Not on Cape Cod...

seagrass

Not here either where Mussels are farm grown in the largest cove on the Island.

Clearly these folks were misinformed..LOL and the shells nor the meat look anything alike..hmmmm

Possibly the problem rests with the people who visit Arizona and Nevada. I grew up in Denver and EVERYONE went to Nevada. Trust me (I've lived in FL for 15 yr) very few people have lived in Denver for a long time would know the difference between scallops and mussels. They may have been referring to the scalloped shells, perhaps. I'm sure this is true for many people in the landlocked western U.S. They know their beef but seafood remains a delicious mystery.

Geesh, growing up there, I thought the fresh corn was great! Little did I know I was eating field corn. Now I love Silver Queen!

Mussel shells look NOTHING like a scallop or a clam..

Mussels meat doesn't look anything like a scallop either.

Here is a link that might be useful: Local Mussels

Love scallops, not too keen on mussels.

I love mussels. Clams, not so much. Scallops, not at all!

I was not saying that mussel shells look like clam shells, but if people don't know the difference .... what the heck. Scallops absolutely don't look like mussels either, nor are they served in shells like mussels. Apparently the people eating them didn't know the difference.

In FL clams, mussels and scallops are on all seafood menus. Clams and mussels are are native. Don't know where the scallops hail from ... probably the northeast.

I'm sure the scallops served in Nevada are from Washington state. Clams and mussels, who knows? Who cares? I'm spoiled. I like my seafood fresh!

Many a Sunday morning we have taken the boat out in Gulf of Mexico for scallops. They are nothing like mussels so I'm sure it was just misidentified.

I had someone tell me a few weeks ago that mussels and scallops were the same thing. I think they are frequently misidentified.

You mean it might not just be those misguided westerners who don't know their seafood? Frankly, I have no clue how anyone could confuse mussels and scallops.

Well, I don't know where these people were from in the USA, but they were certain that they were eating scallops.

Yuppers, I know the difference between mussels and scallops, but apparently they didn't--the buffet not having a sign saying they were mussels probably didn't help either. I wanted to enlighten them, but DH said not to ruin it for them as they were quite happy and thrilled to be eating all those scallops. ***huh??***

Wikipedia: "-----The Swedish word for scallop literally translates to pilgrim mussel.-----"

dcarch

I have never known a mussel to be confused with a scallop....they look different taste different and are eaten in different ways.
This is just a reminder that the world is full of people who don't get around much...I am reminded of being in chi-Chi's one time and watching a 50 something couple eating the chips and salsa on a plate with a knife and fork...yeppers, put them on their plate, cut with a knife and ate the stuff with a fork!
But....remember Alzheimers does strange things.... LOL!
Just as assurance...it was them not you.....

Bivalve confusion, obviously.

Born and raised in Denver in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s, and descended from parents and grandparents who were born in Colorado. Everyone I knew, knew the difference between scallops and mussels. Denver had a very famous seafood market in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, called "Granada's Market" where you could get fresh seafood that had been brought in by air. I grew up eating raw oysters on the half shell....AND knowing the difference between those and Rocky Mountain oysters...which I've also eaten.

So, IMO, it's not a regional thing at all....These people just didn't have a clue.

BTW, I live in Utah now, and everyone knows the difference between scallops and mussels. Scallops are much more plentiful here, than are mussels.

[HEE] Barnmom, that's it! Bivalve confusion.

I'm chortling over Beth's comment on knowing the diff between oysters and Rocky Mountain oysters! Can you imagine if this sweet senior citizen couple had made that mistake!?

Perhaps they just have poor mussel memory.

Jo

Beth, obviously we lived in different parts of town.

GRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!! Jo! How could you?

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Alexa

I can see calling a scallop a "muscle" but not a mussel a scallop.

My guess is that we've all made blunders when eating foods that are not familiar to us. My hat is off to the older couple for trying and enjoying something that was apparently new to them. So many fall prey to culinary ossification as we grow older.

Beachlily -- We might be of different generations, too, and saw Denver at different times. I don't even recognize that city now when I visit, and lived there from 1947-1969.

I'm 63, and grew up in Lakewood. Granada's Fish Market (used to be on Lawrence in downtown Denver) closed its doors in the late 70s/early 80s. But it thrived for decades in its downtown locations, and in the 1950s and 1960s my parents and their friends would drive to downtown Denver to bring home fresh seafood and fish -- but not trout, as we caught those ourselves, and froze.

My parents, now in their late 80s, grew up in eastern Colorado -- Kit Carson & Cheyenne Wells -- and as children they both have vivid memories how they loved Christmas. Because every Christmas the town's grocery would bring in barrels of fresh oysters (because they could travel on the trains across country and stay chilled because of the winter temps). It was an annual treat for the town to indulge in oysters-on-the-half-shell, oyster stew, etc., delighting in those fresh oysters right in the middle of the flat, cold, blizzardy prairie.

I really like the thought of that. I'm not sure we savor our foods as much as people did decades ago when eating something was truly a treat.

Oh Beth! I love that story about the oysters traveling west for Christmas! That is just awesome!

Oysters at Christmas remind me of great memories from a long time ago. One of my first serious boyfriends family had a wonderful Christmas Tradition. They lived in Falmouth Foreside, which is quite close to LL Beans. On Christmas Eve (there were no small children in the family, we were the youngest at 18/19) the family would eat oysters on the half, drink way too much champagne and all go Christmas shopping at LL Beans. I was fortunate to be able to participate 2 years in a row and it was just too funny to see what everyone would end up with after an evening of partying!

