Chef Daniel Kim empties oysters from the fryer. Kim, the executive chef at the Crowne Plaza Arlington, had never cooked the delicacy in his life. That was until he received a phone call from a friend who was also one of the organizers days before the festival with an offer he couldn’t refuse. The package was already on the way to the hotel. (Eric Denman)

You may have enjoyed the featured dish at D.C.’s 5th Annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival, put on by the Montana State Society Saturday night. You may have.

Rocky mountain oyster; prairie oyster; calf fries; cowboy caviar; Montana tendergroins; swinging beef. No matter what you call them, it’s hard to step around what they really are: breaded and fried slices of cow/bull testicles.

Yet how many of the several hundred 20-somethings shelled out $20 for the all-you-can-drink beer and Crown Royal, and how many for the rocky mountain oysters? Let’s just say the bar lines were long and trying one (or none) of the oysters seemed a popular way to go. Still, even with a less than adventurous crowd, the chafing dish was often empty and it was the first time there weren’t any leftovers at the end of the night.

Filed Under: montana state society, Rocky Mountain Oyster, testicles,