The fruits of suffering.

Whoever believes that suffering is undesirable has probably not experienced much good in life yet. Some of the most pleasurable pursuits of mankind are borne of suffering - the blues and its offspring from thralldom, great works of art in the western world from the frustration and depression of the masters, the cornucopia of flavours in "exotic" cuisine from poverty and hunger, technological revolutions from war. Nay, suffering is good, as long as it occurs to others.

Nightshade

Bittersweet nightshade is a relative of the potato. It is a semi-woody vine with dark green, three-lobed leaves and small blue flowers with yellow centers that become berries that turn from green to red.

Leaves have a strong distinct odor.

Although it has been used to treat dermatological disorders, the plant is toxic. Reportedly, all parts of the plant can cause poisoning, which is attributed to solanine.

However, human poisonings are mostly non-fatal. Experimental mice were able to eat the ripe fruit safely, but unripe fruit caused necrosis in the GI tract.

Panther caps

Panther caps taste good, sauteed in butter and lightly salted.

... what dreams may come?

The palatability of stinkhorns.

Most people who eat stinkhorns consume only the stem. The cap apparently smells too strong. Descriptions of the stench include that of rotten meat, old shoes, rubbish can.

I find, however, when harvested at an early mature stage, the cap can act as a great condiment. More interestingly, different types of stinkhorn impart different flavors. One variety, with a narrow elongated cap, no veil, and a lightly brown-tinged stem, gives out a scent reminiscent of dried seafood. I have used it to make imitation Cantonese seafood broth. Another variety, with a stouter cap, a darker cap color, honeycomb-like texture on the cap surface, no veil, white stem, has an astonishingly strong mushroom smell. With some stinkhorns, cream, garlic, nutmeg, and milk, one can make a tasty cream of mushroom.

The pre-mature stage of the stinkhorn has the appearance of small eggs. These can also be used in the above recipes. However, the jelly-like texture of the interior may put some people off. I also would not recommend using the eggs or caps in stir-frying or other dry methods of cooking.

Dream: Piglet

A carp twice the size of a man swims lazily in the calm waters of a canal, over which is the bridge I sit on. The leviathan barely emerges from the water surface, opens and closes its cavernous mouth as if gasping, then swims away.

A piglet clambers up from the water onto the bridge, in front of me. It is covered with cuts and bruises, its snout hanging by just a sliver from its face. It crawls towards me and I land a kick right into its snout. I feel satisfied with the blow. The snout still hangs off the face. I plant my foot onto the same spot again, but it does not stop the piglet from its slow advance. The creature begins to sing, 'spare me, spare me...'

I begin to feel excited. And then I wake up.