I’ve rewritten this blog several times this week as each day downloads new information on where not to go and who not to hang out with. With the coronavirus limiting our recreational options, the simple pleasures come into focus. Here are a few of mine
Ten years ago, I visited the sea-side town of Whitstable in the South East of England with my late nan. She made me face my ultimate gastronomical fear: oysters. As a child, I loathed their amoebic gooeyness and their appearance made me contort in disgust.
On this occasion, I let this feisty 89-year old Yorkshire woman (who endured hair-raising experiences such as inspecting army bullets in a weapons factory during World War II and marrying twice) talk me into trying them. With her encouragement, I doused an oyster in Tobasco hot pepper sauce and lemon and let it slide into my mouth, chewed on it for a few seconds, before allowing it right of passage into my gut. What I remember most was tangy after burn it left in my mouth as it ignited each and every taste bud on my tongue and makes my mouth water even as I write this blog.
Fast forward ten years, on Saturday, I found myself eager to escape the city and returned to Whitstable with my buddy Davina (pre-ramp up of social distancing) for a walk along the seafront and to enjoy some oysters.
I set off on Saturday morning by car, navigating my way through quiet suburban streets and toward the motorway. On reaching the open road, I enjoyed the emptiness of the multi-carriage freeway, gliding along it before exiting onto an A-road towards the sea front. I drove through Whitstable town, noting quaint shops and small streets before parking near the harbor.
About five minutes into a walk along the promenade, we happened upon an oyster shack and stopped for a starter. We engaged in a chat with a Czechoslovakian man, who meticulously shucked our oysters while taking an interest in where we were from and what we had planned for the day. Seemingly amused that our plans did not extend beyond eating and sipping Prosecco, he decorated each of our 12 oysters with liberal lashings of Tabasco sauce and lemons and served them on an ice tray.
Prosecco and oysters
With our glasses fully charged, we found a place to set down our tray and began our feast. The oysters were the first thing I had eaten that day and hence shocked my sense of taste into a hyper-stimulated state. Combined with the pepper sauce and lemon, it triggered my salivary glands into overdrive. I chased it with a sip of Prosecco, whose bubbles collided with the sultry after burn of the mixture and ignited a powder keg of intense tangy flavours inside my mouth.
Whitstable seafront
After gulping down the oysters, we were ready for the main course and proceeded to walk along the promenade and boating wharf. We came across the Lobster Shack, where we enjoyed a hearty dose of fish, chips, mushy peas and some more chatter for a few timeless hours. Sunset came, bringing with it a gust of wind and rain and the opportunity to stay indoors for a chocolate brownie and a cup of tea.
When the rain stopped, signaling time for movement, we decided to head back home. We made our way back along the promenade towards our cars for the journey back towards London, feeling blissed out after a great day.
The bright orange sunset splattered the sky and graced the journey home, reminding me of the importance of enjoying life’s simple pleasures when the going is good and when the going gets tough.
And on that note, it’s time for a tin of Pressure Drop’s Lunar Park New England IPA from Craft Metropolis. Ollie and Ollie (yes they’re both called Ollie and they both work there) are great guys and they deliver London’s best craft beers to your doorstep. So if you can’t get to the seaside for Prosecco and oysters, there is always beer and nibbles.
Stay hearty, happy and healthy.
Punchy pale ale from Craft Metropolis