just heard a strange tale from some returning travelers. they said they were walking on the beach and some local conch fishermen were cleaning their catch. the fishermen showed them the proper way to crack the shells and remove the meat. they proceeded to remove a long clear part of the meat, about 6 inches long, and eat it right there on the beach. they offered the group some. well my friends passed but another women decided to try it out as she said that she enjoyed sushi. she said it was very very salty and it seemed to wiggle down her throat. i am usually game to try anything but i don't think i could eat that. has anyone ever heard of such a thing like that???? i am still wondering what "part" that could be. has anyone out there ever eaten this??? i have a niece that is a marine biologist - i will test her knowledge on the subject. professor, are you still out there?
gay

...true or not, but...

During an identical experience in Jamaica, some fishermen explained to my handsome hubby & I on our wedding day that that way masculine part "puts the lead in your pencil".

Yepper!

K.

so kimbe, is this a testimonial? in light of that, i still don't think i could get david to eat it. he would probably say his pencil is sharp enough!!! i have been told that conch soup will make you have lots and lots of babies. next trip i will really push the cerviche and fritters. lol.
gay

what's up Kim? Been hiding? You game for a second go round of Belize this November? I'll have the stools open and waiting at BC's! Take care.

-Robert

i have caught 'em and cleaned 'em and eaten them straight from the shell and can't remember it wiggling down my throat. Neither is is salty. It is mild, slightly sweet and firm - almost aldente.

LOL, never put anything in your mouth before identifying it.

They supposedly like to eat the ummm...male sexual organ of the conch because it's supposed to be some kind of sexual enhancer.

A myth I'm sure, just like eating raw oysters.

The guys love to spin that yarn with the tourist girls, and watch the reactions on their faces. LOL

My fishing guide, Jose Gonzales, father who is 99 now has lived on the island for most of his life except for a few years when he lived in Europe with a family that has many ties to Belize. Anyway, while living in Europe he developed the custom of greeting people with the kiss on the cheek, as many Europeans do. Seeing him do this often in Belize I did not think it strange that people refered to him as "Pecker" Gonzales, ie. kiss - peck on the cheek. After a number of years, Jose set me straight, gave me the "hard" facts, informing me that Pecker ate one of those stringy conch things almost every morning of his life. He married last year his 12th wife and they are having his 35th child next month.

I won't bore you or stick you with too many of these stories, but there is another San Pedrono that got his current nick name thanks to conch. He is from the Perez family. You "new-comers" probaly know him as PP. Those of us who knew him years ago refered to him as Splint Perez. Splint did his time in the BDF (Belize Defense Force) as a medical corpsman where he developed his skills, one of his better being putting splints on broken bones. That is how I mistakingly thought he got the nick name
"Splint" until one of his former girlfriends informed me that he was born with the dreaded erectile disfunctional desease. Not having Viagra available at that time, Splint used his ingenutiy and put his medical training to good use. Well after his stint in the BDF, he began to look for work and ended up being a fisherman primarly fishing for conch. After his first 6 months of conch fishing, his fellow fisherman began calling him PP. Having the advantage of a Belize education, they drew on their Latin mythology and re-named Splint Priapus Perez or PP for short. Now for those of you educated in the US public school system, if you do not get this, look up the Greek God Priapus in the dictionary.

warren, these are priceless. thanks

LOL @ bywarren. :-)

Got any oyster stories?

amen these are priceless, thanks bywarren...

WOW GREAT STORIES BYWARREN. NOW WE KNOW WHY THE CONCH FISHERMEN'S WIVES ALWAYS HAVE BIG SMILES. :> )
We have a local establishment called gilhooleys that specializes in oysters. Truth or myth? Who cares as long as the guys think it works.
gay

LOL
You have an EXCELLENT point!

Please, please tell me that doesn't mean that you girls don't care and can fake it when we guys only think we have an "excellent" point.

LOL
We care about your point....trust me!
We usually have enough confidence in our female powers though that you guys shouldn't NEED to eat disgusting conch "you know what's"....and slurp slimy raw oysters down your throats to get there....LOL
It's kind of like Voo-Doo....it only works if you believe in it.
The mind is a powerful thing...LOL

You just think you need it!

I'd like to see some cold hard medical facts on the value of conch....and oysters.

[This message has been edited by Enigma (edited 08-15-2002).]

OK, you want some medical facts. Here they are.
Personally, I just like to think of it as part of the foreplay that I enjoy. I actually like the taste and texture.

"Oysters have been a renowned aphrodisiac in Western culture since at least as far back as the Roman Empire and Casanova himself is reputed to have eaten 50 raw oysters each morning during his bath to boost his libido. But is there any actual physiological evidence that suggests oysters are in fact an aphrodisiac?

