The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts to
Eat, leads me to post this.

Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
beans, as some will tell you

I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.

Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.

Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
eat them so they must be pretty much okay.

But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

Please, discuss!

Jill
--
Take into account great love and great achievements involve great risk.
--Dalai Lama

jmcquown wrote:
>
> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
>
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
>
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.

Makes sense.

>
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.

Also makes sense.
>
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.

Some risk in that of course. Some berries are poisonous to humans but
not to other animals.
>
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it?

Rather what made the *second* brave soul try again after the first one
died...

>So many nightshades are deadly.

True. Could have been a case of desperation. Someone was starving and
ate the nightshade berries that didn't look like the other nightshade
berries.



What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
>

jmcquown wrote:
>
> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
>
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
>
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.

Makes sense.

>
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.

Also makes sense.
>
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.

Some risk in that of course. Some berries are poisonous to humans but
not to other animals.
>
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it?

Rather what made the *second* brave soul try again after the first one
died...

>So many nightshades are deadly.

True. Could have been a case of desperation. Someone was starving and
ate the nightshade berries that didn't look like the other nightshade
berries.



What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
>

"Arri London" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
Guts to
> > Eat, leads me to post this.
> >
> > Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill
of
> > beans, as some will tell you
> >
> > I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
(or
> > maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
plucking
> > out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
> Makes sense.
>
> >
> > Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and
so
> > do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> Also makes sense.
> >
> > Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
they
> > eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> Some risk in that of course. Some berries are poisonous to humans but
> not to other animals.
> >
> > But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
eat
> > it?
>
> Rather what made the *second* brave soul try again after the first one
> died...
>
> >So many nightshades are deadly.
>
> True. Could have been a case of desperation. Someone was starving and
> ate the nightshade berries that didn't look like the other nightshade
> berries.
>
>
>
> What wild critters were they watching
> > to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
> >


Okay, this kind of follows what I was saying about the blowfish. How many
people tried it and died before someone found that one little spot that
wasn't poisonous? Jack ate it and died, Johnny died, Herman died, now
Trevor didn't die, Casey died......I mean, how did they EVER figure out that
one spot?

kili
--
I do not live in the world of sobriety. - - Oliver Reed

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts
to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
>
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
>
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they
watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> Please, discuss!
>

Squirrels, deer, insects, and many other critters snack on mushrooms. BTW
nightshade has nothing to do with mushrooms - it is a plant that contains
the poisons belladonna and atropine.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts
to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
>
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
>
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they
watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> Please, discuss!
>

Squirrels, deer, insects, and many other critters snack on mushrooms. BTW
nightshade has nothing to do with mushrooms - it is a plant that contains
the poisons belladonna and atropine.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts
to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
>
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
>
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they
watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> Please, discuss!
>

Squirrels, deer, insects, and many other critters snack on mushrooms. BTW
nightshade has nothing to do with mushrooms - it is a plant that contains
the poisons belladonna and atropine.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize just
what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If you're
hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if you don't
have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.

--
to respond, change "spamless.invalid" with "optonline.net"
please mail OT responses only

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize just
what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If you're
hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if you don't
have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.

--
to respond, change "spamless.invalid" with "optonline.net"
please mail OT responses only

jmcquown wrote:

> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes Guts to
> Eat, leads me to post this.
> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill of
> beans, as some will tell you
> I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
> out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
> Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
> Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
> eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
> Please, discuss!

I remember a trip to the West Virginia mountain country where we went morel
mushroom (mollymoochers) hunting. My guide complained that the deer loved them
as much as we did. And how on earth did we get addicted to chiles?
Edrena

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:23:41 -0500, "jmcquown"
> arranged random neurons, so they looked like
this:

<snip>

>I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
>maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
>out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
>Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
>do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
>Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
>eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
>But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
>it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
>to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
And you have to wonder about oysters and clams. Sure, the sea gulls
drop them from height to crack 'em open, but wouldn't you think the
human who first noticed this phenomenon, and after having pried the
oyster or clam open, would be reluctant to put it in his or her mouth?
And once there...well, it *is* an acquired taste, after all. (I
learned to like raw oysters in successful and repeated attempts to
gross my younger sister out. Ditto snails.)

