Local clam-eating opportunity

Here at ClamBlog, we're always on the look-out for ways to clam down in public -- so you can imagine how exciting it is to see an opportunity like this in the neighbourhood:

An oyster pop-up bar, featuring littleneck clams?!! The Lion and Bright is doing it right. Be there.

Nb. we also appreciate a good seafood pun, and 'Afishionado' definitely makes the cut.

Clam cocktails that can really set the mood

When you're trying to get back into the dating scene after a long-term relationship or simply to stave off loneliness, it's always important to have a bottle of red wine on hand for a romantic night in.  But what if you really want to impress your companion with your creativity, and also enjoy a good clam-based drink yourself?  Have I got some recipes for you.

Red Sky At Night

3oz Clamato juice
1oz White Rum

A personal favourite of mine, this can be served together as a single beverage or with the rum on the side, so as to not adulterate the Clamato.  Pair with cocktail onions or even clams on the half-shell, and don't forget to learn a few nautical adages to keep the conversation fresh!

Siberian Clams

Vodka

Clams (small; any sort)

Intense and unforgettable, these should be served in shot glasses alongside savoury appetizers.  Place the meat of the clam in a size-appropriate shot glass, fill the rest with vodka, then let sit for 10-15 minutes to let the spirit fully permeate.  Best slurped down in a single gulp!

Mollusco Italiano

Red wine (dry)

Clams (any sort)

Black olives

Not for the faint of heart -- mash up the clams in a bowl and add wine, constantly stirring until the mixture has the consistency of cottage cheese.  Spread on a firm cracker and dot with olives to taste.  A great option if your date has a fondness for Europe.

Clam + Porter Sauce

Clams

Beer (Porter or Stout)

Not a cocktail as such, but simmering premium clams in a good dark beer will create a smoky companion to pasta.  Add a little Worcestershire to really underline the saltiness, but don't go overboard depending on what you're planning for dessert.

Frozen Blended Clamato

5oz extra spicy Clamato juice

Ice cubes (half a handful)

1 stick of mozzarella cheese

3 sweet gherkins

Summer may be over, but if things get a little hot between you and your romantic prospect, you can always cool off with one of these.  Blend the ice, gherkins and Clamato together until smooth and serve in a short glass with the stick of mozzarella. I prefer the mild cheese to offset the rich, rich Clamato taste, but you may choose a sharper cheese if your partner is no stranger to flavour.

These should get you started -- and while your culinary prowess could be a major factor in whether your relationship flourishes or ultimately dies, remember that presentation is everything, and that a little olive oil goes a long way.  Most importantly?  Just don't clam up!  :)

Study shows how giant clams harvest the sun!

Once again, our amazing, delicious friends are proving that they 'shine' brightest of all in the underwater ecosystem:

"Many mollusks, like squid, octopuses, snails and cuttlefish," Sweeney said, "have iridescent structures, but almost all use them for camouflage or for signaling to mates. We knew giant clams weren't doing either of those things, so we wanted to know what they were using them for."

Just enough to whet my interest (and my appetite!)

"We see that, at any vertical position within the clam tissue, the light comes in at just about the highest rate at which these algae can make use of photons most efficiently," Sweeney said. "The entire system is scaled so the algae absorb light exactly at the rate where they are happiest."

Could photovoltaic cells use this technology to increase efficiency?  Read more clam news here: http://phys.org/news/2014-10-giant-clams-harness-sun.html

Fun Facts About Clams

Hello clam lovers!  I'm back with some facts you may not know about clams:

1. The biggest clam can grow up to six feet in diameter!  What a meal that would be.
2. The word "clam" is actually short for a longer Italian word, "clamantino"!
3. Did you know that there are more than 7 different varieties of clams?
4. Clams are the most salt-succulent of the molluscs, and do not need much/any salt added if you are planning to eat them (which you should)
5. Clam trawlers usually trawl in pairs to mitigate risk.
6. Finding a boot in with recently-dredged clams is actually a sign of good luck -- this is largely due to the fact that clams have a foot, and the boot is therefore seen as a sacrifice from the clams.
7. Clams have a foot, which should be its own fact.

Do you have a fact about clams?  Leave a comment!

