ABSTRACT
Not everyone eats oysters, or even shellfish for that matter. Religion, culture, science, and personal preference all inform which plants and animals we call food. But whether you swallow an oyster in one slurp or take a pass, eating is one of the most intimate ways humans interact with environments: By literally digesting them. What is a sustainable diet if we look at the sea? How do human appetites transform, harm, and perhaps also heal watery environments? This chapter explores the waters we farm and eat, and considers water and shellfish from a culinary perspective; it zooms in on the oyster—its biological, cultural, and culinary lives—to discuss contemporary aquaculture, with an emphasis on animal mariculture. Part one of the chapter discusses oysters, appetites, and how humans know these bivalves through eating them; the second part addresses aquaculture and sustainable appetites.
