<story><title>I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)</title><url>http://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2006/11/22/i-survived-the-destroying-angel/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dmitrybrant</author><text>I grew up in Russia, and like in many other Slavic cultures, mushroom foraging was a time-honored family affair.  Some of my fondest memories are of picking mushrooms with my grandmother, who taught me all I know about identifying them. I still forage them all the time here in the States.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m sorry, but it continues to baffle me how someone can mistake an Amanita for a Coprinus (or Agaricus). To my eyes they&amp;#x27;re as different as a bottle of milk and a bottle of Drano. I suppose I can see how very young specimens of Amanita can resemble other varieties, but then you can follow a simple rule: if it looks &lt;i&gt;remotely&lt;/i&gt; like a baby Amanita... don&amp;#x27;t take it!  There are plenty of other mushrooms that are virtually unmistakable.&lt;p&gt;And then the idea of not &lt;i&gt;double-checking&lt;/i&gt; what you foraged before cooking and eating it?  That&amp;#x27;s... unconscionable. I&amp;#x27;ve been foraging for 30+ years, and I still examine each individual specimen before putting it in the pot.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s a shame because these kinds of stories create unnecessary fear in Americans about picking things from the wild, when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>peanutz454</author><text>&amp;gt; when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.&lt;p&gt;As someone who has cooked with exactly one kind of mushroom (button) I find this intriguing. I thought all mushrooms taste more or less the same. I may have eaten something at a restaurant, but don&amp;#x27;t remember anything unique.</text></comment>
<story><title>I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)</title><url>http://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2006/11/22/i-survived-the-destroying-angel/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dmitrybrant</author><text>I grew up in Russia, and like in many other Slavic cultures, mushroom foraging was a time-honored family affair.  Some of my fondest memories are of picking mushrooms with my grandmother, who taught me all I know about identifying them. I still forage them all the time here in the States.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m sorry, but it continues to baffle me how someone can mistake an Amanita for a Coprinus (or Agaricus). To my eyes they&amp;#x27;re as different as a bottle of milk and a bottle of Drano. I suppose I can see how very young specimens of Amanita can resemble other varieties, but then you can follow a simple rule: if it looks &lt;i&gt;remotely&lt;/i&gt; like a baby Amanita... don&amp;#x27;t take it!  There are plenty of other mushrooms that are virtually unmistakable.&lt;p&gt;And then the idea of not &lt;i&gt;double-checking&lt;/i&gt; what you foraged before cooking and eating it?  That&amp;#x27;s... unconscionable. I&amp;#x27;ve been foraging for 30+ years, and I still examine each individual specimen before putting it in the pot.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s a shame because these kinds of stories create unnecessary fear in Americans about picking things from the wild, when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>antisemiotic</author><text>I think it really helps to be taught by someone who knows what they&amp;#x27;re doing. Where I live (Poland) it&amp;#x27;s common to have this knowledge passed down in families. I wouldn&amp;#x27;t dare to pick up anything based on a picture in a book.</text></comment>