And add snails to the list, come to think of it. I mean, you have a
critter meandering along in a tiny shell, leaving a little trail of
goo behind, waving their little "feelers" around, right? So, who would
be hungry enough to yank the little guy out of his shell and eat him?
I'm sure the first occasion of snail-eating wouldn't have seen it
cooked with butter and garlic.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Duncan Hines

To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:23:41 -0500, "jmcquown"
> arranged random neurons, so they looked like
this:

<snip>

>I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
>maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
>out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
>
>Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
>do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
>Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
>eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
>But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
>it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
>to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
And you have to wonder about oysters and clams. Sure, the sea gulls
drop them from height to crack 'em open, but wouldn't you think the
human who first noticed this phenomenon, and after having pried the
oyster or clam open, would be reluctant to put it in his or her mouth?
And once there...well, it *is* an acquired taste, after all. (I
learned to like raw oysters in successful and repeated attempts to
gross my younger sister out. Ditto snails.)

And add snails to the list, come to think of it. I mean, you have a
critter meandering along in a tiny shell, leaving a little trail of
goo behind, waving their little "feelers" around, right? So, who would
be hungry enough to yank the little guy out of his shell and eat him?
I'm sure the first occasion of snail-eating wouldn't have seen it
cooked with butter and garlic.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Duncan Hines

To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 01:46:29 GMT, Scott > wrote:

>In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
>> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
>> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
>I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize just
>what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If you're
>hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if you don't
>have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.

Not to mention that there are non lethal ways of testing new foods. Try
reading Clan of the Cave Bear for an interesting take on the process (or is
it the second in the series where she's testing things to see if they're
safe?)

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote in
news
> On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:23:41 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > arranged random neurons, so they looked like
> this:
>
> <snip>
>
>>I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
>>(or maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
>>plucking out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams,
>>mussels, etc.
>>
>>Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed
>>and so do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the
>>cow.
>>
>>Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
>>they eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>>
>>But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground
>>and eat it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were
>>they watching to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>>
> And you have to wonder about oysters and clams. Sure, the sea gulls
> drop them from height to crack 'em open, but wouldn't you think the
> human who first noticed this phenomenon, and after having pried the
> oyster or clam open, would be reluctant to put it in his or her mouth?
> And once there...well, it *is* an acquired taste, after all. (I
> learned to like raw oysters in successful and repeated attempts to
> gross my younger sister out. Ditto snails.)
>
> And add snails to the list, come to think of it. I mean, you have a
> critter meandering along in a tiny shell, leaving a little trail of
> goo behind, waving their little "feelers" around, right? So, who would
> be hungry enough to yank the little guy out of his shell and eat him?
> I'm sure the first occasion of snail-eating wouldn't have seen it
> cooked with butter and garlic.
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
> AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA
>
> "If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
> had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
> been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
> good dinner." Duncan Hines
>
> To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"
>

Wouldn't a lot of this knowledge come prior to Homo Sapiens....and just
been passed along. I mean even before we were people we had to eat. Even
chimps learn what to eat from their moms. So perhap Homo Erectus learned
about various nasty looking critters being edible, and we learned from
them.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote in
news
> On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:23:41 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > arranged random neurons, so they looked like
> this:
>
> <snip>
>
>>I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
>>(or maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
>>plucking out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams,
>>mussels, etc.
>>
>>Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed
>>and so do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the
>>cow.
>>
>>Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
>>they eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>>
>>But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground
>>and eat it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were
>>they watching to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>>
> And you have to wonder about oysters and clams. Sure, the sea gulls
> drop them from height to crack 'em open, but wouldn't you think the
> human who first noticed this phenomenon, and after having pried the
> oyster or clam open, would be reluctant to put it in his or her mouth?
> And once there...well, it *is* an acquired taste, after all. (I
> learned to like raw oysters in successful and repeated attempts to
> gross my younger sister out. Ditto snails.)
>
> And add snails to the list, come to think of it. I mean, you have a
> critter meandering along in a tiny shell, leaving a little trail of
> goo behind, waving their little "feelers" around, right? So, who would
> be hungry enough to yank the little guy out of his shell and eat him?
> I'm sure the first occasion of snail-eating wouldn't have seen it
> cooked with butter and garlic.
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
> AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA
>
> "If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
> had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
> been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
> good dinner." Duncan Hines
>
> To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"
>

