Virginia Shaffer is the author of the new book Oyster Society: Adventures with the Shellfishly Motivated. She is the founder of Lady Oyster Tours & Tastings, and she lives in Bath, Maine.
Q: What inspired you to write Oyster Society?
A: Oyster Society began as a very simple food curiosity! I had such an insatiable hankering for oysters, I’d refer to myself as a “raw bar fly” at Boston seafood restaurants.
But what sparked the journey was a cold call to an oyster farmer on a whim. I wanted to more deeply understand aquaculture practices as a consumer. That freezing January day in knee-high saltwater launched an oyster odyssey that would change my life forever.
Q: What would you say are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about oysters?
A: “Is the “R” rule true?” This is my favorite question at the table in my current work as an oyster sommelier. This rule suggests that oysters should only be eaten in months with an “R.” It is often assumed that oysters in warmer months can be dangerous for human consumption.
This best-kept rumor was invented in 1566, in Colchester, England. It was an era without refrigeration, water quality testing, and modern aquaculture practices. It was also a time when oysters were harvested from wild reefs, and needed summer’s spawning months to repopulate oysters for the next harvest year.
Today, there’s so much water quality testing where we have oyster aquaculture. We can also keep bacteria from being a concern for humans with proper temperature control measures after harvest (in refrigerators).
My advice? Eat from a trusted restaurant, and if you’d like to recreationally harvest, check your local water closures and regulations first!
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: There are a great number of oyster books, historians, marine science research papers, and environmental nonprofits who helped me source great research to support the stories I was writing.
But much of who I interviewed was through word of mouth and my own personal journey. “Have you chatted with the Reids on Vancouver Island?” or “Let me call Jack and tell him to come to the bar. You need to meet him.”
There are so many prominent people doing incredible work in oysters. This book only captures a small handful! But it was true to my story, who I was meeting, and the people who I thought captured a very special lens on the industry.
I was so surprised by the complexity of this food system, which was layered with eccentric characters, vivid backdrops, and strong values.
Some of the most intimate conversations around restoring Black maritime history, rebuilding indigenous food sources, and trusting wild fisheries to support climate initiatives, really gave me pause and reflection. Before the book, I had never investigated a specific food so deeply through the perspective of human identity, culture, and history.
Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?
A: If you’ve ever found yourself in a bizarre position, where everything you’ve ever worked for is at stake and you’re about to annihilate a 15-year career, that’s where you’ll find me towards the end of Oyster Society!
It was hugely impactful on my life. About halfway through writing the book, I couldn’t omit how the people in oysters were changing every part of me. I want readers to see my unraveling and vulnerability as a way for them to confront and process their own fears of change, whatever that may be.
This book carries stories of entrepreneurs who turned life upside-down for a bivalve, and survived to tell the tale. I hope that if they find themselves where I once was, that this book gives them more courage to take the plunge.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: After completing the book, I launched a business! Today, I am building Maine’s first team of oyster sommeliers, who are storytelling and imparting taste appreciation to Mainers and visitors alike.
It’s a way in which I can continue what Oyster Society started: a deep appreciation for our human ecology in relation to oysters, a new noble purpose in life, and celebrating a food that’s an unsung hero for ocean health.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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