Found on EBay -- Earl Carroll's

I usually don't run the EBay photos this big, but I'm baffled by this one. Take a look at the table: These folks have dinner rolls, glasses of water, silverware, etc. and then these huge buckets of ice Is this the world's largest shrimp cocktail or what's going on? Bidding on this EBay item starts at $6.

Comments

[Nathan]

I took a look at the eBay listing and the image is said to be dated January 1948. So, as they say, "month with an R in it." I'm guessing those are oysters on the half-shell. There may even be some oyster shells on the right, bottom, looking like dinner rolls. But I have to say, no oyster on the half shell would ever be served atop one of these ceramic-round-pot-things. What besides oysters would need be served individually? These ain't pots of giant chilled escargots. Very well, I too am at a loss.

[Carol Gwenn]

These people look REALLY happy, don't they? Possibly they're faced with an obscene amount of caviar nestled in all that ice.