Don't force things- especially closed mussels

My paternal grandmother was born in the Dutch province of Zeeland, the coastal province famous for it's oysters and mussels. She loved all fish and seafood. Her love for oysters skipped a generation, but both my dad and me like mussels.

Add the fact that Jonny mentioned only last weekend that I never make mussels. Pronto, enough reasons to make Zeeuwse mussels for the alternative Sinterklaas dinner with my parents. We did last Tuesday. We are all still struggling with the aftermath.

We all know not to open closed mussels when cooked. And ALL mussel recipes stress the fact that mussels that don't close when washed should not be cooked. Let alone be eaten. That is true, very true indeed. In fact, it is one of life's important lessons.

However, the guy from the reputable fish shop in Scheveningen insisted otherwise. Upon my phone call saying there were lots of mussels that wouldn't close when washed, he said that is a widespread misconception. It is just important to not force any cooked mussels open. Or so he said. Our stomachs proved otherwise.

Funnily enough, the mussels a la bouillabaisse tasted quite nice. The effect of the little bacteria with the tongue-twisting name that came with it, was a lot less nice. The four of us got sick. Symptoms varied a bit, as did the speed at which they developed (we compared notes). I will not bore you with the exact physical details, but it was not pretty. And a bit messy.

I always thought that symptoms of food poisoning would occur within 24 hours after eating contaminated food and would only last a day or two. That must also be a widespread misconception. We still feel weak five days later. Weak and a little bit embarrassed.