Nearly all nature-oriented people profess a love affair with the flowers, but only a limited number admit to a similar passion for mushrooms, other than as a table delicacy. Some people would dismiss them as "toadstools," to be ranked with spiders, snakes, bats, and other things that have become symbolic of the dark side of life. By contrast, many country folk on the continent of Europe adore the various edible fungi. They are mushroom lovers— "mycophiles," if you will. But other cultures who live in the lands bordering the North Sea, notably the English, might be called "mycophobes"—toadstool haters. Why this dichotomy? The answer probably lies in tradition, inherited from the lost legends and superstitions of antiquity. Or, the prejudice against mushrooms may have developed because a small minority of species, notably the Amanitas and a few others, are dangerous if eaten. They are toxic; sometimes deadly, or at least hallucinogenic.
Nearly all nature-oriented people profess a love affair with the flowers, but only a limited number admit to a similar passion for mushrooms, other than as a table delicacy. Some people would dismiss them as "toadstools," to be ranked with spiders, snakes, bats, and other things that have become symbolic of the dark side of life. By contrast, many country folk on the continent of Europe adore the various edible fungi. They are mushroom lovers— "mycophiles," if you will. But other cultures who live in the lands bordering the North Sea, notably the English, might be called "mycophobes"—toadstool haters. Why this dichotomy? The answer probably lies in tradition, inherited from the lost legends and superstitions of antiquity. Or, the prejudice against mushrooms may have developed because a small minority of species, notably the Amanitas and a few others, are dangerous if eaten. They are toxic; sometimes deadly, or at least hallucinogenic.
