Slog - Comments on I Hear He's a Real Fun Guy

Comment by Mr. Poe

Mr. Poe — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:06:37 -0800

Now drink! Driiiiiiiink!

Comment by Ziggity

Ziggity — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:07:22 -0800

In France, all pharmacists are trained mycologists. Take your foraged bounty to the pharmacy and they'll toss all the poisonous ones. Be sure to wash the remaining mushrooms, as they've likely been touched by a Frenchman.

Comment by Yeek

Yeek — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:12:58 -0800

He could well be fucked. One of the common nicknames for that mushroom is "destroying angel."

And it doesn't 'infect' the kidneys, it poisons them. He may end up needing dialysis for the rest of his life.

Comment by Sean

Sean — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:24:32 -0800

Even specialists can screw up. I almost lost a friend to a poisonous mushroom that appeared in a batch that we all ate. It appears that a single death cap was growing among a clump of fun ones, as only he got sick.

Comment by pain

pain — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:31:28 -0800

i got food poisoning this weekend too. nothing as exotic as mushrooms though... just plain ole' apple cider.

Comment by scary tyler moore

scary tyler moore — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:31:52 -0800

if he never writes another book as awful as the horse whisperer, hell, if he never writes at all, that's not necessarily bad. is that what you're secretly thinking, mon brave?

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:31:57 -0800

Here's an idea: don't go hunting for fun mushrooms. There are much better ways to enjoy altered states of consciousness without as high a risk of death or permanent kidney damage.

Comment by onewink3

onewink3 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:27:42 -0800

Many of the serious poisonings occur when someone who knows just enough about mushrooms to be confident travels somewhere else and finds something that superficially resembles a choice edible back home. That's how some SE Asians have been poisoned by amanita phaloides here over the years.

If you're hunting in a new environment, you're essentially starting over.

Comment by Furcifer

Furcifer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:45:57 -0800

@7: They would have to have been pretty clueless to go looking for psilocybin and end up with amatoxin. It's far more likely that they were looking for non-psychoactive edible mushrooms, some of which are easily confused with the toxic varieties.