I expect we are all familiar with the line from Crocodile Dundee which goes “You call that a knife? This is a knife!”
Ever since then, people have been copying that quote, but sometimes changing the word knife for whatever it is that they’re talking about.
Today, it’s my turn to do that.
You Call That a Mushroom? This is a Mushroom!
Mushrooms
Mushroom and my right foot
Mushroom - side view
I found these mushrooms growing wild in a field close to me just last month. As you can see, the biggie is almost the size of my foot.
Mushroom dangers.
Here in Australia, as in many countries around the world, it’s not a good idea to pick wild mushrooms to take home and cook, unless you know what you are doing. Unfortunately, the only people who really know what they are doing are mushroom experts, or “mycologists”.
I was reminded of this at the beginning of the year when an experienced Chinese chef and his assistant died after cooking and eating death cap mushrooms, mistaking them for edible straw mushrooms.
These are death cap mushrooms, scientific name Amanita phalloides…
Death Cap Mushrooms
Source: Wikipedia
Now, even though the death cap mushroom above looks nothing like the picture of my massive mushrooms, I still refrained from picking those big beauties, even though they would probably have provided us with mushroom soup for a fortnight.
Too risky!
When it comes to mushrooms, your local fruit and veg store is the safest bet. But death cap mushrooms are today’s Australia’s Bad Things.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Bob, hear about the bloke in the swimming pool with no arms and no legs? His name’s Bob!
Yes, I did hear about that bloke, about 40 years ago I think.
Bob, it doesn’t look like any edible kind of mushroom, just as that you left it well alone. There was another family tragedy due to misidentified mushrooms recently….I can’t remember the details now but there was quite a few involved. Have fun!
I thought it looked kind of weird too, just one nibble and I may have met The White Rabbit.
Or worse…
For my money, all wild mushrooms are best left alone.
I remember picking the wild mushrooms couple of years ago. I had a bunch of it. When I came home, a friend told me they are all poisonous. I threw them away…
Wise move!