Talk:Mushroom picking in Slavic culture

message: Why didn't I thought of that before? Great work, two thumbs up! I hope you'll spend some time to correct the cyrillic names, they do not show up properly. Also, would you mind if I added some Polish and Czech names as well? Perhaps we could do a table or set of tables instead of the lists we have now? Halibutt 13:31, Jul 24, 2004 (UTC)
Yea, I was hoping someone would suggest more languages. I was thinking of maybe some sort of reference table, where the paragraphs have numeric references to the table. Any bright ideas? And yes, I have to convert the Cyrillic characters into Unicode at some point, you don't know of any fast way to do it by any chance do you? --Aramgutang 13:37, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry if the information is not fully satisfactory, that's all I know on the subject :) I know there isn't that much on culture, but the point is that the mushroom descriptions are meant to be interpreted as if written from a Slavic viewpoint, and is basically common knowledge in Slavic countries that has been passed down by generations. The thing is, I had never encountered the information in English, and I felt that an English version of the knowledge was needed, so I wrote it. Also note the quote "this page is also intended to serve as a reference for interpreting Russian mycology-related information" in the article. You are welcome to add any literature quotes you like. --Aramգուտանգ 03:29, 22 Oct 2004 (UTC)

message: Literature and picking guides also frequently offer reminders to always cut a mushroom with a blade, rather than pulling it out, and to never kick or otherwise destroy mushrooms one does not want, thus preserving the forest ecosystem.
Experienced mushroom pickers never cut them with a blade! They rather grab it at the base with their hand and gently screw them out of the ground. If they take the blade for mushuoom picking, it is used only for cleaning or checking for worms inside mushroom. Cutting with the blade could be possibly dangerous for the whole fungus, since the remaining part of the leg (or trunk: don't know the words) of basidiocarp may rot. To put it in short words: don't pull out, dont kick, dont cut, but screw. I'd edit that myself, but I don't trust my English skills :) A.J. 18:11, 7 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cutting mushrooms is wrong 

message: ...for now Polish wiki does't have a article about mushroom picking? It's time to create one! :) A.J. 18:20, 7 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Do you know that... 

message: The following:
The knowledge for identifying edible mushrooms is usually passed on through generations, however is usually far from sufficient to reliably avoid mushroom poisoning according to Western standards. On the contrary, Western views on mushroom hunting are often viewed as overly paranoid by most Slavic societies, and sometimes ridiculed.
Seems a bit biased to me.
1.What sources claim that the knowledge for identifying is far from sufficient in Slavic countries?
2.What exactly are Western standards? 
3.Last time I checked Slavic countries are a part of the so-called 'Western Culture'. Whilst I see the distinction you are trying ti make, I think that it should be worded differently.
4.Western views ridiculed in Slavic countries? Sources? Family fables don't count. ;) Chelman 10:05, 31 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: the "sometimes ridiculed" part is certainly true. I'm from the Czech republic, so I know it. The image of a foreigner, hunting mushrooms laden with books, trying to identify each single mushroom he sees is the source of many jokes here, believe me. Bodlina, the czech wikipedist, --83.208.83.66 16:57, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  NPOV ?? 

message: Hi! I don't know what is a template. But I think, that this article should be merged with Mushroom hunting. I'm russian and I don't see the differences between picking of mushrooms here, and hunting for them at West. Dims 02:13, 6 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Why merge it? The point is not the distinction between picking and hunting, but the fact that this article focuses on the activity/tradition in Slavic cultures. Alexander 007 05:21, 5 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  So, let us add articles "diving in Slavic culture", "skating in Slavic culture", "football in Slavic culture", etc. Why not? You devise theories about mysterious russian soul yourself and then trying to unriddle it. But the secret is that it is no secret at all! We hunt mushrooms as others do. Uff! :) In any case, even if article is culturological, it should be renamed "mushroom hunting in slavic countries". Excuse my English. Dims 21:51, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

text: I agree, most of this article is not specific to Slavic cultures at all! It looks more like an unnecessary fork. PizzaMargherita 06:00, 6 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I tend towards keep separate but both need a substantial rewrite to highlight differences.Cas Liber 04:14, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

text: There's hardly any useful any encyclopaedic information in the other article. Let's merge as mushroom picking. Bendž|Ť 08:38, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

text:  I am kind of bored of dealing with high POV-laden issues as Nordic race, Historical Persecution by Christians or Nazi occultism. I've got some experience on this, soi merging and a little clean up shouldn't take too long. Zara1709 (talk) 11:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  This article should be merged 

message: Does anyone know if there is any truth in the belief that mushrooms grow most at full moon? Is there any rational explantion?
: It seems to me, that it is not truth. Moon was often used as natural calendar for agricultural and hunting purpuses. Also, moon is natural source of light. So, some moon-based rule may was derived for mushrooms, but then detailes was forgotten and the rule was degenerated to simple full moon statement. Dims 21:55, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Full Moon 

