Oyster Stew

Patrick Cashman

For the most part, my dad doesn't cook, so it is always a treat the few times a year that he does cook. Pretty much the only other times that my dad cooks, besides Chrsitmas, is on Sunday mornings.

One of the most anticipated meals each year at my house is the oyster stew my dad makes. It is pretty much a given that every Christmas Eve, if you are at the Cashman household, you will be served a bowl of oyster stew.

Every year both my sister and I look forward to helping my dad prepare the stew. He isn't very precise when making the stew. He just kind of adds as he goes along, but the recipe here is a pretty good guide when making this stew.

My dad has been making this holiday meal for as long as I can remember. I didn't know until I did this assignment, but my grandfather and great-grandfather both made Oyster Stew for their families every Christmas season as well. To be honest, this makes me want to continue the tradition.

My dad's family is from Boston where meals such as oyster stew and other hearty soups are pretty common. This is probably the reason why the family has been making it for so long. Now that I know the story behind the meal, I want to make this meal for my family in the future.