Go nuts
Some people say mountain oysters taste like chicken, while others claim they are incomparable. Now before you shrivel up your nose, I have it on good authority that they taste pretty yummy. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even know what you were eating unless somebody told you. Brandi Lee, chairman of 12th Annual Virginia City Mountain Oyster Fry, says the oysters—or sheep testicles—taste like whatever you cook them in. They’re versatile, too—you can cook ’em, bake ’em, fry ’em or even make sushi with them. About 12 teams will present their favorite recipes and awards will be given in four categories: Best Overall, Most Creative, Best Presentation and Best Booth. Lee says about 250 pounds of sheep testicles will be flown in from New Zealand for the event. If that’s not enough incentive to go to the event, a crew from Home Box Office reportedly will be filming the event for an upcoming program. The “Testicle Festival” begins 10 a.m. April 5 in the parking lot of the Bucket of Blood Saloon on “C” Street in Virginia City. Judging starts 2 p.m. The event is free, but oysters will cost about 50 cents a pop.