Steamed Oyster (#GuljjimSteamedOysters)

20260103 #breakfastdiary day 1603, -9°C/mostly cloudy Oyster is the name of London's transit card. The unusual name 'Oyster' is said to work well symbolically since it's short and memorable, and it evokes idioms like 'The world is your oyster.' Translated literally it's a bit puzzling — 'the whole world is your oyster' — but the phrase's roots trace back to Pistol's line in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act 2, Scene 2): 'the world's mine oyster, which I with sword will open.' Here, the 'world' is likened to an oyster — hard on the outside but valuable once opened — and originally carried a rather rough bravado, something like 'I'll seize the opportunity by force if I have to.' Over time the meaning softened, and today 'The world is your oyster' is widely used as an encouraging idiom meaning 'opportunity is there for the taking, if you just open it up.' It fits rather well with the message that a single Oyster card lets you conveniently use public transit all across London. Approx. 250kcal Steamed Oyster (#GuljjimSteamedOysters)

150g oysters, a little spring cabbage, 1 stalk scallion, pink peppercorns and butter, a little, (dressing) soy sauce, lemon juice, wine vinegar 1:1:1, chives (optional)

1. Sprinkle coarse salt on the oysters and rinse under running water about three times. 2. Wash the spring cabbage and scallion and cut into 10cm pieces. 3. Place the spring cabbage and scallion in a pot, top with the oysters, and pour 50ml water around the edges. Top with pink peppercorns and a pat of butter, cover with a lid, and cook for about 5 minutes. 4. Mix soy sauce, lemon juice, and wine vinegar in equal ratios, top with a little chopped chives, to make the dressing. 5. Once the oysters are cooked, drizzle with the dressing from step 4 and eat.