A Surprise Visit of Mr. White the One Foot
Mushroom gathering from our front lawn
“Hoowh… Wait a second. Wait… wait… Just wait… Ayiyoo, never mind it now.”
While I was reversing the car to the office accommodation, our Quantity Surveyor, who happens to be my accommodation-mate, screamed.
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I looked at the side and rearview mirrors to see what was causing this commotion, but nothing was there.
I had a scary thought about the neighbor’s cat, which usually takes up guard duty during the daytime. However, that seemed impossible since the cat was always functional and ended its shift before we returned.
So, I became curious and stepped out the car. Our QS was searching the ground with a frustrated look. It turned out that I had driven over a cluster of mushrooms.
“Mushrooms? On our lawn? You’re kidding me,” I exclaimed with amusement. “Are they edible?”
“It doesn’t matter if they’re edible or not. They’ve been flattened to the ground,” the QS said disappointedly.
Still finding it difficult to believe my eyes, I sniffed a small piece. “There’s no odor. It seems safe to eat. Too bad they’re all wasted.”
Upon seeing the QS’s disapproving stare, I ended the discussion immediately.
I am not much of a fan of commercially harvested types like button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms. I consume them like any other dish without a special attention.
However, when it comes to wild mushrooms, it’s an entirely different story. I simply adore them.
Here, we can find various types of edible wild mushrooms. Some are seasonal, while others are specific to certain geo-specific locations. They range from large individual mushrooms to small clusters spread out over a significant area.
However, this particular one was not one that we were familiar with. And we couldn’t think of a possible reason for the mushrooms appearing in this location. We all know that once we find mushrooms in a specific spot, we should keep an eye on that place because they tend to reappear there.
Our elders used to say that mushrooms are more commonly found during rain accompanied by lightning. I don’t know the truth behind this, but we kept our hopes high since this was the inter-monsoon season for us with frequent rain.
As expected, one morning, we woke up to a beautiful sight: a cluster of mushrooms had appeared on our lawn again. We hurriedly gathered them, although we weren’t entirely sure if they were edible.
As I mentioned earlier, they had no odor and no suspicious colors either. No insects were attracted to them either. So, we decided to take the risk and asked our cook uncle to prepare them for lunch.
With a generous amount of bird’s eye chilies and roasted curry powders, our cook uncle prepared a terrific dish for our lunch. It was so delicious that one could have an entire plate of rice with just that dish alone. Don’t ask me for the recipe because I don’t know it.
Usually, our elders believe that mushrooms prepared in that manner have similar properties and taste to pork. Therefore, it served as a healthy alternative for vegetarians who crave a meaty flavor.
Despite the anticipation and tension, we experienced no signs of poisoning or adverse symptoms. Considering our delicious dish, it was worth taking the risk.
A few days ago, we again had that stroke of luck. A cluster of mushrooms appeared in the exact same spot. This time, I captured a few photographs too. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the prepared dish.
Finally, I have to say that mother nature knows no boundaries. Even in the suburbs, where we least expect it, Mother Nature thrives with all her glories. So keep an eye out for that, you will not regret your decision.
Thank you for your engagement in reading about my experience. I would love to hear about your experiences with wild mushrooms as well. Care to share them with us if you have one?
Note:- In our language, there is a word scramble game. I used one of that as the title. A foreigner with white skin (A Mr. White) stood on one foot means “mushroom.”
