Shuck & Swallow

There are two things I have in common with every other healthy American woman: I love to eat and I swoon for firefighters. So it was a no-brainer to agree to take part in the Shuck & Swallow Oyster Challenge at McCormick's Fish House tomorrow (1/24) for my second year in a row. And just to be clear: I like oysters, but I'm a counter, not a schucker, and definitely not a challenger! In the event, local chefs shuck oysters at record speed for iron-stomached firefighters while cheerleaders like me rally my team and count the number of oysters consumed. (Last year my firefighter ate something like 60 oysters in 10 minutes—and he came in, like, 5th. These guys are animals!) Best of all, the whole thing benefits Seattle's Bravest Charity, which provides assistance and scholarships for the families of fallen firefighters. Who doesn't want to support that? Maybe one of these days I'll get a DVR and put some video on this site, but in the meantime, Tivo or tune in to KING 5 Morning News on KONG tomorrow morning to see how it goes down (there's a rumor that they also might run highlights of the event throughout the evening on Northwest Cable News).

You can stop by the Fish House and see the action live and in person at 3:30 p.m., buy a beer, slurp some oysters, and donate toward the cause. It's a good crowd and a fun time whether you're an oysterphile or not: Imagine hoards of hottie firefighters and piping live music by way of The Seattle Firefighter's Pipes & Drums Band throughout the evening—in kilts!

Update! Firefighter Bobo beat his record from last year and swallowed 97 oysters in 10 minutes! But even crazier is what followed: the runner-up (a mere 90 oysters) challenged Bobo to a short challenge: who could eat 20 oysters the fastest—and then went on to eat 20 oysters in 21 seconds! It was mind-blowing and I haven't laughed so hard in ages... Click here can learn more about Seattle's Bravest Charity.