woensdag 13 oktober 2010

Let the monkeys teach you what to eat


My soft spot for Marc van Roosmalen started when I read in the first book of his autobiography that he had great admiration for Provo as a biology student in Utrecht. He didn't take part of the things Provo is best known for, as far as I can tell, but I do think he is still embodying the spirit where many others haven't. The above shows his Amazonian camp-site/field station.


The following quote is instructive to all edible city proponents. This is how the pro's do it:


Listen to Marc van Roosmalen:
 “Most of what I have learned about survival in a neo-tropical rainforest I have learned from the red-faced spider monkeys from Surinam. I also learned a lot from other animals. From mammals, reptiles and birds who, like me, live on the ground. Agouties, agouties and peccaries led me to those seeds and seedlings you can eat without risk, and to others that are poisonous enough to kill you by touch alone if you happen to have a scratch or small wound. Tapirs and deer taught me which seeds and seedlings to avoid. They also taught me which green leaves from which trees I could eat with relish. By studying the food habits of a wide variety of animals, by observing what foods they are looking for, what foods they eat, and from which foods they sometimes accidentally die, I soon started to feel comfortable in my new daily surroundings. More and more I started to look like a native of the forest“.   


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