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veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Obit: Miroslav Smotlacha dead at 86
#7024415 - 06/08/07 09:41 PM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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Czechs mourn doyen of national pastime - mushroom picking June 8, 2007 - eux.tv
Prague - He was little known outside the Czech Republic's borders, but within them, the movement his family launched had saved many human lives.
Czechs are mourning for Miroslav Smotlacha, the raspy-voiced doyen of the Czech favourite pastime of mushroom picking. According to the Czech Mycological Society, he died after a long illness at the age of 86 on Wednesday in Prague.
"It is a terrible loss," says avid mushroom picker and composer Vaclav Halek, who sets mushrooms to music. "He was a legend and a remarkable personality."
Czechs have been picking and eating mushrooms since middle ages. According to surveys by the Czech Mycological Society, six out of 10 Czechs stroll woods in the search of mushrooms at least once a year. Television news reports often highlight outstanding finds and inform on the twists and turns of the mushroom-picking season.
"It runs in our blood," Halek says. "A Czech equals a mushroom picker. Almost everyone does."
Smotlacha's family has been instrumental in making sure the hobby is safe. Nearly a century ago, his father Frantisek opened the first mushroom clinic to help people determine the tasty sorts from the poisonous ones.
Halek recalled a stranger could have woken up Smotlacha's mother at midnight to seek expert advice on suspicious-looking mushrooms. According to him, the Smotlachas-led movement, which spread from Prague to smaller towns, has paid off.
"We have had great results in fighting poisonous mushrooms, so people do not eat them," he said, adding later, "People here know mushrooms really well. It often surprises me when I chat with strangers and they know 40, 50 types."
Smotlacha had followed in his parents' footsteps and dedicated his life to studying and popularizing mushrooms. Czech President Vaclav Klaus honoured him for his work in 2005.
Last week, Halek went mushroom hunting with his brother and they found 186 magnificent porcini, despite recent news reports that few of them are now growing in the Czech forests.
"Smotlacha would have been happy to know this," Halek said with a nostalgic sigh. "I did not get around to calling him. I will have to send a message to him in heaven. Nothing else can be done."
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Sebastian23
Stranger
Registered: 02/18/07
Posts: 808
Loc: Bay
Last seen: 16 years, 15 days
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Re: Obit: Miroslav Smotlacha dead at 86 [Re: veggie]
#7024977 - 06/09/07 12:41 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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I bet the Czech Republic also likes to trip.
-------------------- "If the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on." -Terence McKenna Marijuana Myths Debunked
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Lily_Morgan
I'm #1 !!
Registered: 07/05/06
Posts: 437
Loc: Eastern Shore
Last seen: 16 years, 5 months
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Re: Obit: Miroslav Smotlacha dead at 86 [Re: Sebastian23]
#7027425 - 06/09/07 06:49 PM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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Yeah, I've got some relatives over there that love mushroom picking - ALL kinds of mushrooms Remember, we also have absinthe over there!
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ROX
Traveling...
Registered: 11/18/06
Posts: 231
Loc: Croatia
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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Re: Obit: Miroslav Smotlacha dead at 86 [Re: Lily_Morgan]
#7029769 - 06/10/07 11:34 AM (16 years, 9 months ago) |
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Spent 5 days in Prague 2 years ago, best city I've ever been to. They offer you weed practically everywhere on the crowded streets. Sure since it's touristy in the center there's a high chance of being scammed, but still, it's unique from where I come from. And Absinthe.....aahhh....
-------------------- ~~Goa and psychedelic trance, psychedelic chillout mixes >>> http://www.rox-unreal.net/ <<<
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