oysters for me.
I know people feel some kind of way about oysters – either strongly in favor of completely against. They’re not really a middle-of-the-road food. The texture alone is enough to put people off, and, of course, the fact that they’re not cooked.
I love them with extra lemon and extra cocktail sauce, which I guess you might say would make anything taste good, but it’s the underlying briny straight-from-the-sea taste that take the package to the next level for me.
Once upon a time oysters were peasant food. They were cheap and abundant and easily added to all manner of soups and stews to boost their protein content. Humans have been consuming mollusks for hundreds – if not thousands – of years, dating back to ancient times. The Romans and the Greeks were big fans. Members of the nobility also grew to have a taste for oysters, though they generally preferred them cooked – poached or roasted, as a rule – to avoid food poisoning.
But it wasn’t until the late 1800s and early 1900s, when wild oyster stocks started to dwindle and cultivation became the norm, that contamination became a significant problem.
Oysters harvested from waters polluted by untreated sewage off the cost of Long Island were to blame for the 1924-25 typhoid fever epidemic that killed 150 (mostly in urban areas like D.C., NYC, and Chicago) and sickened some 1,500 – the deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness in U.S. history. (Yes, even worse than cyclosporiasis, but you wouldn’t know it given all the press generated by this latest outbreak).
The typhoid outbreak spurred the creation of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, which continues to this day, to standardize the safe consumption of shellfish and prevent future outbreaks.
These days, Americans consume about 2 to 2.5 billion pounds of oysters annually – most of them farmed off either the Atlantic or Gulf coasts – which works out to roughly three per person, which means a relatively small number of people are responsible for the lion’s share of consumption. Those who DO eat oysters do so several times a year, putting down 6 to 12 in a sitting (at least). I am certainly doing more than my fair share here, and I am happy to do it.
Raw oyster (and clam) consumption is not 100 percent safe, though if you get them from a regulated source you should be OK. They do still carry the slight chance of being contaminated with bacteria and viral infections, and the bummer here is that you can’t tell whether an oyster is off simply by smelling or tasting it. If you have an underlying health condition, it’s best to err on the side of caution and only consume cooked mollusks and shellfish.
Once you get past the texture, the taste, and the potential food poisoning hurdles, oysters have a lot of benefits. They’re low in calories and fat and high in key nutrients like zinc, vitamin B12, and copper. They’re also a decent protein source. Sadly, they’re not scientifically proven to enhance your desire for sex, but the zinc and amino acids they contain can help contribute to overall reproductive and sexual health.
Happy National Oyster Day to all those who celebrate. I know I will.
We’ll see partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s. Nothing in the way of precipitation is in the forecast – that will come later in the week, but why rush it?
In the headlines…
Yesterday’s primaries solidified matchups in must-win House races in Michigan, Virginia and Washington. President Trump’s preferred candidates cleared primaries in gubernatorial races in Kansas and Michigan, where the sitting Democrats are termed out.
An acrimonious and expensive Democratic Senate primary in Michigan that divided the party remained unresolved early today, with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, clinging to a narrow lead over Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate.
Democrats need to rack up as many wins as possible to take back the U.S. Senate, so the party has little room for error against the Republican nominee, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers.
Elsewhere, results were mixed in closely-watched Democratic primaries. In Missouri, the establishment struck back at the progressive left, with Rep. Wesley Bell fending off a primary challenge from former Rep. Cori Bush, a democratic socialist.
Progressives scored a victory in a Michigan Democratic primary, where William Lawrence, an organizer, beat two centrist Democrats in a House race. He’ll face Rep. Tom Barrett, a first-term Republican who is one of the more vulnerable Republican incumbents.
Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, a vulnerable Democrat running for re-election, plans to tap a longtime Republican and former mayor of a Phoenix suburb to serve as her running mate, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that progress has been made in talks between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, “but not finality yet,” adding, “We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”
In an interview with Fox News last night from Southern California, President Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz would open “very soon,” or the U.S. would strike Iran.
The U.S. Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.
A federal judge expressed deep regret as he granted a request by the Justice Department to throw out criminal charges against eight members of the Oath Keepers militia who were charged with seditious conspiracy for storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked six additional states to a large outbreak of cyclosporiasis associated with iceberg lettuce, according to a C.D.C. official familiar with the investigation.
A salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in Minnesota prompted Chipotle Mexican Grill to announce on Tuesday that it was pulling certain jalapeños from its restaurants.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is condemning the conduct of a federal immigration agent who is seen pepper-spraying a woman in the face during a street encounter in New York City that was recorded and shared on social media.
