So I took this picture recently with my camera and marveled at something so simple but beautiful. It's vibrant color, the way it juts out of the ground, it's little spot in the sun in the backyard...it was just a little patch of heaven, really.

Then I got to thinking. I used to be repulsed by mushroom. Since I learned in grade school that it was neither plant nor animal, I always feared it. How do you ingest something that is neither plant nor animal that also happens to live off of rot and death.

I have since come around to loving mushrooms. They make a far tastier replacement for meat in curries than tofu, and they're all natural--no processing to achieve a good healthy batch of these things.



What's your take? Mushrooms are good? Or vile fungus better left to dark and creepy crevices beneath rotted timber?

Mushrooms are quite interesting indeed, being neither plants nor animals.

My answer would be "yes". We have many species here, including the gastronomically admired truffles that are botanically mushrooms.

Imago said

Nope they're terrible. Even as a child my family would travel distances to go mushroom picking and I was happy to do it but could never eat them.

Yes




Most mainly consist of water and contain hardly any vitamins, if anything really healthy. But the taste can be very interesting, indeed, and they can add something special to many dishes.


Mushrooms for President!

Oh, and by the way: Nice picture!

I just assumed you were talking about magic mushrooms.

That's an awesome picture.

I didn't used to like them, but I do now. They are interesting organisms.

yes ever since i was a little kid.

Some are eatable, some will make you high, some will make you sick, some will make you die.

The ones from the supermarket I like a lot. beefsteak and mushrooms baked in dairy butter. yum yum

The ones from the wild. Make absolutely sure knowing what you are doing.
[Edited 9/12/09 14:49pm]

skip to the 1:30 mark

No.

Nice pic, but NO

I used to hate them. But now i see the light.

Fury said:

Where do i have seen those before

I just went out the side yard and took these for you

yes yes yes

july said:

When I was younger, my grandpa used to take me mushroom hunting in our timber. These are the kind we looked for. Then my mom would sautee them in butter.

But I've never liked mushrooms. They gross me out. I dislike the spongey texture and they have no taste and little nutrients, so what's the point of eating them?

The white button ones I can choke down if absolutely necessary (like at a fancy dinner), but otherwise I avoid them at all costs. YUCK.

um, that's a big fat NO

I love them. Especially fried up in some butter and onions.

Have you heard about their anti-inflammatory properties?

Hell yes!

Especially in Tom Kha Kai, where I pretty much ignore the chicken in favour of the mushrooms.


[Edited 9/12/09 17:48pm]

"I'm not a woman. I'm not a man. I am something that you'll never understand"


A mushroom?

PANDURITO said:

Bon appetit

Imago said:

Quorn is processed fungal protein. It's alright.

Mushrooms are God's idea of a sick, sick joke.

Vile, vile, vile!
[Edited 9/15/09 5:31am]