Wouldn't a lot of this knowledge come prior to Homo Sapiens....and just
been passed along. I mean even before we were people we had to eat. Even
chimps learn what to eat from their moms. So perhap Homo Erectus learned
about various nasty looking critters being edible, and we learned from
them.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote in
> news >
> > On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:23:41 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > > arranged random neurons, so they looked like
> > this:
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> >>I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
> >>(or maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
> >>plucking out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams,
> >>mussels, etc.
> >>
> >>Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed
> >>and so do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the
> >>cow.
> >>
> >>Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
> >>they eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
> >>
> >>But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground
> >>and eat it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were
> >>they watching to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
> >>
> > And you have to wonder about oysters and clams. Sure, the sea gulls
> > drop them from height to crack 'em open, but wouldn't you think the
> > human who first noticed this phenomenon, and after having pried the
> > oyster or clam open, would be reluctant to put it in his or her mouth?
> > And once there...well, it *is* an acquired taste, after all. (I
> > learned to like raw oysters in successful and repeated attempts to
> > gross my younger sister out. Ditto snails.)
> >
> > And add snails to the list, come to think of it. I mean, you have a
> > critter meandering along in a tiny shell, leaving a little trail of
> > goo behind, waving their little "feelers" around, right? So, who would
> > be hungry enough to yank the little guy out of his shell and eat him?
> > I'm sure the first occasion of snail-eating wouldn't have seen it
> > cooked with butter and garlic.
> >
> > Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
> > AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA
> >
> > "If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
> > had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
> > been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
> > good dinner." Duncan Hines
> >
> > To reply, remove replace "spaminator" with "cox"
> >
>
> Wouldn't a lot of this knowledge come prior to Homo Sapiens....and just
> been passed along. I mean even before we were people we had to eat. Even
> chimps learn what to eat from their moms. So perhap Homo Erectus learned
> about various nasty looking critters being edible, and we learned from
> them.
>
> --
> Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
> and water.
> --------
> FIELDS, W. C.

I doubt the diet of early man was very refined. Worms, beetles, snakes,
birds, whatever, would have been grabbed and eaten raw in the manner of any
predator/scavenger. Equally as interesting and perhaps parallel to
developing knowledge of suitable foods, is the development of the knowledge
of the clan medicine man. I've often wondered if the medicine man chose
"exotic" items for his medicines (mushrooms, for instance) because such
items would enhance his standing in the tribe, and through trial and error a
taste was developed for various herbs, barks, seeds, mushrooms.
Janet

Siobhan Perricone wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 01:46:29 GMT, Scott >
> wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>
>>> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the
>>> ground and eat it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild
>>> critters were they watching to determine this one was okay and that
>>> one wasn't?
>>
>> I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize
>> just
>> what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If
>> you're hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if
>> you don't
>> have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.
>
> Not to mention that there are non lethal ways of testing new foods.
> Try reading Clan of the Cave Bear for an interesting take on the
> process (or is
> it the second in the series where she's testing things to see if
> they're safe?)

Ah, great series! She was "taught" by Iza to recognize herbs and such but
once on her own, Ayla did have to figure things out on her own. Thanks for
reminding me I need to re-read the series

Jill

Siobhan Perricone wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 01:46:29 GMT, Scott >
> wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>
>>> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the
>>> ground and eat it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild
>>> critters were they watching to determine this one was okay and that
>>> one wasn't?
>>
>> I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize
>> just
>> what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If
>> you're hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if
>> you don't
>> have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.
>
> Not to mention that there are non lethal ways of testing new foods.
> Try reading Clan of the Cave Bear for an interesting take on the
> process (or is
> it the second in the series where she's testing things to see if
> they're safe?)

Ah, great series! She was "taught" by Iza to recognize herbs and such but
once on her own, Ayla did have to figure things out on her own. Thanks for
reminding me I need to re-read the series

Jill

Scott wrote:
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground
>> and eat it?
>
> I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize
> just
> what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If
> you're hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if
> you don't
> have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.