“No one is above the law,” Hochul said in a social media post about the incident, which involved federal officers and people observing their work. “Pepper-spraying a 72-year-old woman for exercising her constitutional rights is outrageous.”
Several Long Island housing nonprofits are urging Hochul to sign a bill that would make a key foreclosure prevention program a permanent part of state law.
Hochul made a visit to Lake Placid’s Olympic Center Monday afternoon. As the only U.S. city to host two winter Olympic Games, the governor hopes to continue making history with a third Olympic bid for Lake Placid in 2042.
New Yorkers with no more than six months to live who meet a strict set of requirements are now able to request life-ending medication from their health care providers. The controversial new law takes effect today.
More than 2,000 children received offers to join New York City’s inaugural 2-K class, city and state officials announced Tuesday. More than 5,700 families applied for just over 2,000 available seats.
“The overwhelming demand for 2-K shows what families across the city have known for years: New Yorkers need free, universal child care, and they need it now,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
It remains unclear how the city will pay for the initiative beyond the first two years, given overwhelming demand and projections that a universal rollout could cost billions more than expected. Neither Hochul nor Mamdani outlined a plan for the future.
Neither Mamdani nor Hochul seemed particularly concerned with the reported cost overrun, nor with explaining how the massive gap would be closed other than levying additional taxes on the wealthy, the mayoral administration’s go-to piggy bank thus far.
Mamdani has taken a page from his filmmaker mom Mira Nair and released a short taxpayer-funded documentary about tenants organizing against their do-nothing landlord.
Mamdani received a decidedly chilly reception from some Staten Islanders Tuesday night, drawing loud boos, jeers and profanities when he appeared at the borough’s annual National Night Out Against Crime celebration in Midland Beach.
The Trump Justice Department is “actively” investigating crimes fueled by antisemitism in New York City and has sent a letter to Mamdani demanding answers about the “unequal treatment” of Jews.
Mamdani’s plan for five city-owned grocery stores has a shockingly bad business model, industry insiders argued, citing the administration’s newly released “request for proposals.”
Mamdani and Jewish NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch appeared chummy Tuesday at “National Night Out Against Crime” events — days after the police boss reportedly called out “antisemitic rhetoric.”
A sweeping review of 180 construction sites across New York City involving firms connected to the redevelopment of a Midtown high-rise that became dangerously unstable found dozens of violations, though none posed an immediate danger, city officials said.
Ron Lauder, a major funder of conservative political causes, has not given a single dollar this year to Republicans in New York, and his super PAC has gone idle.
Bright green stickers that shame New Yorkers for failing to make way for street sweepers, are back after a 14-year hiatus. Coupled with a $65 ticket, they are designed to serve as a public slap on the wrist.
The city parks department has turned a stretch of Brooklyn’s Sunset Park into a de facto garbage dump in order to handle all the trash collected from the popular green space each weekend.
An inspection blitz targeting firms tied to the near-collapse of a major office-to-housing conversion on East 42nd Street uncovered safety lapses at 19 worksites, according to a report released yesterday.
New Yorkers have just a week of post-8 p.m. summer sunsets left — and they have feelings about it.
A former top official in the Mount Vernon Police Department was charged with attempted murder and conspiracy yesterday.
A lawsuit filed recently in state Supreme Court accuses the DEC of fast-tracking permitting approval for semiconductor company Micron’s sprawling manufacturing facilities in Onondaga County, without properly considering the possible environmental impact.
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs has tapped a veteran criminal defense attorney with roots in the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, Kurt Haas, to fill an open City Court judgeship.
Two Albany city workers were injured in an explosion Tuesday at the Department of General Services headquarters building.
Democratic Troy Council President Susan Steele says Comptroller Michael McNeff failed to provide the Council with a second-quarter financial report by the deadline set in the city code, though Republican Mayor Carmella Mantello denies the report is late.
Three out of five seats on a Mohawk Valley Town Board have been vacant for more than a week following a wave of resignations, leaving the community without a functioning local government.
Former city Commissioner of Public Works Jason Golub is suing Saratoga Springs, city police and Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll, claiming they abused government power to prosecute him for a charge of official misconduct that was dismissed last year.
Rensselaer County Legislator William Film could run unopposed in his first election for District 4 if a recent nomination challenge succeeds.
The Albany County Airport Authority has selected Stephen Clark, 39, an airport executive from California, as the next CEO of Albany International Airport.
Four children found dead at an apartment complex in June were murdered by their mother and grandmother as part of a conspiracy to keep them from their father, city police said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