Alexa

Beachlily, the Atlantic coast of Florida is home to one of the biggest scallop fisheries in the world, especially the area around Cocoa Beach. (At least that's what the Space Coast tourism web site claims--and they wouldn't lie, would they??) I was there a few months ago and had some incredibly fresh scallops--delicious.

Maybe it's just that I've never had really fresh mussels, but the few times I've had them they seemed a little questionable. Not nearly as enjoyable as the zillions of scallops I have consumed over a lifetime.

What Rachellen said. Who cares what they were calling them as long as they were enjoying them? I'll bet they didn't!

No matter what part of the country you are in, there are people who are never exposed to lots of different foods - especially different kinds of seafood. Even those living near the coast are sometimes raised on fish sticks and the like! It happens! LOL

So this couple might just have not known any better and maybe to them, anything that isn't fish, shrimp or oysters is called scallops!

I've seen plenty of people call all kinds of things by the wrong name, food and otherwise.

Sooz, your story cracks me up though, simply because like you, I'd have been hunting all over the buffet for those tasty scallops. I'm not fond of mussels and would probably have been disappointed after realizing that it was in fact mussels and not scallops after all!

Here on Long Island we call Mussels ...well Mussels and clearly they are differnt then a Scallop. Just my 2 cents...they probably didnt know what they were and assumed they were Scallops. Living near the water my whole life its hard not to know whats what but that just comes with the territory...bet they can tell a milking cow from a different cow...I sure couldnt LOL I love any kind of shell fish YUMMY!!!

Hey, Eileen... I don't know about milk cows, but I DO know that the ones that have "dangling" parts down below are not the ones that give milk! LOL

Yes, I was looking alllll over for the scallops! Twice! I'm not a fan of mussels. The buffet had mussels. Glad the little senior citizens were enjoying the mussels! They really put on the feed bib for them, as I would have done if they were scallops!

LOL Barnmom and Jo.

I agree, I think they were just confused. Even here in Michigan we know the difference between mussels and scallops and I'm a long way from any ocean. I also know the difference between a dairy cow and a beef cow, and Mountain Oysters and those from the water, so I'm very knowledgeable about food, LOL. I've even eaten ALL of those things and like mussels, oysters, clams AND scallops. Just don't ask me about wine, even though we make a lot of that here too...

Beth, I also like the story about oysters, I remember Grandma used to tell me that we could only get oysters in months that had an "r" in them, which left out May, June, July and August. It was probably just too hot to ship them when she was young. Oyster stew was a holiday treat for us, we had it only on Thanksgiving and Christmas, occasionally Easter. I didn't like the oysters, I only liked the stew, LOL.

I'm glad that couple enjoyed their dinner, though, regardless of what it was they were eating.

Oh, and sooz, I'm glad you enjoyed your meal there too, even minus the scallops.

Annie

Sooz, take another look at the dangling parts of the cattle. :) If it's a milk cow in milk she'll have a nice big udder handing down.

Milk Cow (big round dangly)

Beef Cow (petite dangly)

Grand Champion Bull (beef) (long pendulous...)

Okay, plllg, I was trying to be delicate and allude to bovine male organs, all of which have loads of slang terms (giggle) --tho' *long pendulous* isn't quite slang, the pictures are worth at least 1000 words!

Glad I wasn't drinking any tea when I read your captions for big round dangly and petite dangly! Saved my monitor and keyboard from a drenching! LOL

LOL, pllog, not all beef cattle have "petite dangly" things. If they are still nusing calves, they can be pretty substantial. (grin)

{{gwi:1501344}}

Actually, dairy cattle tend to be thinner, longer legged and not so broad across the "porterhouse". Beef cattle are shorter, wider, beefier!

You did nail the difference between male and female, LOL.

Annie

Sooz, sorry for the omission of the euphemism. I was just going to type another "dangly" but it felt repetitious.

LOL!! Thanks, Annie. I was looking for a picture of a nursing beef cow, but only found the one above who was listed as a good mother, though I think not in milk. The conformation (beefiness) is surely more reliable. I don't think I've ever looked a milk cow in the porterhouse. :) I'll have to keep my eyes open!

My own (highly limited) ranch experience is with some Angus but mostly Scottish Highland cows, which are kind of otherworldly. You can't see their udders for all the flowing red locks. :) And the Angus (at least the ones I've known) don't have big udders even when they're full.

Are those your cattle? It's a great picture. I love the composition! (And the cows are cute too...)

Yes, Pllog, you see half of my substantial herd, LOL. That's Bossy Cow (whose real name is Susie, but she's really the boss of the place, so...) with this year's calves. The one on the left is David Cowser, named after my grandson, Bud, whose last name is Kaiser. The other is MooKayla, named by my Granddaughter, Makayla, AKA, The Princess. David Cowser will be next year's beef for the freezer, but MooKayla will increase my herd!

I love the Scottish Highlands, though, to me they look like prehistoric creatures. They are also easy to keep, need virtually no shelter even in our harsh winters and will eat things that other cattle won't touch. They are also expensive, too expensive to raise and eat.

Oh, and stay away from the "porterhouse" end of a cow, it's not pretty.

Annie

Chase:
You'e right! Scallops are the aductor Muscles, they pull the shell closed.
Anyone heard of Poor Mans Scallops. They are the aductor muscles of a Sea Clam.
The ones I had were chewy. Better Sauteed and ground up to add flavor to Sauces.
LOU

"Chase:
You'e right! Scallops are the aductor Muscles, they pull the shell closed.------LOU"

Those are very strong muscles. That's why scallops can swim and clams can't.

I don't know why we can't get scallops with red roes like in France.

dcarch