11–20 of 62 posts
“She declined to say what was on the ill-fated lunch menu, or whether she had eaten it.” Why would she decline this? Did she just not tell the media, but told the police?
Foraging is a very cool hobby that I'd like to get into some day, but I'm aware of the potential for it to go wrong. My understanding is that in many places, you cannot determine safe mushrooms from dangerous ones using reference photos, they're just too similar and you need live expertise. What's safe and what's dangerous is also very localized. I worry that social media will cause people to think they can forage sa…
- get a regional guidebook
- attend a mycology society foray
You can start with mushrooms that have no poisonous look-alikes, and gradually build confidence in your identification skills.
I do see a lot of troubling Facebook posts asking if a big heap of different mushrooms are edible.
You do have to put in some work to be able to identify a lot of different species. As a bonus though, I've leave a lot about trees and natural systems in general.
Curious.
Foraging is a very cool hobby that I'd like to get into some day, but I'm aware of the potential for it to go wrong. My understanding is that in many places, you cannot determine safe mushrooms from dangerous ones using reference photos, they're just too similar and you need live expertise. What's safe and what's dangerous is also very localized. I worry that social media will cause people to think they can forage sa…
Correct, photos are not adequate when trying to identify a mushroom yourself for the first time (when intending consumption). You need to do things such as spore-prints [1]. It is also strongly advised to go out into the field with those who are already experienced and have them teach you to identify, and not to be "self-taught". Your local mycological society would be more than happy to educate you. [1]: https://en.…
It's best to find safe species in your region and learn to distinguish them and their look alikes by forwarding with a very knowledgeable and experienced mycologist.
“She declined to say what was on the ill-fated lunch menu, or whether she had eaten it.” Why would she decline this? Did she just not tell the media, but told the police?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE
edit: the video is a talk a criminal lawyer gave explaining why it's a bad idea to talk to the police. If you want a more detailed explanation, watch it.
Imagine having tried to kill your ex husband and later succeeding in killing two couples with poisoned food and getting away with it. Great method, perfect for plausible deniability.
Not just any two couples, one couple was her ex-husband's parents...
“She declined to say what was on the ill-fated lunch menu, or whether she had eaten it.” Why would she decline this? Did she just not tell the media, but told the police?
I don't know how it is in Australia, but in the US, there's no reason to talk to the police if you're suspected of murder. It can never help you. It can only hurt you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE edit: the video is a talk a criminal lawyer gave explaining why it's a bad idea to talk to the police. If you want a more detailed explanation, watch it.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_silence_in_England_an...
Foraging is a very cool hobby that I'd like to get into some day, but I'm aware of the potential for it to go wrong. My understanding is that in many places, you cannot determine safe mushrooms from dangerous ones using reference photos, they're just too similar and you need live expertise. What's safe and what's dangerous is also very localized. I worry that social media will cause people to think they can forage sa…
Correct, photos are not adequate when trying to identify a mushroom yourself for the first time (when intending consumption). You need to do things such as spore-prints [1]. It is also strongly advised to go out into the field with those who are already experienced and have them teach you to identify, and not to be "self-taught". Your local mycological society would be more than happy to educate you. [1]: https://en.…
So while all of this should come with a warning to talk with others and do research, it's not impossible to learn what's edible and enjoy foraging. The internet is great at making us afraid of the outdoors. But you just need to take a few precautions if you do eat fungus such as picking one person in your group with a solid GI system to eat a tiny bit and wait 24-48 hours. If they're good, make a note in your journal, take some detailed photos and try eating it again.
Some of the best eating I've ever done was sauteed butter-footed boletes in an omelet.
Imagine having tried to kill your ex husband and later succeeding in killing two couples with poisoned food and getting away with it. Great method, perfect for plausible deniability.
“She declined to say what was on the ill-fated lunch menu, or whether she had eaten it.” Why would she decline this? Did she just not tell the media, but told the police?
I don't know how it is in Australia, but in the US, there's no reason to talk to the police if you're suspected of murder. It can never help you. It can only hurt you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE edit: the video is a talk a criminal lawyer gave explaining why it's a bad idea to talk to the police. If you want a more detailed explanation, watch it.
EDIT: And after watching some of the video the presenter seems to be making the case that you should never interact with the police. And maybe even moreso -- maybe never communicate at all w/o your lawyer since there are laws you may be breaking at any point in time that you may not realize.
If prosecution doesn't care about the truth, and the police happily will comopletely fabricate out of thin air, and you regularly break laws you aren't even aware of -- it seems like talking to police is a relatively small problem.