message: I feel inclined to remove the last paragraph from the intro because it's redundant with the General disclaimer; and Wikipedia:Medical disclaimer and Wikipedia:Risk disclaimer. If noone objects, I'll make the change. See also: Wikipedia:No disclaimer templates (while this paragraph is not a template, it works like a disclamer template). --Zoz (t) 16:45, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  do so at your own risk 

message: I can vouch for this article and say mushroom picking is a favorite activity in my family in SE Saskatchewan.  We don't use guidebooks, it is all passed on in an oral tradition... and I am 4th generation Ukrainian-Canadian.  Additionally, is there a reason why Ukraine is omitted from the listed countries?  Another tangent for exploration in this article might include folk medicinal properties of mushrooms. --70.64.11.84 17:19, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mushroom picking among Ukrainian diaspora 

message: I feel a merge with Mushroom hunting is long overdue.  This page contains nothing that could not be summed up in a section on the main mushroom hunting page.  It looks like others have agreed but no one has taken the initiative to make the merge happen.  I plan on revamping the main page as it is in need of some serious work.  If no one objects I will merge the page in the next couple of days. --Daniel J. Leivick (talk) 22:39, 24 December 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: My feeling is that the topic is deserving of a separate article.  While the article has some serious problems - notably a shortage of discussion of the actual culture of mushrooming - it is without a doubt a significant and widespread feature of many Slavic cultures.  Aside from being an extremely widespread activity, mushroom picking recurs consistently in literature, paintings, songs, popular culture of Eastern Europe to an extent that I, at least, have not witnessed even in those Western European cultures which lack the fungophobia of the English-speaking world, such as Italy or Southern France.  If Wikipedia is large enough to support an entire WikiProject devoted to the arguably much more fringe phenomenon of Furry Fandom, surely it can bear the weight of an activity that inspired some of the finest writing and significant leisure time of Alexander Pushkin, Adam Mickiewicz, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Vladimir Nabokov, Milan Kundera, as well as countless millions of their respective compatriots.  That said, the article definitely needs a shift in emphasis from a redundant listing of species to examples, data and discussion on the cultural phenomenon.   Eliezg (talk) 11:15, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Agree. Good way of putting it. Tricky as there are only a very few editors working on fungi at present, so it may be a while..cheers,  Casliber (talk · contribs) 11:55, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Merge

message: Ok, I'll just be repeating stuff that's been said before on this talk page, but the opening... Wow. "The Slavic way"? "Slavic literature"? Field guides are frowned upon and basically unnecesary, since mushroom picking is taught in the family, but the last sentence still makes reference to literature and picking guides?
You do realize you're talking about a huge landmass and various diverse groups of population when you frivoulosly throw around expressions like "the Slavic way"? I'm from Slovenia, and my family's been picking mushrooms since forever. I do it, too. We don't use a field guide, but then, we've narrowed down the selection of mushrooms we pick to something like 10 of the best types of mushrooms we can find (mostly boleti and catharelli), so we don't need one at hand; but we do have many in our home library. I haven't made any comparisons between "Western field guides" and "Slavic field guides", but a lot of the mushrooms in our field guides are marked as poisonous. As a kid, I have been taught not to even touch mushrooms if I didn't know for sure what they were. My parents are members of the local mushroom picking club, one of many. And all of the above is pretty commonplace in Slovenia (and, as far as I know, in neighbouring Croatia, too).
Last time I checked, Slovenia was a Slavic country. So whatever happened to the Slavic way here?
My point: saying there is a "Slavic way" and "Western way" of picking mushrooms is ridiculous. I'm sure there are cultural differences from country to country, but labeling them with a broad label such as "Slavic" or "Western" is inaccurate, to say the least. I say merge this article into mushroom hunting.TomorrowTime (talk) 13:01, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wow. 

message: To my point of view, this article is more about the 'art' and tradition of collecting mushrooms, rather than the simple activity of mushroom hunting to grab some mushrooms to eat. I would be interested in seeing an addition (here) where folks can share information about what the tradition is called in their culture. For example, I remember reading something in a work by Nabokov, where he spoke of the art and tradition of hunting mushrooms in his family and how he used to go with his mother when he was a boy. There was a specific name for this activity and I've tried to locate it in the past few years, but I've been unable to. I was trying to explain to some friends of mine, that there are actually names for 'the art of gathering mushrooms' in different cultures, not just 'mushroom hunting', but I wasn't able to share that key bit of information. It's the difference between a Japanese Tea Ceremony and simply 'drinking tea'. I find it fascinating, although I WOULD suggest a change in the name of this page from 'Mushroom Picking in Slavic Culture' to 'The Art of Collecting (or hunting/picking?) Mushrooms'. :)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Syberchick70 (talk • contribs) 16:17, 21 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  The ART of collecting mushrooms