I quite enjoy eating raw oysters if I believe that they are fresh and of good quality.
From what I understand, such oysters, some still in their shells, are usually imported from the New Zealand region. I therefore, was mistaken that maybe oysters cannot grow in the Singaporean climate.
That was until recently, I saw with my very own eyes where, and how some people managed to harvest wild oysters off the coast of Singapore! I ever saw people harvesting mussels around our coasts, but never oysters.
While taking a stroll one day, I saw some people in bright life vests in the sea, clearing (what seemed to me) some 'rocks' off the sea walls. It was only when they brought the harvest onto shore and started chatting with me in Thai then I realized they were harvesting oysters & mussels for their own consumption.Well, I enjoyed eating raw oysters in Thailand too.
They kept going into the water and back with the next batches of oysters and mussels..that is until the Police Coast Guard came over acting on the feedback by the PUB staffs nearby. They were 'invited' onto the Police vessel for screening.
They were released with their oysters and mussels intact except for one of them who happened not to have brought along his work permit with him and the Police were unable to establish his identity that they had to bring him back to base.
So, the moral of the story..if you want to go harvest some oysters, bring your identity card with you? Maybe, but I am happily going around telling my Singaporean friends that there are enclaves of wild oysters growing in Singapore!
From what I understand, such oysters, some still in their shells, are usually imported from the New Zealand region. I therefore, was mistaken that maybe oysters cannot grow in the Singaporean climate.
That was until recently, I saw with my very own eyes where, and how some people managed to harvest wild oysters off the coast of Singapore! I ever saw people harvesting mussels around our coasts, but never oysters.
While taking a stroll one day, I saw some people in bright life vests in the sea, clearing (what seemed to me) some 'rocks' off the sea walls. It was only when they brought the harvest onto shore and started chatting with me in Thai then I realized they were harvesting oysters & mussels for their own consumption.Well, I enjoyed eating raw oysters in Thailand too.
They kept going into the water and back with the next batches of oysters and mussels..that is until the Police Coast Guard came over acting on the feedback by the PUB staffs nearby. They were 'invited' onto the Police vessel for screening.
They were released with their oysters and mussels intact except for one of them who happened not to have brought along his work permit with him and the Police were unable to establish his identity that they had to bring him back to base.
So, the moral of the story..if you want to go harvest some oysters, bring your identity card with you? Maybe, but I am happily going around telling my Singaporean friends that there are enclaves of wild oysters growing in Singapore!
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