I ate 48 oysters on a date – here is what occurred

With Valentine’s Day across the nook, many can be fascinated by one of the best ways to deal with their beloved one to a romantic night.

Be it a candle-lit dinner, gorgeous bouquet of flowers or candy stroll alongside the river, there are many methods to woo your vital different on the day.

But as I considered what I might do with my boyfriend of six years, Kartik – my thoughts saved wandering to a information story again in October – the place a girl in Atlanta, Georgia, sensationally slurped away 48 oysters on a primary date.

The influencer, who goes by the identify EquanaB on TikTok, went viral after she filmed herself ordering 4 dozen oysters at Fontaine’s Oyster House and noisily knocking them again through the dinner.

And that wasn’t all.

Once she completed the lot, the girl ordered crab truffles and red-skinned potatoes, which she stated have been a ‘ten out of ten’, and sipped on two lemon drop cocktails all through the night time.

Her date did not suppose so, and after telling EquanaB that he was going to the toilet, he left and by no means got here again. 

EquanaB’s story got here and went – prompting a myriad discussions about whether or not her date was proper to ditch, and if ought to have provided to choose up the tab or not – however I could not assist however keep entranced.

Soon nobody else was speaking about it, however I had solely increasingly more questions because the months handed by.

How filling are oysters? Is 48 actually quite a bit? Are they calorific? How frequently does EquanaB do that?

I used to be additionally baffled by the selection to go to an oyster bar within the first place – in any case, are they even a superb date meals?

Oysters are in idea identified to be probably the most well-known aphrodisiac as a result of they’re a particularly wealthy supply of zinc – a important mineral for the manufacturing of sperm and testosterone.

But in actuality there aren’t many research instantly linking zinc to sexual well being. One research revealed within the US Library of Medicine did discover that zinc supplementation elevated testosterone manufacturing, the primary hormone linked to intercourse drive, however stated there have been restricted results on serving to to alleviate sexual dysfunction in males.

There can be restricted analysis to counsel that including zinc to your food regimen helps to extend intercourse drive.

All this to say – I knew it was time to analyze issues for myself. 

When I first requested Kartik how he felt spending a romantic dinner watching me eat 48 oysters – whereas he had a meal of his selecting – on the Burger & Lobster restaurant in Soho, he begged that we carry a 3rd individual alongside ‘in case of medical emergency’.

Since October, he had progressively turn out to be more and more nervous, watching me wax poetic about ‘the Oyster woman’ and now his worst nightmare was coming true. I used to be not simply speaking about ‘the Oyster woman’ – I needed to turn out to be ‘an Oyster woman’.

Eventually he was received over by my intensive analysis – displaying that oysters should not solely very low in energy, so more likely to be un-filling, however are additionally extremely wealthy in nutritional vitamins – and a rising curiosity as as to if EquanaB’s feat was actually as intimidating because it appeared.

When we arrived on the restaurant on Dean Street, our very variety waiter’s face shortly turned horrified as I requested for 48 oysters.

‘Why do not I carry out a dozen and we’ll see how you’re feeling?’ he prompt – with Kartik desperately chiming in in settlement – however I doubled down.

My sport plan was to separate the shellfish into 4 units of 12 as a technique to tempo myself. I additionally needed to verify I saved it good and sluggish.

The first six oysters have been principally nothing. I used to be fairly hungry, and so they have been contemporary and completely scrumptious – so that they have been gone in seconds. I doused mine with a success of Tabasco as my boyfriend warily loved a lobster roll.

We additionally ordered a bottle of white wine – a suggestion from our waiter – in try and emulate the 2 cocktails EquanaB had on her date.

Soon sufficient, I completed up the opposite six too. I realised that maybe placing Tabasco on every one might not be sustainable as my lips began to burn so determined to take a break and go for lemons on the subsequent spherical.

With the primary dozen performed, I had forgotten I used to be doing something out of the strange. Kartik and I merely fell into regular dialog, having fun with our night.

By then nevertheless, I used to be already agency in my perception that I could not think about doing this on a primary date. Not as a result of the oysters have been in any manner off-putting or tough, however as a result of after Kartik completed his meal inside a half hour, he merely needed to watch me eat.

In EquanaB’s case – her date had solely had the drinks.

Around one hour later, I used to be already midway performed, with 24 empty oyster shells piled behind me.

Briefly, I questioned if EquanaB had actually loudly slurped all of hers as demonstrated within the video, as a result of I felt my lips drying up and determined to stay to spooning them out.

A comparability I ceaselessly made in my thoughts is that I equated consuming 48 oysters to 48 sips of soup.

But whereas I wasn’t essentially feeling unhealthy at this level – I felt solely impartial, and never even bloated or that full; in truth, I saved stealing Kartik’s fries – I did start to really feel a bit like I used to be swimming within the ocean. This was not how one would really feel after 24 sips of soup, I made a decision.

But as I used to be slipping away into an oyster-induced daze, the ambiance within the restaurant elevated as waiters and different diners now appeared curious and excited by my endeavour.

Kartik – who had began out hesitant – was changing into animated as he at varied factors applauded me after I’d knock again one other oyster. I questioned if EquanaB had related reactions earlier than her date had slinked away into the toilet.

It was solely at 42 oysters that I really began to query if I might end the entire thing. My boyfriend and I had gotten as regards to the Star Wars films and whether or not we preferred the Disney films after I began to really feel – for the primary time that night – full.

Kartik was mid-rant about Kylo Ren after I needed to ask him to cease speaking for a second as a result of I started to really feel a contact nauseous.

I think about, in a wholly completely different and incomparable context, that that is what marathon runners imply after they ‘hit the wall’ and really feel like they can not go on any longer.

But after a couple of sport phrases from Kartik, in addition to an encouraging look and thumbs up from our waiter, I discovered my second breath – broke by ‘the wall’ – and slurped the final six oysters in a fast fire-round.

I did not have any side-effects (aside from feeling just a little full) after the dinner. In truth, a few hours later I discovered myself feeling fairly peckish and we ordered a pizza at dwelling.

Moreover – and I wasn’t certain if this was associated – however I had probably the most intense, solely dreamless sleep of my life afterwards.

I awakened feeling nicely rested. It’s maybe no marvel – as oysters famously include melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep higher and is even utilized in treating insomnia.

Moreso than an aphrodisiac, I discovered this shellfish is a superb manner to make sure a restful night time. 

The remainder of my weekend after the dinner handed by uneventfully till the Sunday night earlier than work – the place a foul takeaway left me feeling nauseous and riddled with cramps.

I questioned if maybe my abdomen was merely overworked after an experimental weekend, however the extra doubtless reply is that the questionably greasy dish I ordered left me with a contact of meals poisoning. 

However, whereas I applaud EquanaB’s stamina, I nonetheless discover this a weird first date follow. I had solely a 3rd of her full meal – which featured two facet dishes and cocktails – and nonetheless felt just a little bit like I’d been pushed off a pier. 

And whereas we loved our time, I can not think about somebody would wish to watch me methodically eat seafood until that they had been with me for six years.

Also, whereas I’m an oyster enjoyer, I do battle to see them as a terrific romantic meal – generally I’d be left digging round my mouth for bits of shell, or needing to try to catch the slippery shellfish in my mouth after under-committing to a slurp.

In the top nevertheless, I’m undecided I can with my entire coronary heart advise in opposition to consuming 48 oysters on a primary date.

It was a scrumptious meal, a dialog starter, and to cite EquanaB herself – who has since come out with a album titled Oyster Tuesday – ‘you invited me out… I’m gonna eat!’