The Lease of It

Unfortunate oyster trends? Small oysters. It’s as if asking someone to eat a normal-sized, full-flavored oyster is asking too much.

There are some oysters that are small at maturity--the Kumamoto and Olympia, for instance. But some establishments are serving immature oysters that normally grow to a larger size.

These smaller oysters are also tasteless and, in terms of oyster culture and gastronomy, absolutely pointless. The same thing has happened with clams: It has become fashionable in some restaurants to serve tiny, immature Manila clams.