20 hours ago, KennethT said:What do the Chinese usually serve them with?
Well, for a start, they never serve them raw. I have attempted several times to get oyster stalls in the street and in restaurants to bring me some and they point blank refuse to sell me them. They are convinced I will drop dead immediately if I eat one and that they'll get blamed. Only one has ever obliged me and he was very hesitant. This guy.
His sign 湛江生蚝 (zhàn jiāng shēng háo) translates as "Zhanjiang Oysters", Zhanjiang being a city/prefecture in the south-west of Guangdong Province and on the Tonkin Gulf. I was with three young students I know from the university behind him. One of them bravely agreed to try one after she saw me eat a few and remain alive. She was clearly very nervous, though. Her friends weren't going there, at all!
What the guy sells is grilled oysters. This is the most common preparation. The oysters are grilled over charcoal and drenched in a sauce of minced garlic and served. They are also served this way in more formal restaurants. I can eat those, but much prefer them au naturel.
In recent years, I've also seen these monstrosities below in a couple of places. Restaurants rather then street stalls.
They are again grilled but finished off with a Chinese version of American cheese melted over them! Disgusting. The particular example above was in a restaurant in Guangzhou, but I've seen them here in Liuzhou, too.
So, I very seldom eat oysters other than at home. Always raw and usually just with some lemon juice. Soy sauce with citrus (ponzu) works well, too, I find.
