I went out faraging, apparently I am not normal

[Hedgie]

I went out foraging this morning with my springer spaniel, I collected Hawthorn berries for Haw sauce, and Elder berries for some cordial for my children.
Whilst foraging a lady and her young daughter came down the track that I was on walking her dog. The little girl said what is that man doing, her mum did not reply, I said I am collecting berries to make some juice for my children. As they passed by the girl asked her mum can we collect some berries to make some juice.
The answer she recieved from her mum within my hearing was "No normal people buy it from shops darling"
If foraging makes me not normal then I would rather be labeled thus than be as narrow minded as this woman was.

[happyhippy]

And clever smart people forage and make their own! I'd feel sorry for the lady for her ignorance and even sorrier for her child! Happy foraging and ignore any future negative comments!

[Durgan]

I went out foraging this morning with my springer spaniel, I collected Hawthorn berries for Haw sauce, and Elder berries for some cordial for my children.
Whilst foraging a lady and her young daughter came down the track that I was on walking her dog. The little girl said what is that man doing, her mum did not reply, I said I am collecting berries to make some juice for my children. As they passed by the girl asked her mum can we collect some berries to make some juice.
The answer she recieved from her mum within my hearing was "No normal people buy it from shops darling"
If foraging makes me not normal then I would rather be labeled thus than be as narrow minded as this woman was.

My dear wife told me we were not poor and didn't have to use natures bounty. Amongst other things she is no longer my wife.

[Millymollymandy]

I feel sorry for the child, who would probably have enjoyed picking berries and is never likely to experience that.

[Merry]

A couple of years ago my grandsons returned from a berry picking walk really upset. A group of school 'friends' had seen them and started name calling - 'Saddoes' 'Tramps' 'Your Mam`s too mean to buy food for you.' 'Your Mam makes you scavenge for your dinner.' etc etc.
It was the 'your Mam' insults that were the most upsetting for them and they didn`t know how to react. They just packed up and came home.
For a good while afterwards they would only go out picking accompanied by their Mam!

[Hedgie]

I always ignore negative comments, and also felt sorry for the daughter.
And the pleasure I get from making palatble things for my family is mine to keep for ever. And is then doubled when my 5 children all love what I have made and ask for more.

[Merry]

Same here! A bit harder for children to ignore jibes from their peers though. Still, they`ve grown up all right - and still forage.

[boboff]

Ignorant women.

They say that to cover the guilt they feel as they are too lazy to actually do what is essentially something we are programed to do. To forage has to be the oldest life affirmation a Human Being has.

I think Durgan made a wize move with that wife!

Do you think that this attitude is changing? People can say it's the credit crunch, but growing your own and being sustainable seems to be becoming popular amoung the Barber crowd!

[Dr.Syn]

A few years ago I was walking home passing some blackberry bushes. It was a hot sunny day and the berries looked large, juicy and inviting so I picked a few. As I walked along enjoying my bounty 3 youths came along. "What are they?" "blackberries" "Can you eat them?" "Of course" "What? When there not cooked" This was from tomorrows leaders of men! Heaven help us.

[RuthG]

Ignorant women.

They say that to cover the guilt they feel as they are too lazy to actually do what is essentially something we are programed to do. To forage has to be the oldest life affirmation a Human Being has.

You want to rephrase that Boboff? I'm a woman and I forage. We women arent all the same you know

[Potter's Farm]

Think boboff meant the woman with the child in the original tale. This made me laugh out loud, its a typical tale of the 'junk food' generation. My children always prefer anything homemade or foraged, there's so much fun in having a morning out picking, an afternoon cooking and an evening eating.

[Ellendra]

I used to be in a larping group that met in one of the best foraging parks in town. It got to be a running joke that I would snack on berries as we roamed the woods. One time a person who had just joined the group saw me pop a berry in my mouth, and launched into a 20-minute lecture on how "many berries are poisonous and you shouldn't just go eating things in the woods". I stood there politely and nodded while my friends, who had been watching me do that for 2 years, were standing behind him laughing their heads off . Eventually he looked around and realized he was missing something, at which point I told him "It's a gooseberry" and walked on.

The group had long since determined that I was not a modern-day human playing an elven ranger 6 hours a weekend, I was an elven ranger who played a modern-day human the other 162 hours a week :)

[boboff]

Ignorant women.

They say that to cover the guilt they feel as they are too lazy to actually do what is essentially something we are programed to do. To forage has to be the oldest life affirmation a Human Being has.

You want to rephrase that Boboff? I'm a woman and I forage. We women arent all the same you know

Just to say I meant that woman who said the wrong thing, not women in general.

I really think allot more of women in general than that, I think every home should have one!

Indeed historically you would have been primarily engaged in foraging, whilst us men went and killed savage beasts.

Anyway for my poor typing I apologise! For my even worse humour ( it's all relative I know) I say sorry as well.

[trinder]

My dear wife told me we were not poor and didn't have to use natures bounty. Amongst other things she is no longer my wife.[/quote]
Just loved this one.

[Paul_C]

i get it alot from people especialy youngish mums with young kids. inclduing crossing the road, walking past me and crossing back again. i find it very insulting and a few times have said so. if they asked what i was doing nicly they would probably find themselves given some of what i have gotten and an polite explanation as to what i am doing and why.

ultimatly its down to supermarkets having managed to totaly alter the way people view food.

lamb isnt a baby sheep which is killed for meat its something which comes in a plastic box in a sterile atmosphere at £10+ a kilo.
carrots dont grow in fields and are odd shapes they come neatrly stacked in bags weighing the same with no green bits of soil.

they have managed almost totaly to remove the natural aspects of food from the minds of most people which makes the simple fact that food is natural and can grow anywhere a totaly alien concept.