Clam fossils offer 10,000 year history of El Nino Southern Oscillation

It seems like every day, clams are helping us better understand our world!  Scientists in Peru are using clam fossils to track weather patterns ten thousand years ago.  Crazy stuff:

People have been living on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Peru for a long time, and as they've done so, they've eaten clams, tossing the shells onto waste areas that grew to become huge mounds over thousands of years. In this new effort, the researchers dug down into several such mounds and extracted clam fossils they found, along with dirt and charcoal—remnants of ancient fires used to cook the clam meat. By taking measurements of oxygen isotopes in the clam shells, the researchers were able to calculate ocean surface temperatures at two to four week intervals throughout the lives of the individual clams, while radiocarbon dating of the dirt and charcoal revealed when the clams made their way into the mound. Examining multiple clams at different depths in the mounds allowed for creating a historical record of sea surface temperatures, and that allowed for charting the cycle of the ENSO going back ten thousand years.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-08-clam-fossils-year-history-el.html#jCp

Truly, science is going in the right direction.

Chowder and a Chat: A Programmer Visits The House

It's been lonely here recently so I had my old friend Christian DeWolf over for chowder and a chat. Christian has been keeping busy this spring; he's been programming non-stop, drinking lots of Clamato, and is hoping that writers all over the world "shell out" for his new web writing platform.

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FP:  It's great to have you here today.

CD:  Thanks for having me.  This chowder is fantastic.

FP:  Can you taste the clams?

CD:  Yes. It looks like there are two different kinds. Are these chives?

FP:  Three kinds, actually. And they're scallions. Cassandra's recipe.

CD:  Is she here?

FP:  She's...  no.  Tell me about this new website you've got coming out next month, FractalFic, kind of maybe give me the concept behind it.

CD:  Well, FractalFic is an interactive fiction platform, where users can write their own "Fractal Stories," which are non-linear, exponentially-branching adventures.

FP:  How are these different than those books, where you could choose your own--

CD:  Size, for one.  As the stories expand, they incrementally double in size, easily overtaking the potential of a book trying to accomplish the same thing. Users don't have to learn programming or write complicated rules to build a story; they simply create multiple "trees" and link them together, with the option to hide items and locked boxes where it suits the narrative.

FP:  I don't see how anyone would want that.

CD:  No?

FP:  It's all a little too "New Media" for me.  Are you actually trying to make money off of it?

CD:  My original idea was to have it be kind of a money machine, one that would offer a free service, fully automated, that could be improved with a small cash payment to cover my costs.

FP:  Now, you've been experimenting with Clamato juice this spring--

CD:  I've found, though, that as my program gets bigger, and I look at it in its full glory from the very top, that I've created more of a money castle, with myself as the--

FP:  Please, let's bring it back to clams for a second.  You said earlier you've been adding balsamic vinegar to your Clamato juice.  That's pretty out there!

CD:  And a few drops of hot sauce.

FP:  Aren't you buying the Extra Spicy stuff?  They have an actual--

CD:  I know.  I do.

FP:  But you need something extra.

CD:  Yes.

FP:  Interesting; interesting.  Do you eat clams often?

CD:  Not really.  I try to avoid seafood these days, you know, Fukushima and such.

FP:  Clams have natural protection against radiation.

CD:  They do?

FP:  They have shells!

CD:  You could write a clam-related game, or story, on FractalFic.

FP:  Are you planning to write one?

CD:  (pauses)  Not immediately, I don't think.  But you can just go on there, create a user, start adding trees, and you can even upload images, take submissions from other users, colour different parts of your story, collaborate with your friends on the same--

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Christian had to leave at this point but he left me this recipe on his way out:

"The Black Spot"
-5 oz Clamato juice (extra spicy)
-half capful of balsamic vinegar
-3-5 drops Jamaican hot pepper sauce
Do Not Stir

I'll give it a try and let you know! And hopefully Christian will write us that clam story after all. The world needs more clam fiction.

Back on the clam wagon

Hello clam lovers!  It's been a long winter but I'm finally back to eating proper clams.  Although Cassandra won custody of my Cherrystone farm, I met a new guy on the wharf who says he's going to source me sweet shell all summer.  I'm pretty sure he meant clams but I'm going to text him later to clarify.