The answer is yes for two reasons. First, oysters are a healthy food since they are low in fat and high in minerals. And because good health increases sex drive, oysters fit the bill. Second, oysters are an excellent source of zinc. According to research at the University of California-San Diego, men with even moderate zinc deficiencies may suffer low sperm counts and decreased sex drive. Rodent tests also show that male rats who lack zinc develop testicular failure and stunted growth. So zinc is definitely a good thing for better sex and oysters are one of the best sources of zinc."

PS. I wonder why they used rodents - rats to do a study about men? Don't say I never give you women an opening. What is that called in the comic's vernacular? A "stiff man"? Oh no, it's a "straight man".


[This message has been edited by bywarren (edited 08-15-2002).]

LMAO...I'm not touching that first paragraph with a ten foot pole...I mean 2 X 4....LOL

Oysters may have been "renowned" as an aphrodisiac...but that doesn't make it so.

If you just want to get your daily supply of minerals you can take a good one-a-day vitamin. Good health can be achieved by eating a balanced diet and proper exercise. Having a better sex drive and improved stamina is a benefit to good health...not an aphrodisiac.

I wouldn't necessarily call oysters a "healthy" food for two reasons. Oysters have NO excretory system. Everything they eat, digest and just sits there. Ever wonder what all that green shit is when you slice one open? Well it's just that....shit....LOL
Now....how many oysters did Casanova eat???
He's lucky he didn't die from shit toxicity!!
LOL

The second reason....and you know this if you come from the Gulf Coast is that oysters can become infected with bacteria and make you deathly ill. Depending on weather and tide conditions, oysters have been banned from restaurants at times for the consumers protection.

Of course they use rats to study effects on men. What other "animal" would you suggest? LOL

If you want the real scoop on aphrodisiacs, here's a good link:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/196_love.html

LOL, the things that get talked about on this board! Incredible!



[This message has been edited by Enigma (edited 08-15-2002).]

My dear old Grande PaPa from the Caribbean swore by conch and spicey food. he had 11 children. When my 1st husband and I went there on our honeymoon, he made sure my husband had PLENTY to eat. Could have just been the "honeymoon", but I have to say he was unusually "spicey"....... If mind over matter is to blame, then by all means, keep telling the male gender all about it!!!!!!
Debbie

OK SweetJane, you got me on this one. I guess I am a little slow this morning and maybe to old fashioned to get it. But you are going to have to explain to me what pretty pictures of lawn chairs and a reptile have to do with spicing up a subject on sex. I think I want to know, I am not sure.

it was late, i was tired (if it was 12:30 bz time, i am est coast, that makes it 2:30 am. ok, maybe i had had a banana colada or twoas well) and rambled.

the spicey part was suposed to be about the oyster joke. but i'm deleting it, cause if you have sick humor, it could be pretty dirty.

anyway, the bz beach pics were just wishful thinking on my part of what i'd rather have been looking at while thinking of conch fritters at 3 am.

oh, and in case anyone gets excited wondering what i posted. it was pretty stupid. totally not worth it .

sorry warren.

just drunken ramblings. i had good, yet unusual and disturbing weekend is all.

today is new day.

Oh no, I did not want you to delete it, Sweetjane. I thought the humor was worth it. We need the laughs. You got my day off on the right note.

does someone need a vitamin shot?

just a shot would be fine

(jane glad that this is the first time i have really grinned on this board for a while)

trying to be subtle, for YEARS my husband expressed that raw shellfish have an uncanny resemblance to a certain female body part. one he rather enjoys.

and you all were going on & on about eating oysters...and he really likes to eat oysters...and, well, i'm gonna just stop there, cause my personal life is my own, but i was totally cracking myself up.

and, at 3 am things can be either really serious or really funny. it was hysterical to me!

(read this fast before it gets yanked!!!)

LOL
No need to be embarrassed...

If you had clicked on the link I posted you would have read about this very thing.

I'll post the paragraph that discusses it.
This site is from the FDA so I'd say it's fairly reliable from a medical standpoint.

Welcome to the Club, Jane....LOL

"Many ancient peoples believed in the so-called "law of similarity," reasoning that an object resembling genitalia may possess sexual powers. Ginseng, rhinoceros horn, and oysters are three classical examples.

The word ginseng means "man root," and the plant's reputation as an aphrodisiac probably arises from its marked similarity to the human body. Ginseng has been looked on as an invigorating and rejuvenating agent for centuries in China, Tibet, Korea, Indochina, and India. The root may have a mild stimulant action, like coffee. There have been some experiments reporting a sexual response in animals treated with ginseng, but there is no evidence that ginseng has an effect on human sexuality.

The similarity of the shape of the rhinoceros horn to the penis is credited for its worldwide reputation as a libido enhancer. The horn contains significant amounts of calcium and phosphorus. The addition of the food to a deficient diet could improve general physical vigor and possibly lead to an increased sexual interest. But in most Americans' diets, which are usually not lacking calcium or phosphorus, the small quantities usually consumed would not affect physical performance.

