That means "as sick as a dog" and it describes my condition yesterday. I suspect the reason is the oysters I ate on New Year's Eve over at the neighbors. This has happened to me three times in the past — once, in 1996, when I ate oysters at a nice restaurant in Dublin — I was in Ireland for work. Another time, in 2004, it was in southwestern France, when I had oysters in a restaurant in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
Then there was a third time, in 2007, when I ate one or two oysters that were lightly poached in a creamy bisque soup in a Michelin-starred restaurant at Bléré, near Chenonceaux. And now it's happened again. I won't describe the symptoms, but you can imagine what they are. It's food poisoning, called une intoxication alimentaire in French. They oysters are contaminated with a micro-organism, either bacteria or a virus. The "bug" lives in your digestive system for about 36 hours, producing poisons. Then you realize you are sick.
Walt had some of the symptoms too, but his case was a lot milder than mine. I'm hoping that today will be less grim than yesterday was. I've eaten oysters on dozens of occasions in the past without getting poisoned. I'll think twice before I ever eat one again.
Half the country has had gastroenteris between Christmas and New Year. In our case I suspect contaminated oysters too, that we had on Christmas Eve, and gastro developed about 36 hours later. Simon was much worse than me. I've never seen him throw up so much. Took several days to get any appetite for anything back. I have told Simon we are not having oysters next year. I even threw out the remains of our foie gras.
ReplyDelete" I even threw out the remains of our foie gras." I believe that's a crime in France.
DeleteBob Rossi, LOL...
DeleteHope this passes quickly and you feel better. Oysters Rockefeller may be less chancy.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this! And hoping that you are much better soon. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am so sorry that something that should gave you pleasure did exactly the opposite. I wish you a fast and complete recovery. You both probably were, as Susan indicates, victims of the nationwide gastroenteritis bout.
ReplyDeleteGet well soon Ken & Walt... I know Simon & Susan got hit at Christmas... and a lot of people over this way.
ReplyDeleteI have only ever used oysters in cooking for steak&kidney pudding... and then I discovered oyster sauce which gives the same "OOOO-mummy!"
I have had your level of food poisoning once....from a half-Cromer crab... in Cromer at a posh restaurant, too.
My thenwife was a star... she kept... no I'll not continue... just get well and take lots of liquid to help the dehydration. I drank copious water with some brandy as a chaser...
Brandy was good, settled my poor stomach...
My temperature last night before I went to bed was 39.2°C (102.56°F). This morning it's back down to 37.5 (99.5). I still feel cold under two blankets but I'm not shivering violently any more, or vomiting the way I was yesterday afternoon.
ReplyDeletelots of flu going around here...hope you feel better soon
ReplyDeleteOh dear, sorry to hear this. Food poisoning is not at all nice.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of it in France this Christmas and New Year I believe. It's the reason I never eat raw oysters, it's not worth the risk. At worst it can kill you, at best it's extremely unpleasant.
I hope you are better soon. (And that Walt has escaped it.)
It sounds like you're on the way to recovery. I've eaten raw oysters many times over the years, and never gotten sick. But my understanding is that it's difficult, if not impossible, to know beforehand if there's a problem with an oyster. I've also heard that drinking wine with the oysters can counteract any pathogens present, but I have my doubts. I'm sure you had plenty of wine in close proximity to eating the oysters.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to an interesting article about oyster contamination. One thing I take away from it is that I'd do better to avoid raw oysters now that I'm elderly.
DeleteKen, you are not elderly. Elderly is what my father is, age 91 and gradually losing his independence. You are simply mature. 70 is the new 60.
DeleteJean, look at this post I published 12+ years ago about an "elderly woman" who was killed when a tree fell on a café terrace near Bordeaux. She was 61!
DeleteI hope you are well by now.
ReplyDeleteNo quite, but I'm making progress.
DeleteUgh. Get well soon!
ReplyDeleteThat's my goal.
DeleteOh, heavens -- so, so sorry to hear this. The poor hosts of that party are probably sick, too, and horrified that their food caused their guests to get sick.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about others who were at the party, but I don't really want to bring up the illness when I talk to the hosts, our neighbors.
Deleteyears ago, my wife and I stayed in a Gite with some English friends, near Cholet. I ate raw oysters and got sick as a dog for three days. As we drove back to Tours, I felt ready to eat something, and we stopped in Vouvray, having mail ordered wines from Kermit Lynch. Found a patisserie and not wanting to buy a flat of the local macaroons, purchased some opera cake. Drove along the river, and pulled off next to one of the nuclear cooling towers, and those were the best Opera Cakes ever! And my wife, not having been sick agreed! Never have eaten a raw oyster since! Enjoy your first meal! Bill
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