On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 02:54:16 -0600, Katra
> wrote:

> <lol> No, I KNEW that they were a dried mushroom/fungus, just not one I
> was familiar with on the usual store bought edibles... Sometimes the
> orientals will not call something by the same name that we do!

I haven't seen white ones, what I come across as "dried
fungus" out here is black with a light underbelly. It's the
one in the lower left corner of the picture
http://fushan.en.alibaba.com/group/5...k__White_.html
Even when thoroughly soaked, they are still chewy. That's
the nature of the beast.

I've noticed that they are one of the mushrooms in the
packages of "wild" mushroom mixes that we buy around here.
Although I don't dislike them (they are fine in Chinese
dishes), I'm not fond of them either and would prefer a
different mushroom in the package.

sf
Practice safe eating - always use condiments