I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
blog.mycology.cornell.edu
I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
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Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#2When I was younger, I was taught not to pick up or eat colorful mushrooms - the more colors they had, the deadlier they were, supposedly. At the time, I thought it made sense as the same rule applied for poisonous frogs.
After reading the article and looking at Wikipedia's list of deadly fungus species, I'm not so sure if that rule also applies to mushrooms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadly_fungus_species
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#3I recommend /r/mycology for all your mushroom identification needs.
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#4I'm curious if parents still admonish their kids not to eat wild mushrooms.
The first time I was with a family friend and watched him pick and eat wild mushrooms, it was as if I'd discovered a new strain of magic.
Today, I'll eat chicken mushrooms if they look exactly like the ones I've seen before. Otherwise I'll pass.
I sort of feel like those killer whales that have to be taught by other whales that fish are food, as their pod specialized in seals or penguins.
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#5Almost every year, I read an article about a family (usually from Eastern Europe) that was picking mushrooms and misidentified an amanita as somethign they recognized from their home country. THey usually end up at UCSF (world-class transplants) and it's typically the kids who are affected the most.
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#6> "With early diagnosis, another experimental treatment includes massive doses of penicillin to stimulate the liver’s defenses."
The solution to fungus is... more fungus! Really goes to show the incredible breadth of this form of life.
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#7I am surprised this mistake is possible. Inky caps don't look anything like Amanitas of any kind, IMO.
I am assuming that the author doesn't drink alcohol, otherwise Inky Caps aren't so great either (though not generally fatal).
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#8Huh:
"I mistook them for inky caps [...] even though I spotted an Amanita nearby [...] I should have been more suspicious as mushrooms do grow in colonies."
"I couldn’t find my Mushroom book, was in a hurry, so I trusted my judgment, fried them up in olive oil, and ate them as a side dish."
"I should have recognized then that they weren’t inky caps, because inky caps exude a black substance when you fry them."
"At that point, I got concerned. I covered it up by saying, “I’m OK, I know what I’m doing and I don’t feel sick.”"
That's... a lot of interesting decisions, for something potentially so deadly. Had I known this person afterwards, I think I might have politely declined any dinner invitations.
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#9When I was younger, I was taught not to pick up or eat colorful mushrooms - the more colors they had, the deadlier they were, supposedly. At the time, I thought it made sense as the same rule applied for poisonous frogs. After reading the article and looking at Wikipedia's list of deadly fungus species, I'm not so sure if that rule also applies to mushrooms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadly_fungus_species
A surprising number of people seem to think that. No correlation AFAICT. Some of the best mushrooms are colorful (eg. chanterelles).
Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
#10Huh: "I mistook them for inky caps [...] even though I spotted an Amanita nearby [...] I should have been more suspicious as mushrooms do grow in colonies." "I couldn’t find my Mushroom book, was in a hurry, so I trusted my judgment, fried them up in olive oil, and ate them as a side dish." "I should have recognized then that they weren’t inky caps, because inky caps exude a black substance when you fry them." "At th…
I found interesting that he closes his post with an excerpt about how safe mushroom picking is, and how adverse outcomes only happen to ignorant fools who know nothing about mushrooms and don’t bother learning.
In an article that opens with “here is a list of things I know and books I read, and here’s how I poisoned myself anyway.”