Believe it or not, oyster shucking, or the opening of oysters, is a competition sport. Oyster shuckers want to be the fastest without damaging the oyster flesh, which can result in significant price reductions for the oyster because it is then only fit for selling for cooking purposes, such as stew, while undamaged pricier oysters are eaten raw. The fastest oyster shucker is Patrick McMurray, who set the world record of 38 oysters in under a minute in 2010.
New York City has a long history of oyster shucking and it is still celebrated at an annual event called the "Oyster Frenzy" at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. They even made an ice sculpture!
There was events going on throughout the day. We arrived just in time for the first round of oyster shucking contestants to compete.
There was other entertainment as well. This is the Naked Cowboy that performed. Naked Cowboys are a variety of oysters grown in Long Island Sound. On my birthday I tried six different oysters and the Naked Cowboy was my favorite, in part because of the awesome name. : )
This is a photo from inside of the Grand Central Oyster Bar. It was packed. The restaurant was built in 1917 when Grand Central Station opened its doors.
Besides oyster shucking, there was also a beer shucking competition. This involved opening a case of bottled beer the fastest with a bottle opener. I was one of the last three contestants to sign up and opened a case of Pumpkin Ale, my favorite. Afterwards the shucked oysters and beer was given out the the contestants and the onlookers. Don't worry, nothing was wasted. :)
Here are the two final contestants for the oyster competition. That fistful of cash is the winnings: $3,000.
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