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because it's a unique taste , a unique method, and a cultural significance for some people -- no one is forcing you to eat it.

Why would anyone eat fugu or collect wild mushrooms?

It's fun and interesting. That's why. Danger be damned.

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> Why would anyone eat fugu or collect wild mushrooms?

I can't speak to fugu, but collecting wild mushrooms is statistically one of the safest hobbies in existence.

It's the eating that's the real challenge

The danger is part of the appeal. When somebody gives you a mushroom called "the sickener," which is apparently edible with an appropriate combination of brining, fermentation, soaking, rinsing, and boiling, it's a little hard to resist the temptation to prove everyone else wrong and turn it into a tasty treat.

Brings fugu to mind. I wish I could get a scientific answer to whether there's actually a high associated with it or if that's just in people's heads.

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