Raw Clams on the Half Shell

[Joe]

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?

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

[Bob]

Joe wrote:

> 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

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

[Darkginger]

"Bob (this one)" <Bob@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:10efbevisl7v574@corp.supernews.com...
> Joe wrote:
>
> > 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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[Louis Cohen]

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)" <Bob@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:10efbevisl7v574@corp.supernews.com...
> Joe wrote:
>
> > 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
>
> > Of course I'm talking about clams that are alive, closed
> > and well refrigerated, and don't smell bad.