The U.S. is an "Industrialized country", as you put it, yet many, many
people were starving in what was known as the 'great American Depression' of
the 1930's. My father recalls picking dandelion greens for supper. His
mother obviously knew they were edible, otherwise she wouldn't have directed
him to pick them. But, had I not been told this, it would never occur to me
to pick dandelions for food. Now, I suppose her mother taught her and so on
and so forth. But at *some* point someone brand new had to just pick those
dandelions and eat them. That's what is so fascinating to me.

Jill

Scott wrote:
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground
>> and eat it?
>
> I think it's hard for people in industrialized countries to realize
> just
> what hunger is--and what a person might do to avoid starving. If
> you're hungry enough, you might try to eat anything--especially if
> you don't
> have culturally indoctrinated ideas of what is yucky.

The U.S. is an "Industrialized country", as you put it, yet many, many
people were starving in what was known as the 'great American Depression' of
the 1930's. My father recalls picking dandelion greens for supper. His
mother obviously knew they were edible, otherwise she wouldn't have directed
him to pick them. But, had I not been told this, it would never occur to me
to pick dandelions for food. Now, I suppose her mother taught her and so on
and so forth. But at *some* point someone brand new had to just pick those
dandelions and eat them. That's what is so fascinating to me.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

Re-examine this question with the proviso "who hasn't had a decent meal
in four months" and see if an explanation pops up. =)

Our way-distant ancestors did not have supermarkets - food was a chancy
business.

In truth, I expect most foods are not discovered by watching animals,
but by virtue of the fact that our non-intelligent ancestors died
from eating the wrong foods and left no descendents, and our more
intelligent ancestors learned from mommy and daddy what to eat and
what not to. As for how the transition occurred - I leave that as
an exercise. =)

--
..-. .-. .---. .---. .-..-.|Experts in Linux/Unix: www.WildOpenSource.com
| |__ / | \| |-< | |-< > / |"Making the bazaar more commonplace"
`----'`-^-'`-'`-'`-'`-' `-' |Check out my new novel: "Cloud Realm" at:
home:www.smith-house.org:8000|http://www.smith-house.org:8000/books/list.html

jmcquown wrote:
> But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and eat
> it? So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?

Re-examine this question with the proviso "who hasn't had a decent meal
in four months" and see if an explanation pops up. =)

Our way-distant ancestors did not have supermarkets - food was a chancy
business.

In truth, I expect most foods are not discovered by watching animals,
but by virtue of the fact that our non-intelligent ancestors died
from eating the wrong foods and left no descendents, and our more
intelligent ancestors learned from mommy and daddy what to eat and
what not to. As for how the transition occurred - I leave that as
an exercise. =)

--
..-. .-. .---. .---. .-..-.|Experts in Linux/Unix: www.WildOpenSource.com
| |__ / | \| |-< | |-< > / |"Making the bazaar more commonplace"
`----'`-^-'`-'`-'`-'`-' `-' |Check out my new novel: "Cloud Realm" at:
home:www.smith-house.org:8000|http://www.smith-house.org:8000/books/list.html

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> The U.S. is an "Industrialized country", as you put it, yet many, many
> people were starving in what was known as the 'great American Depression'
of
> the 1930's. My father recalls picking dandelion greens for supper. His
> mother obviously knew they were edible, otherwise she wouldn't have
directed
> him to pick them. But, had I not been told this, it would never occur to
me
> to pick dandelions for food. Now, I suppose her mother taught her and so
on
> and so forth. But at *some* point someone brand new had to just pick
those
> dandelions and eat them. That's what is so fascinating to me.
>
> Jill
>
Dandelions were a favorite food/medicine that was brought deliberately to
North America in the middle 1800's by Europeans. Using dandelions for
greens and wine making is very common even today. As a food, dandelions
rank right up there with broccoli.
Janet

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> The U.S. is an "Industrialized country", as you put it, yet many, many
> people were starving in what was known as the 'great American Depression'
of
> the 1930's. My father recalls picking dandelion greens for supper. His
> mother obviously knew they were edible, otherwise she wouldn't have
directed
> him to pick them. But, had I not been told this, it would never occur to
me
> to pick dandelions for food. Now, I suppose her mother taught her and so
on
> and so forth. But at *some* point someone brand new had to just pick
those
> dandelions and eat them. That's what is so fascinating to me.
>
> Jill
>
Dandelions were a favorite food/medicine that was brought deliberately to
North America in the middle 1800's by Europeans. Using dandelions for
greens and wine making is very common even today. As a food, dandelions
rank right up there with broccoli.
Janet

Arri London wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
>> Guts to Eat, leads me to post this.
>>
>> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a
>> hill of beans, as some will tell you
>>
> As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.

