Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Shallots, and Parsley

Like oysters, mussels can be eaten both raw and cooked, some-thing I discovered at La Fête de l’Humanité, an annual Parisian fair sponsored by the French communist party, where I had been invited by a friend. Expecting tedious Marxist discourses, I was relieved that the fête seemed to be more about food than about politics and was crowded with happy French people, presumably communists, drinking wine and munching gourmet treats. Two adjoining booths offered raw shellfish—one, oysters; the other, mussels. The oysters were far more expensive than the mussels, and the booth offering raw mussels was more popular. I wondered if this would be true in a classless society.