As someone from East EU, this is actually plausibly accidental, though the timeline is suspicious.
Mushroom foraging is cultural, you can buy foraged mushrooms in farmers markets and in general it is a fairly popular leisure activity to go foraging in the woods.
I hardly know anyone over 50 who isn’t excited for the mushroom season, sometimes people do end up picking up a death cap as it can be mistaken for a couple different edible ones at its various stages of growth, though you have to be fairly inattentive to do so. That said we treat a couple of poisonings a year in our toxicoligy ward.
Some friends of mine were hosting an East EU exchange student and were excited to take her “mushroom hunting” as we are in a place where chanterelles can be found if you look hard. She couldn’t get over the phrasing, every time someone said it she would cackle and go “mushroom hunting!! BANG BANG!!!” while making finger guns.
At leadt in my language, hunting is not generally used in other contexts, so I can see why someone wouldfind it funny, maybe.
Also, chanterelles are an absolute staple, probably the most common one. Others are russula and boletes (this one being the favourite for people generally). Some others commonly picket are milkcaps and parasols (personally their resemblance to deathcaps makes me uneasy).
Deathcaps could be confused for Rusulas, some milkcaps and parasols.
As someone from East EU, this is actually plausibly accidental, though the timeline is suspicious.
Mushroom foraging is cultural, you can buy foraged mushrooms in farmers markets and in general it is a fairly popular leisure activity to go foraging in the woods.
I hardly know anyone over 50 who isn’t excited for the mushroom season, sometimes people do end up picking up a death cap as it can be mistaken for a couple different edible ones at its various stages of growth, though you have to be fairly inattentive to do so. That said we treat a couple of poisonings a year in our toxicoligy ward.
Some friends of mine were hosting an East EU exchange student and were excited to take her “mushroom hunting” as we are in a place where chanterelles can be found if you look hard. She couldn’t get over the phrasing, every time someone said it she would cackle and go “mushroom hunting!! BANG BANG!!!” while making finger guns.
At leadt in my language, hunting is not generally used in other contexts, so I can see why someone wouldfind it funny, maybe.
Also, chanterelles are an absolute staple, probably the most common one. Others are russula and boletes (this one being the favourite for people generally). Some others commonly picket are milkcaps and parasols (personally their resemblance to deathcaps makes me uneasy).
Deathcaps could be confused for Rusulas, some milkcaps and parasols.
How many of those die due to eating the mushrooms?