My two boys were raised on the principle of HHFP (Hayes Household Food Philosophy). The core of this philosophy states: You are deeply encouraged to try at least all foods put before you or introduced to you. You don’t have to like it, but you have to try it. With this tenet firmly ingrained in my kids, they have both become adventurous eaters.
Knowing their willingness to try new foods, I had the opportunity to take my eldest (then about 10 years old) to a food show put on by a food distribution company (ex; Sysco, US Foods, Cheney Brothers, etc.). At the time, I was running a cafe at my church. We used a food distribution company to supply some bulk items, as well as retail-ready foodstuffs (frozen biscuits, bagels and cream cheese, corn dogs, and similar items). The food show was held north of Atlanta at one of the convention spaces. The show’s layout ran in rows front to back from the main entrance. Each of the very long six or seven rows had a common theme. One row may have been fresh meats or seafood. The next row might have been individual retail sale items (pre-packaged sandwiches, individual ice creams and frozen desserts, etc.). They also had rows for “consumables.” Napkins, paper plates and cups, clamshell to-go containers would have all been in this row. There must have been 75-80 companies represented at the hall. You guys get the gist.
My sales rep told me to “come hungry.” I may have failed to mention that just about every company was presenting samples of their products. I’d easily guess there were about 100 different food items to sample, either in small serving cups or as whole products like sandwiches, burritos, desserts.
So my son Ben and I were among the first people into the convention hall when they opened the doors. Immediately in front of us was a seafood distribution company’s display with a very eager salesman ready to greet his new potential customers. The display he stood in front of was about 10 feet wide and five feet tall, with a frame tilted at a 45-degree angle so it could be easily seen from a distance. The frame was packed with ice, and on top of it was a gorgeous, flowing mosaic of both raw and cooked seafood. The marketing and sales team for this seafood company had obviously spent a great deal of time making their display stand out from the rest. Alternating rows of raw oysters were layered between rows of cold boiled shrimp, mussels, and clams. All of this was picture-framed by whole (VERY FRESH) fish. They had obviously pulled out all the stops, using their finest ingredients and artistic talents to make a showstopper!
Ben and I walked right to this display (it was magnetic after all), and I began to speak to the sales rep about the enchanting world of fresh seafood distribution. After a couple of minutes of talking, I saw the rep break our gaze and look over my left shoulder. The rep cracked a slight grin and said, “Boy, he sure does look like he’s enjoying himself.” I looked left and saw Ben working on his third or fourth mussel. He held the bottom shell in one hand and the separated top shell in the other. He used the top shell to scoop out the adductor muscle so he could eat it. I was at once horrified and astonishingly proud of him. Horrified that he was actually eating this artistic masterpiece of a display and proud that, as a 10-year-old, he was using the proper technique to eat mussels. The sales rep assured me the display was meant to be enjoyed, but five minutes into our new experience, I wasn’t so sure it was meant to be treated like a free-for-all buffet. Either way, this was an exciting start to our day’s adventure.
So in the spirit of HHFP, I want to present a very simple but enjoyable dish of steamed mussels.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of white wine (drinkable, not cooking wine)
- 8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 lbs mussels, well scrubbed and debearded
- 4 Tbs unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Bring the wine, garlic, and bay leaf to a simmer in a large pot for about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high and add your mussels. Cover and cook, stirring twice, for 4-8 minutes, until the shells open; then use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl. Add the butter to the liquid in the pot and swirl to emulsify the sauce. Pour broth over the mussels and top with your chopped parsley. Enjoy immediately with some crusty bread.
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