The Big Idea: Virginia Shaffer

Oysters: you either love them or hate them. Author and oyster-aficionado Virginia Shaffer has spent years turning her passion for oysters into a comprehensive look at the world behind the shell. Grab a lemon wedge and dive into the briny depths of the oyster community in Oyster Society: Adventures with the Shellfishly Motivated. VIRGINIA SHAFFER: “This is madness,” I said, holding an oyster with a half-frozen winter glove. “My hands. They aren’t moving anymore!” It was January in Wellfleet, Massachusetts’ coastal forearm. Mayo Beach was devoid of any human activity that time of year, give or take a few loose oyster cages in the water. I steadied my feet in cheap rainboots while an oyster farmer plucked more bivalves from a bag. Together, we pierced hinges with knives, squinting in pain. My first time on an oyster farm was dangerous. Not because of the frostbite, risk of hypothermia, or my lurking in seawater with a stranger. It was dangerous because it was the beginning of an acute…