…. Spend any time in Marseillan and you’re constantly pulled back to the Bassin de Thau. All life swirls around, on or underneath it. It’s why I headed east along the shore to Medi Thau. It sounds like a center for genetic engineering. And in a sense it is - only for oysters, not humans. The family firm has revolutionised the farming of the acclaimed crustaceans that thrive on the lagoon’s phytoplankton. Instead of submerging them on ropes for 12-18 months’ growth, Medi Thau’s solar-powered lifts regularly pull them out of the briny for hours, sometimes days, at a time. The result is that, rather than endlessly gorging, the critters are forced to keep their mouths closed to retain water - a mini workout. "We make them suffer a little," says fisherman and directeur général Florent Tarbouriech, as we cruise around the sun-dappled oyster beds. "It makes them stronger, more muscular, more fleshy." The tubby, plump beauties are up to 17% bigger than normal, fit to grace dining tables in Venice, Hong Kong and Shanghai. They also have a suntan : exposure to ultra-violet rays gives the shells a delicate rose blush and the name Pink Diamond. But in Marseillan you don’t need to splash a second mortgage at a flash restaurant. Medi Thau serves the super-sized aphrodisiacs in its straw-roofed shack, dripping with geraniums [...]
The Guargian-Like St Tropez before Bardot
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