Oysters

I’ve loved oysters for a long time. My friend, Andy, is harvesting oysters with his father-in-law and offered to bring back some this weekend for a very reasonable price. I was tempted, but then thought, really?

As I approach 50, I’m beginning to think that maybe my love for oysters was just about the novelty-cracking open the shells; enjoying the camaraderie with friends. After all, who shucks and eats oysters alone? But now, it just seems like so much work for very little return. The last time I ordered oysters they were the size of a molecule. The manager agreed and was very kind to bring out a new batch that wasn’t over-steamed, but still my effort and time were wasted and he didn’t offer to shuck the new ones. Sadly, although I’m not totally there yet, I’m starting to feel the same way about peel and eat shrimp.

That’s why chicken wings are my favorite food. No peeling, shucking, prepping or decoding. Pick up, dip in blue cheese and eat. The reward is greater than the effort.

Life is too short(and getting shorter) to not have culinary efficiency.

Word efficiency is another area in which I need improvement. As do most humans in general. Way too many words are thrown around that mean nothing, have no meat in them and if they do, it’s spoiled meat intended to tear others down. My experience is that critical words towards other people are usually unnecessary as most people are painfully aware of their own deficiencies.

There’s no efficiency in highlighting someone else’s deficiencies.

Bible says that words hold the power of life and death. Why not use our words to encourage, lift up and help others? Very little effort is involved, yet the rewards are great.

There’s a pearl of wisdom in that advice.