But I can eat avacados, but avacado will kill my lovebird. So the same
holds true in both directions.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

> Arri London wrote:
> > jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
> >> Guts to Eat, leads me to post this.
> >>
> >> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a
> >> hill of beans, as some will tell you
> >>
> > As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> > everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> > all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
>
> But I can eat avacados, but avacado will kill my lovebird. So the same
> holds true in both directions.


And IIRC chocolate is not good for canines even though some would like
nothing more than to gobble up all they can....

--
Best
Greg

kilikini wrote:
>
> "Arri London" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> >
> > jmcquown wrote:
> > >
> > > The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
> Guts to
> > > Eat, leads me to post this.
> > >
> > > Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill
> of
> > > beans, as some will tell you
> > >
> > > I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
> (or
> > > maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
> plucking
> > > out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
> >
> > Makes sense.
> >
> > >
> > > Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and
> so
> > > do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
> >
> > Also makes sense.
> > >
> > > Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
> they
> > > eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
> >
> > Some risk in that of course. Some berries are poisonous to humans but
> > not to other animals.
> > >
> > > But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
> eat
> > > it?
> >
> > Rather what made the *second* brave soul try again after the first one
> > died...
> >
> > >So many nightshades are deadly.
> >
> > True. Could have been a case of desperation. Someone was starving and
> > ate the nightshade berries that didn't look like the other nightshade
> > berries.
> >
> >
> >
> > What wild critters were they watching
> > > to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
> >
> > As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> > everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> > all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
> > >
>
> Okay, this kind of follows what I was saying about the blowfish. How many
> people tried it and died before someone found that one little spot that
> wasn't poisonous? Jack ate it and died, Johnny died, Herman died, now
> Trevor didn't die, Casey died......I mean, how did they EVER figure out that
> one spot?
>
> kili


It's not just a question of one spot. Many of the internal organs and
the skin are toxin-loaded, so must be removed carefully. There are still
traces of toxin in the flesh; that's part of the buzz of eating it
apparently.
It's not such a hard stretch to think that the fish were gutted and
skinned the same way as other fish. Those who did the gutting and
cleaning carefully lived; the sloppy died.

kilikini wrote:
>
> "Arri London" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> >
> > jmcquown wrote:
> > >
> > > The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
> Guts to
> > > Eat, leads me to post this.
> > >
> > > Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a hill
> of
> > > beans, as some will tell you
> > >
> > > I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds
> (or
> > > maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and
> plucking
> > > out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
> >
> > Makes sense.
> >
> > >
> > > Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and
> so
> > > do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
> >
> > Also makes sense.
> > >
> > > Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer,
> they
> > > eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
> >
> > Some risk in that of course. Some berries are poisonous to humans but
> > not to other animals.
> > >
> > > But what made that first brave soul pluck a mushroom from the ground and
> eat
> > > it?
> >
> > Rather what made the *second* brave soul try again after the first one
> > died...
> >
> > >So many nightshades are deadly.
> >
> > True. Could have been a case of desperation. Someone was starving and
> > ate the nightshade berries that didn't look like the other nightshade
> > berries.
> >
> >
> >
> > What wild critters were they watching
> > > to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
> >
> > As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> > everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> > all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
> > >
>
> Okay, this kind of follows what I was saying about the blowfish. How many
> people tried it and died before someone found that one little spot that
> wasn't poisonous? Jack ate it and died, Johnny died, Herman died, now
> Trevor didn't die, Casey died......I mean, how did they EVER figure out that
> one spot?
>
> kili


It's not just a question of one spot. Many of the internal organs and
the skin are toxin-loaded, so must be removed carefully. There are still
traces of toxin in the flesh; that's part of the buzz of eating it
apparently.
It's not such a hard stretch to think that the fish were gutted and
skinned the same way as other fish. Those who did the gutting and
cleaning carefully lived; the sloppy died.