Because Aphrodite was said to be born from the sea, many types of seafood have reputations as aphrodisiacs. Oysters are particularly esteemed as sex aids, possibly gaining their reputation at a time when their contribution of zinc to the nutritionally deficient diets of the day could improve overall health and so lead to an increased sex drive."

Again the link: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/196_love.html



[This message has been edited by Enigma (edited 08-19-2002).]

ok warren. look what u started. i ran a google search as it is fun & i'm bored, and found this story. like it, enigma


it is from a magazine article on editorship in journalism by a professional photographer:

Well, I recall one day, many years ago, when I was asked to do a studio shoot for our food department. They had a cover story for their section on the gastronomic pleasures of eating raw oysters. The head of the department gave rather explicit instructions on what she wanted to see in the photograph. She wanted a single oyster, on the half shell, nestled in a container of cracked ice and the oyster should be close up and prominent.

I guess that about says it for me. I mean, there isn’t much room to be very creative, with those kind of instructions laid before me. So, with a supply of fresh Blue Point oysters (which are produced locally in the waters of Blue Point, Long Island, I might add) and some buckets of crushed ice, I retired to the studio and proceeded to work. I was using a 4 X 5 studio view camera to make the shot and I utilized the tilts and swings of the lens board and film back to control any distortion. I lit the oyster and its bed of cracked ice with a large soft box and then to get some glistening highlights, I used a weak spot light, off to the side. I filled the 4 X 5 frame with the required image and proceeded to expose several sheets of film. After they were processed, I made an 11 X 14 print from the best one (we were only shooting black and white in those days) and took the print out to the editor in charge of the feature section.

She took the print from my hand and turned beet red and gasped.

“Oh, my God!” she cried. “We can’t use this.”

“Why not,” I demanded.

“I had no idea that it would look so much like female genitalia,” was her response.

The photo never ran. Some other story made the cover and the oyster story ran in the back of the section, without art.

I dunno. I thought it was a good shot. I guess that she was a better judge of oysters and female genitalia than I. But, I thought it was a good shot. I wish that I had a copy of it to add to my story, here. But, maybe it’s just as well. Perhaps it would be considered too risqué by the web police and we might be relegated to the porn side of the web.

LOL Some people get all the fun jobs!

Oysters look like female genitalia? hmm. maybe it's the other way around. On the other hand, everything looks like female genitalia if you are a 15 year old boy. I think we have the makings of a class action suit here, we just have to figure out whether we sue the women or the oysters.

This passes for humor when you haven't had a cigarette for 9 days.

not sure where eating, um, 'oysters' (yeah, um, that's what i was taklking about)transitioned into a class-action lawsuit...

Don't pay any attention to me, I'm just a bit cranky. I was just informed by the travel committee (those other gender people who live in our houses) that this Jan we will not be going to AC. We will be spending 10 days on Culebra. No Belikins. As my brother-in-law says, first wives are so hard to please.

Bobber, I could not get ahold of Susan, but I was able to reach another civil rights attorney. She advises us to sue the women. Reason being, oysters predated women on the planet and therefore woman unfairly enfringed on the oysters patent and copied their attraction to men, added that to their bag of "tricks" in an attempt to fool us into thinking they could offer us an enjoyable experience similar to what the oyster has to offer. And, we should file the suit in California guaranteeing us the desired results. The bad news is, she will not work pro-bono like Susan, and requires being paid what she is worth up front. So we need to establish a legal fund to raise the $10. By, until later.

Jane - If you would have come to Colorado this summer, you could have had Rocky Mountain Oysters. A true delicacy.

OK, Bywarren, that means we are going to have to go after those oyster wannabees for at least $30. Let's see, after paying the civil rights lawyer, expenses, and giving my wife what she asked for, that would leave me owing about a grand. Whoops, your cut is in there too. That means I am out about a grand plus 10 bucks. Why don't we just drop the whole thing.

Jane,

They are a different kind of oysters - Fried Buffalo Testicles.

Taste just like chicken! Makes you hungry huh ? NOT!

They really taste like a piece of shoe leather. Yummy. ; )

[This message has been edited by RobertE (edited 08-20-2002).]

Is the alcohol still talking or is this the real Sweet Jane? I am confused now. It's rather crude.

Sorry, some things are proper, some in jest, but..........never mind, I can read past it, but needed to just make a mention.

My fingers will go to the next post now.

just testing the threshold...it's been a long week already.

sorry ny...u r probably right. it's gone.

Lighten up. Food is what it is, looks like what it looks like. If you like it, eat it. There is no deeper meaning.

As with everything else, get used to it, get over it, get on with it.

i like sushi

After spending 2 years in Japan in the Navy, I still can't tackle sushi or sashimi. I can do octopus, squid, conch, snake, and even quarter pounders without gagging.

I would starve in California. I can eat like a king in AC

Toads eat funny stuff