tasting deadly amanitas -- safe?

[Robert Brambl]

In article <3143A4C4.1BDE at gnn.com> Dave Lewicki <DLewicki at gnn.com> writes:
> Ok -- perhaps "safe" isn't exactly the right word, but I am wondering
> what a death-cap (amanita phalloides) tastes like.  In particular, I
> am wanting to know the exact difference between the taste of a
> spring-time (a. velosa) and a death-cap.  
> 
> An answer to this question would be nice, but what I really want to 
> know is, what would be one's exposure to the amanitins if that one
> (me) were to just taste a wee bit and then spit it out.
> 
> Enquiring minds want to know.......
> 
> | Dave Lewicki  '*-,._  just another grad student at Cal Poly State  
Univ., SLO|
dlewicki at galaxy.csc.calpoly.edu_--__http://phoenix.calpoly.edu/~dlewicki'*


This query may have not been entirely serious, but the absence of a reply  
should not be taken as endorsement or encouragement of your sampling an  
Amanita cap out of curiosity. 

Actually the mushroom poisoning literature does answer this poster's  
question, sort of.  Some physician-mycophiles have asked recovering  
victims of their impressions of the flavor of Amanita.  However, these  
patients tended to be too unsophisticated about mushroom flavors or too  
inexperienced to draw comparisons.  Perhaps they also were too few in  
number.  Or perhaps the process of recovery from the emergency liver  
transplant affected their impressions.

Just say no.

Robert Brambl
University of Minnesota