jmcquown wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
> > jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >> The thread about Crab Legs, and also the one about 10 Foods it Takes
> >> Guts to Eat, leads me to post this.
> >>
> >> Here are a few of my thoughts which don't necessarily count for a
> >> hill of beans, as some will tell you
> >>
> > As was said before, there probably was a lot of trial and error. Not
> > everything that animals can eat is completely safe for humans. After
> > all, birds don't suffer chile burns the way mammals do.
>
> But I can eat avacados, but avacado will kill my lovebird. So the same
> holds true in both directions.
>
> Jill

Yes but one would imagine that having observed a food kill an animal, no
one would try it again until they observed some other animal eating it
safely or until there was nothing to eat. Not to mention that lovebirds
aren't native to areas where avocados originated. Exotic foodstuff are
another matter.

Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
> jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> > maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
> > out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
> > Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
> > eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> Those have been standard food for so long the first ones to try them
> weren't yet human. Fruits were eaten by primates long before they
> were even monkeys or apes.
>
> > Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> > do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> The radical part is figuring out that those animals should be kept
> deliberately. They were hunted. Some genius figured out the
> small ones could be kept behind a fence and bred for food. It
> was as amazing an invention is figuring out to plant seeds to
> invent farming. Once you have a herd of cows, it's easy to notice
> that baby cows drink milk and want to try it.
>
> > So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> > to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> I suspect that the nightshades that grow in EurAsia all have
> toxic fruit, so no one there ate them. But potatoes, tomatoes,
> eggplants and peppers are native to the Americas.

Don't think aubergines/eggplants are exclusively native to the US. They
have been cultivated in India and China since before any Europeans set
foot in the new world.



>The folks
> who originally moved to the Americas did it from the far north.
> Maybe over a land bridge from Siberia maybe on sleds over the
> ice like Inuits, the exact method is not relevent here. What
> is relevant is they would have been far enough north for enough
> generations that no one remembered what a nightshade was. So
> when humans moved south into America some ate the fruits or
> tubers and lived, other ate the leaves and stems and got sick
> or died. Ever since, Americans have eaten nightshade fruits
> but not eaten the stems and leaves.
>
> When Columbus brought back hot peppers, those who knew what
> nightshades were must have freaked out at eating the fruit of
> a plant obviously related to a nightshade. But you'll always
> find someone willing to eat about anything.

Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
> jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > I suspect people first decided to eat crabs because they saw sea-birds (or
> > maybe even bears in certain areas) cracking them open on rocks and plucking
> > out the meat. Probably the same with oysters, clams, mussels, etc.
> > Berries and fruit I can also understand; watch the birds and the deer, they
> > eat them so they must be pretty much okay.
>
> Those have been standard food for so long the first ones to try them
> weren't yet human. Fruits were eaten by primates long before they
> were even monkeys or apes.
>
> > Drinking milk is rather a given; human women have always breast fed and so
> > do goats, cows, sheep. Naturally it would follow, milk the cow.
>
> The radical part is figuring out that those animals should be kept
> deliberately. They were hunted. Some genius figured out the
> small ones could be kept behind a fence and bred for food. It
> was as amazing an invention is figuring out to plant seeds to
> invent farming. Once you have a herd of cows, it's easy to notice
> that baby cows drink milk and want to try it.
>
> > So many nightshades are deadly. What wild critters were they watching
> > to determine this one was okay and that one wasn't?
>
> I suspect that the nightshades that grow in EurAsia all have
> toxic fruit, so no one there ate them. But potatoes, tomatoes,
> eggplants and peppers are native to the Americas.

Don't think aubergines/eggplants are exclusively native to the US. They
have been cultivated in India and China since before any Europeans set
foot in the new world.



>The folks
> who originally moved to the Americas did it from the far north.
> Maybe over a land bridge from Siberia maybe on sleds over the
> ice like Inuits, the exact method is not relevent here. What
> is relevant is they would have been far enough north for enough
> generations that no one remembered what a nightshade was. So
> when humans moved south into America some ate the fruits or
> tubers and lived, other ate the leaves and stems and got sick
> or died. Ever since, Americans have eaten nightshade fruits
> but not eaten the stems and leaves.
>
> When Columbus brought back hot peppers, those who knew what
> nightshades were must have freaked out at eating the fruit of
> a plant obviously related to a nightshade. But you'll always
> find someone willing to eat about anything.