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From Serious Eats: New York

Video: Brooklyn-Based Seafood Company Makes Case for West Coast Oysters

@Simon, I think things are a little confused. There is only one oyster species native to the West Coast (Olympias), one oyster native to the East Coast (Virginicas), and one native to Atlantic Europe (Belons). It isn't like freshwater mussels, where there are literally hundreds of local species. There is no farming of Pacifics on the East Coast, and all three populations are nowhere near "extinction" in their home regions (there are literally billions of Virginicas). Farmed belons have been subject to a terrible blight (a herpesvirus) in Europe in recent years, causing many farmers to abandon cultivation of the species. At this point, for French farmers, it's Pacifics or leave the business, at least until the blight abates. Wild populations of Belons are in better shape; they have "invaded" Maine and remain prevalent in the British Isles.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are four different species currently under cultivation (Pacifics, Kumamoto, Olympia, and Virginica), which is more than the East Coast or Europe. If species preservation is a priority, I would try and support NY/NJ Baykeepers, Chesapeake Bay's NOAA program, and other oyster reef preservation efforts.

From A Hamburger Today

An Overly Juicy Burger from Bar Breton

It's too bad you saw things this way. Burgers are a complex, man-made creation of ground-up muscle and fat. The fat content decision for making a burger depends on how you want it cooked. If you want your burger super rare, you can go with a fat content of 5% and still have it come out juicy. If you like a really well done burger, sometimes a fat content of 25-30% can make sense, or mixing in pork with it. Restaurants standardize the fat/muscle mix of their burgers based on what their customers typically order, which is medium or medium well.
Since you ordered medium-rare and got it, I would expect an especially juicy burger. Some places, like Shake Shack, (smartly) assume your temperature unless you press them for something different. In the future, when ordering from a thick burger restaurant, I would ask the waiter what they normally cook. If you order something off that (like medium-rare or rare when they do medium or medium-well), you might ask them to give it an extra squeeze on the grill before serving (assuming you don't like it so juicy).

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From Serious Eats: New York

Video: Brooklyn-Based Seafood Company Makes Case for West Coast Oysters

@Simon, I think things are a little confused. There is only one oyster species native to the West Coast (Olympias), one oyster native to the East Coast (Virginicas), and one native to Atlantic Europe (Belons). It isn't like freshwater mussels, where there are literally hundreds of local species. There is no farming of Pacifics on the East Coast, and all three populations are nowhere near "extinction" in their home regions (there are literally billions of Virginicas). Farmed belons have been subject to a terrible blight (a herpesvirus) in Europe in recent years, causing many farmers to abandon cultivation of the species. At this point, for French farmers, it's Pacifics or leave the business, at least until the blight abates. Wild populations of Belons are in better shape; they have "invaded" Maine and remain prevalent in the British Isles.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are four different species currently under cultivation (Pacifics, Kumamoto, Olympia, and Virginica), which is more than the East Coast or Europe. If species preservation is a priority, I would try and support NY/NJ Baykeepers, Chesapeake Bay's NOAA program, and other oyster reef preservation efforts.

From A Hamburger Today

An Overly Juicy Burger from Bar Breton

It's too bad you saw things this way. Burgers are a complex, man-made creation of ground-up muscle and fat. The fat content decision for making a burger depends on how you want it cooked. If you want your burger super rare, you can go with a fat content of 5% and still have it come out juicy. If you like a really well done burger, sometimes a fat content of 25-30% can make sense, or mixing in pork with it. Restaurants standardize the fat/muscle mix of their burgers based on what their customers typically order, which is medium or medium well.
Since you ordered medium-rare and got it, I would expect an especially juicy burger. Some places, like Shake Shack, (smartly) assume your temperature unless you press them for something different. In the future, when ordering from a thick burger restaurant, I would ask the waiter what they normally cook. If you order something off that (like medium-rare or rare when they do medium or medium-well), you might ask them to give it an extra squeeze on the grill before serving (assuming you don't like it so juicy).

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