Girls with oysters have always excited the imaginations of men. The bare-
breasted ama divers and bare-footed Arcachon oyster harvesters were a
source of delight and objects of sexual fantasies. Whereas fully dressed and
shod oyster sellers acquired an ill reputation.
The things the rumours attributed to them! Beware, naive oyster lover! This
beauty comes armed with a knife. The oyster girl will pry open your heart and
wallet with the same ease as she does with the clams!
And don’t think the lovely lady is only selling oysters. Any of them would gladly
put their body on sale, too.
I read somewhere that all of the numerous paintings depicting oyster sellers
all have the same coded message, and if you look closely enough, you’ll
understand that the girls aren’t actually selling the molluscs.
Apparently, they are betrayed by poses, looks and details in their clothes.
Some of them are only acting shy, to crank up the price, as everyone knows
how these oyster girls really made a living.
Just think of the many songs that have been composed about the oyster
sellers! The song about sweet Molly Milton, who broke the hearts of simple-
hearted admirers was popular in 18th-century London tea gardens.
Or take Molly Malone who used to sell molluscs in the streets, and has
become one of the unofficial symbols of Dublin. The local legends say this
beauty lived in the 18th century, and sold molluscs only in the daytime, while
at night she had another easy way of making a profit.
In 1987, as part of the Dublin Millennium celebrations, a statue of Molly was
unveiled at the crossroads of Grafton Street and Suffolk Street, which the
citizens have nicknamed The Tart With The Cart and The Trollop With The
Scallop(s).
The folk song telling of her beauty and sad fate is now used as a cheer by Irish football and
rugby fans, and can also be heard in the film A Clockwork Orange.
Nevertheless, food historian Caitlyn Wall is certain that all these legends are just an
after-effect of the myth about the miraculous properties of oysters as an aphrodisiac,
due to their outward resemblance of female genitalia.
By the way, turnip is an aphrodisiac too. For some reason I’ve yet to come across
legends and songs of conniving and promiscuous turnip-peddlers. Guess I’ll have to
keep searching.
Original source:https://reginablog.wordpress.com/
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