Last week I had the pleasure of sharing a dinner table with “Oyster
Bill” Whitbeck, a warm and bearded chatty wonder of a man. Oyster Bill
is a familiar face to many—as market manager for Taylor Shellfish
Farms, he can be found at farmer’s markets throughout the year. Over a
plate of geoduck sautéed with some of the season’s first
asparagus, Oyster Bill explained that the name geoduck comes from the
Nisqually word meaning “dig deep,” which is exactly what you have to do
to harvest these crazy-looking mollusks.
I’ve been thinking about Oyster Bill and his fellow shellfish
farmers, many of whom are carrying on a local family business and
tradition that goes back many generations. (Taylor Farms has been
growing shellfish for over 100 years.) While doing research into
shellfish farming, I stumbled upon the Hama Hama Oyster Blog, a
“guide to life on the Hama Hama Shellfish Farm” (in business since
1922). Part food blog and part nature blog, it’s a wonderful, quiet
celebration and look at everything that makes up a Hama Hama
day—from shucking plants to the beautiful scenery of Hood Canal
to other “tideland critters” such as sea cucumbers.
I capped off my week of shellfish dreaming quietly in West Seattle
with two dozen late-night oysters washed down with cold Maritime Old
Seattle Lager. From 10:00 p.m. to midnight every night at Ama Ama
Oyster Bar, oysters are a mere 50 cents apiece. It’s a dream come
true.
Taylor Shellfish Farms:
taylorshellfishfarms.com.
Hama Hama Oyster Blog:
hamahamaoysters.com/blog.
Ama Ama Oyster Bar, 4752 California Ave SW, 937-1514, late-night
happy hour 10 pm–midnight.
