OYSTER INDEX ON THE HALF-SHELL

You know, of course, that oysters should be eaten only in months that have an r in their name, and that they've long been touted as aphrodisiacs. And you probably also know the rule of thumb that it's best to stay away from oysters harvested below the Mason-Dixon Line. These are just some of the myths that surround this seductive food, and people tend to feel very passionate about oysters— positively passionate or passionately disgusted. Among the most famous oyster-lovers were Casanova, the 18th-century playboy (he ate 50 a day), Napoleon (his pre-battle snack), Hemingway, and Dickens. Finding a favorite is always personal. Old salts insist you'll truly love only an oyster that comes from the sea you swam in as a child, and as mariner "Oyster Bill" Whitbeck, author of The Joy of Oysters, says, "Everyone roots for their home team."

This month brings some of the largest shell-shucking festivals of the year, including Shelton, Washington's Oysterfest (October 7-8), Oyster Bay, Long Island's Oyster Festival (October 14-15), and Chicago's Royster with the Oyster Festival (October 28). We've compiled a list of standouts on both coasts. Whether you prefer yours with hot sauce and saltines, with a squeeze of lemon for extra tartness, or straightforward and unadorned, like an old-fashioned Bostonian does, it can take a lot of sampling to make the perfect match.

ALEXA BRAZILIAN

PUNCH HUTTON

Glidden Point Edgecomb, ME

Malpeque Prince Edward Island

Tatamagouche Nova Scotia

Chatham Wellfleet Cape Cod, MA

Cotuit Cotuit Harbor, MA

Chilmark Martha's Vineyard, MA

Widow's Hole Peconic Bay, NY

Blue Point Great South Bay, NY

Chesapeake Bay Maryland, Virginia, \and Delaware

Chincoteague Chincoteague Bay, VA

James River Chesapeake Bay, VA

Olympia Alaska to California (Puget Sound and Humboldt Bay)

Kumamoto British Columbia to Mexico

Goose Point Willapa Bay Willapa Bay, WA

Hama Hama Hood Canal Quilcene Sister Point Skookum Snow Creek Totten Inlet Virginica Shelton, WA

Westcott Bay San Juan Islands, WA WA

Tenass Pass Sea Otter Sound, AK

Rocky Pbss Kate, AK